From this academic year, only the top 20% scorers in the state board will get to appear for entrance examinations.
Anushi Nagarkar, 17, is burning the midnight oil preparing for her HSC exams that begin on February 21. Nagarkar is working very hard for her board exams as her scores will determine her eligibility for the medical entrance test.
Colleges will now consider HSC results along with the National Eligibility cum Entrance test (NEET) for admission to medical colleges or Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for admissions to engineering courses in Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) and other engineering institutes. This has increased the importance of HSC exams for students wanting to pursue these courses.
“This means, unlike students from the past years, I cannot ignore my HSC score. So there is double pressure on us,” said Nagarkar.
Marie Fernandes, principal of St Andrews College, Bandra, said, “Earlier, students would focus more on studying for MHT-CET and IIT-JEE exams instead of HSC exams. They would be happy scoring average marks in HSC. However, this year HSC exam results matter more to the students. In fact, class XII students regularly attended college too.”
Another class XII student and engineering aspirant, Ritesh Mane, said he has to be one of the top 20% scorers in the state board. This is because only the top 20% students will get to appear for the JEE advanced exam. “It is my dream to study at IIT-Powai and I have been working hard towards it since class VIII. This year, I not only have to crack the JEE, but also secure high scores in the HSC exam,” said Mane.
Clinical psychologist Seema Hingorrany said this is increasing the pressure among students. “Parents need to be extra sensitive and help them maintain a positive attitude,” she said.
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