Mumbai: Single engineering entrance test leaves students in a fix

The decision over having a single entrance test for all the undergraduate engineering seats in the country has led to panic and confusion among students. Nearly a week after the HRD Ministry introduced a single entrance exam for aspirants across the country, it is now mulling over several changes in the exam pattern which includes conducting the exam thrice every year and making it completely online. 

While the centre plans to conduct back to back exams in December, February and April, it would not be feasible for a state like Maharashtra where board exams get over only by March. Also, as 50% seats are lying vacant across engineering colleges in the state, the uniform move to give more attempts to students would be problematic, experts suggest. 

“There is a lot of confusion about the engineering entrance due to lack of sufficient information from the side of the government. This is affecting the preparation largely because most of us are currently preparing as per the state CET syllabus. If a common examination has to be introduced, the format should be clearly laid down at least two years in advance so that students can prepare accordingly during their junior college years” said Parth Pandya, an engineering aspirant from Malad. 

Apart from having a common exam in three sessions, the government is also planning to make the JEE completely online. Subhash Joshi, trustee and chairman of Science Parivar, a charitable education trust that runs several coaching institutes in the city said that this would create a lot of trouble for students from the rural parts of the country. “Students from interior parts usually have to travel to cities when there are centrally organised exams” he added.