Common Engineering Entrance Examination

Two major engineering entrance examinations are used for admission to engineering institutes across India, Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) and All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE).  In 2010, a proposal for a common engineering entrance examination was made by the Ministry of Human Resource Development.  The proposal has gone through several names and formats, and is expected to enter use in 2014.  Yet, the common entrance exam for all engineering courses in India has not become effective, even for academic year 2017-18. 

History 
A common engineering entrance examination was first proposed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in February 2010 as "a common system for common admission into professional institutions in the country".  One of the names proposed was Indian Science Engineering Eligibility Test (ISEET).  It was meant as a replacement for the multitude of existing exams, but most specifically the Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination.  The first-year version of the exam was planned to cover admissions to centrally-funded institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) and some deemed universities.  Per the decision of the ministry on 20 May 2012, the exam is to be introduced starting in 2013.  Some state governments have already announced they will not join the exam, at least not for the first year, until doubts, mainly about the languages in which the exam will be made available, are cleared.  The proposal also received strong opposition from the All India IIT Faculty Federation (AIIITFF) and the Indian Institutes of Technology alumni association, which stated concerns about the loss of the autonomy of IITs in their admission process. 

Reasons for demand of common entrance exam 
1.  Many engineering colleges in India are known for taking capitation fee. 

2.  A common entrance exam will help students and parents to save money that they otherwise have to spend on purchasing application forms and prospectus of various engineering colleges.  Savings related to travel expenses for attending various entrance exams is another advantage. 

3.  Transparency in listing of entrance exam rankings and admission to engineering colleges. 

Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)

On 18 June 2012, a more specific format was proposed by a joint meeting of the councils of IITs, NITs and IIITs.  As per this proposal, the exam will be called Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and will be made of two parts, JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced.  Two distinct "patterns of admission" will be used.  For IITs, an average of the marks from Class XII Board exams and JEE-Main will be used for screening, allowing only a fixed number of candidates to be considered for admission.  Ranking between these candidates will be based entirely on JEE-Advanced, the format of which will be decided by the joint admission board of IITs.  For other institutions (NITs, IIITs and 20 GFTIs), admissions will be possible only if the candidate has secured at least 75 per cent marks in their class 12th board examinations or appears in the top 20 percentile list of their respective boards for the class 12th board examination. 

Objections
Two of the IITs, have voiced strong objections to the common examination, and have announced that if the change takes place, they will conduct their own admittance exams. 

See also
List of Engineering Entrance Exams in India

References 

Category:Engineering entrance examinations in India
Category:Indian Institutes of Technology
Category:Standardised tests in India
Category:Educational assessment and evaluation
Category:Standardized tests for Engineering