There has been a gradual decline in the number of students registering JEE Advanced from 2014 to 2021. Percentage of students who registered JEE Advanced was 83.1% (2014), 79% (2015), 78.6% (2016), 77.4% (2017), 71.7% (2018), 71.7% (2019), 64.1% in 2020 and 58.1% in 2021. 2022, a marginal increase in the number of registrations has been observed at 61.5%.
Teachers attribute the drop in registration numbers to a change in mindset about the various options that are now available to students who may not have a good rank. JEE Main,
Options beyond IIT
V Ramgopal RaoProfessor and Former Director, IIT Delhisays, “The coursework for JEE Advanced is much tougher than for JEE Main, if students aspire to crack the exam and get a seat in their preferred course in IITs, they need to follow a rigorous preparation process. Students who get below average rank in JEE Main exam don’t want to go through the tedious process especially since they are unsure of getting a seat in IITs.
Even though the number of seats in IITs has increased, says Rao, the competition remains tough. Moreover, appearing for JEE Advanced is no longer the only option for students. “Apart from NITs, many private universities also consider JEE Main scores for admission. Thus, students cracking JEE Main opt for their preferred branch in one of these institutes instead of spending time preparing for the exam in which they are not confident to crack,” says Rao.
move on from education
Jayant Kumar Singh, Head (chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpursays, “Today, the thought process of both students and parents has changed. Instead of running behind the tag of IIT, parents give a chance to the students to take a different path. Some of these options include JEE Main exam pass. This may include taking a job in an international firm after doing business or working in a start-up.
The success stories of students who have chosen a different path instead of taking seats in IITs are doing a great job of boosting morale. Singh says, “A change in trend can also be seen in the last few years, with the number of students taking drop years after class XII to prepare for JEE exam has come down.”
Teachers attribute the drop in registration numbers to a change in mindset about the various options that are now available to students who may not have a good rank. JEE Main,
Options beyond IIT
V Ramgopal RaoProfessor and Former Director, IIT Delhisays, “The coursework for JEE Advanced is much tougher than for JEE Main, if students aspire to crack the exam and get a seat in their preferred course in IITs, they need to follow a rigorous preparation process. Students who get below average rank in JEE Main exam don’t want to go through the tedious process especially since they are unsure of getting a seat in IITs.
Even though the number of seats in IITs has increased, says Rao, the competition remains tough. Moreover, appearing for JEE Advanced is no longer the only option for students. “Apart from NITs, many private universities also consider JEE Main scores for admission. Thus, students cracking JEE Main opt for their preferred branch in one of these institutes instead of spending time preparing for the exam in which they are not confident to crack,” says Rao.
move on from education
Jayant Kumar Singh, Head (chemical Engineering, IIT Kanpursays, “Today, the thought process of both students and parents has changed. Instead of running behind the tag of IIT, parents give a chance to the students to take a different path. Some of these options include JEE Main exam pass. This may include taking a job in an international firm after doing business or working in a start-up.
The success stories of students who have chosen a different path instead of taking seats in IITs are doing a great job of boosting morale. Singh says, “A change in trend can also be seen in the last few years, with the number of students taking drop years after class XII to prepare for JEE exam has come down.”