Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Board muscles out JEE in NIT

 Many students with the problem-solving skills required of engineers are losing out on National Institutes of Technology seats because of the weightage given to admission seekers' board scores, two expert panels have said.
These panels have forwarded several arguments to recommend that the NITs scrap the 40 per cent board weightage- as The Telegraph had reported last month - and admit students solely on the basis of their scores in the JEE Main, which now receive 60 per cent weightage.
The 31 NITs are in favour of dropping the board weightage, introduced in 2013. But they want to follow the premier Indian Institutes of Technology in admitting students on the basis of their scores in the JEE Advanced, which only the top 1.5 lakh JEE Main performers can take. The government is yet to take a final decision on either issue.
One of the panels was appointed by the Union human resource development ministry and was headed by IIT Bombay director Devang Khakhar. The JEE Apex Board had appointed the other, headed by Rajat Moona, director-general of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
Here are some of their findings:
• A few candidates with very poor - even negative - JEE Main scores but good board percentiles this year received higher ranks on the merit list than some with far better JEE Main scores but poor board percentiles, the Moona panel has found. (See chart)
 A student with zero marks in the JEE Main can earn a rank of about 65,000 thanks to his board marks, the Khakhar panel calculated.
 The Khakhar panel quoted parents who had presented calculations to show that a one per cent difference in candidates' board marks can sometimes separate them by 2,000 ranks on the merit list while a 10 per cent difference in JEE Main marks can have much less impact. The panel, however, gave no details.
These examples suggest that candidates' marks in their board exams - which do not generally test their problem-solving abilities - can sometimes influence the merit list more than their scores in the JEE Main, which does test these abilities. The panels, therefore, felt the present system was hurting many deserving candidates.
 The Khakhar panel felt that one of the objectives behind the weightage accorded to board marks - that it would encourage students to pay more attention to their school education - was misplaced since only a tiny fraction of schoolchildren took the JEE. Administrative measures alone can improve school education, it said.
 Another objective behind the board weightage was to check the trend among students to take private coaching for the JEE. But the Moona committee quoted educational ads to show that some coaching institutes were now offering integrated coaching for school education as well as the JEE Main.
It said that 14.63 per cent of candidates for the All India Engineering Entrance Examination, which in 2013 became the JEE Main, had admitted to having been coached. In 2013 and 2014, this percentage increased to 18.15 and 18.89.
 One other objective behind the board weightage was to boost rural and girl students' admission to the NITs. The Moona panel found that this had been achieved to an extent. From 27.67 per cent in 2012, rural students' proportion among the top one lakh rankers increased to 29.47 per cent in 2013, 30.79 in 2014, and 30.20 in 2015.
Girls' participation increased from 22.34 per cent of candidates in 2012 to 25.52, 26 and 25.79 per cent, respectively, in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Their proportion among the top one lakh rankers rose from 18.57 to 22.75, 22.55 and 22.25 per cent.
 Some or other among the country's 30-odd school boards delays the publication of its results every year, holding up the admission process.
 The Moona panel found that some boards offer only four courses in Class XII while some others offer five, six or seven. Since the board weightage is calculated on the basis of a candidate's five best-scoring subjects, the boards that offer just four courses cite physical education as the fifth.
However, a candidate's scores in physical education provide little insight into his academic capabilities, the panel said.
 The Moona panel highlighted the problem of rank allotment to students who seek re-evaluation (or a revision of the calculation) of their board marks. Since their results arrive later than those of others, they are assigned fractional ranks --- say, 100.1 or 100.2 if they fall between the already declared 100th and 101st rankers.
Although this does not interfere with merit-based selection, the panel objected on the ground that under this system, the lower ranks do not reflect a candidate's real position.
The Khakhar panel also questioned the process of normalising candidates' board scores, which is necessitated by the boards' differing degrees of generosity in awarding marks, but did not cite specifics. Nor did it suggest ways of improving the normalisation process, perhaps because it wants the board weightage scrapped altogether.
At the October 1 meeting of the NIT Council, some members said the board weightage had helped more girls and rural students secure admission. Another committee will be set up to study the impact of the board weightage in detail.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Jamia to admit students through JEE

SOURCE: BS

Jamia Millia Islamia is likely to do away with its entrance exam for engineering courses and admit students through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). 

The JEE-Main which is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is used as a selection examination for all central government-funded technical schools, including the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology(IIITs), while students opting for the IITs need to clear the JEE-Advanced exam. 
"We have initiated process for the same and have approached the concerned authorities. There are certain procedures that need to be followed, hopefully we will be able to admit the students through JEE exam from the next academic session," Jamia VC Talat Ahmad told reporters here. 

"It will not only help us deal better with chances of paper leak but also the recognition of courses offered by Jamia will improve significantly since the students will be admitted through JEE," he added. 

Saturday, October 17, 2015

CSAB REFUND: Important Update


So finally CSAB is allowing refund for those who couldn't fill details previously.

Remain Updated about various entrance examination Forms and Dates

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Monday, October 12, 2015

National Institute of Design; Exam Notification out

The National Institute of Design (NID) will be conducting the entrance exam for admissions into Bachelor of Design (BDes) as well as Master of Design (MDes) programmes offered at its campuses at Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru.
The exam dates for the same have been announced.  The exams will be conducted on January 10, 2016.
There are 3 stages namely - Design Aptitude Test (DAT), Studio Test and the Personal Interview round which a candidate has to clear for securing admissions in BDes and MDes programmes. Interested candidates can apply for the admissions on the official website of NID.
Bachelor of Design
It is a 4 year programme offered in the following areas of specialization at NID's campus in Ahmedabad:
Animation Film Design
Film and Video Communication 
Exhibition (Spatial) Design 
Graphic Design
Ceramic and Glass Design
Furniture Design 
Product Design
Textile Design 
The selected candidates will have to undergo a mandatory foundation programme of 1 year duration.
Allotment of a discipline of choice at the end of the foundation programme is based solely on the student's performance and on the number of seats available. Number of seats in Bachelor of Design (including reserved categories) is 100.
Educational qualification
The candidates must have passed or will appear for the qualifying examinations under the higher secondary from any recognised board of education such as AISSCE/IB/ICSE, or equivalents, during the academic year 2015-16.
Master of Design
It is a 2.5 year programme offered in various areas of specialization at NID's campuses in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru.
Educational qualification
The candidates must be holding a Bachelors degree in any discipline under the 10 plus 2 plus 4 (or more) system, from any university or institute recognised (by law) in India.
Or
Bachelors degree in any discipline under the 10 plus 2 plus 3 system, from any university or institute recognised (by law) in India, with a one year experience or further academic qualifications.
Or
Diploma in Design under the 10 plus 2 plus 4 system, from any university or institute recognised (by law) in India.
How to apply
The interested candidates are required to apply online and send the demand draft and a printout of their application form in a single envelope to ' The Project Manager - CMS, All India Management Association, Management House, 14, Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110 003'.
Important dates
The last date for online registration: Nov ember 27
The last date for submission of hard copies of the application: December 11
The admit cards will be available from: December 24
NID DAT 2016 for BDes and GDPD: January 10, 2016
NID DAT 2016 for MDes: January 10, 2016
Declaration of results of DAT 2016 for MDes: February  5, 2016
Declaration of results of DAT 2016 for BDes and GDPD: February 22, 2016

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Panels for IIT Test Merger, Fee Hike


The IIT Council today set up a panel to examine whether the existing two-tier tests for taking in BTech students could be merged as the top body for the premier institutes set its sights on a faster and more streamlined admission process.
The council also formed two more panels to decide if tuition fees could be increased to recover running costs and explore ways to reduce dependence on private coaching.
The moves to set up the committees came at a meeting that the council, headed by HRD minister Smriti Irani, held at IIT Bombay.
Students hoping to enter the IITs now have to crack two tests - the JEE-Main and the JEE-Advanced. Nearly 13 lakh students appear for the JEE-Main and only the top 1.5 lakh make it to the next level for a shot at entering the IITs.
The National Institutes of Technology (NITs), on the other hand, admit students based on a system of 60:40 weightage - 60 per cent for their JEE-Main score and 40 per cent for their Class XII board marks.
The Joint Admission Board, which decides the JEE-Advanced pattern, had recently proposed merging the two tests, saying admissions were getting delayed.
Since the NITs announce their merit lists after all the school boards have published their results, the IITs have no choice but to wait as the institutes have started common counselling from this year.
"The current system of admission through a two-stage entrance was reviewed by the (IIT) Council. It was decided that the system would be examined in depth by a group of eminent persons to determine whether it needed modification," a statement by the Press Information Bureau said.
The committee has been asked to submit its recommendations by the first week of November. Sources said the NITs were also thinking of admitting students through the JEE-Advanced.
The IIT Council also decided to set up a panel of directors to examine a proposal to recover operational costs from tuition fees so that the tech schools would have to depend less on the government for funds. The NIT Council has already approved a similar proposal for the NITs.
The IITs now charge Rs 90,000 as yearly tuition fees from BTech students. If the proposal is cleared, the tuition fees could go up to around Rs 2 lakh a year. Sources said the committee of directors would examine ways to increase loan amounts for needy students if the fees are hiked.
The council set up another panel, headed by IIT Roorkee chairperson Ashok Mishra, to suggest changes in the pattern of entrance exams to reduce the impact of private tuitions.
A committee headed by IIT Bombay director Devang Khakhar had recently suggested that the NITs scrap the weightage for board marks, as the objective - reducing dependence on private coaching - had been defeated. The committee found that more students had started taking extra tuitions for their Class XII board exams.
IIT directors also proposed that assistant professors should be appointed for five years and confirmed only on the basis of their performance. The IITs now appoint assistant professors on a one-year probation.

IIT/NIT FEE REFUND: Ray of Hope for those who missed to avail the refund previously

At last, CSAB and IITs have responded to the fee refund demands of those who couldn't provide details previously.

IIT/ISM Fee Refund

Candidates who paid seat acceptance fee but did not join the institute may contact the respective admitting institutes for refund of fee.
IIT Bombay:   jee15@iitb.ac.in 
IIT Kanpur:   jeeadv@iitk.ac.in 
IIT Roorkee: jeech@iitr.ac.in
All other IITs and ISM: Registrar of the respective Institutes

NIT/IIIT Fee Refund(CSAB)

Candidates who have not submitted the bank details online for refund till 26th September 2015 are advised to visit CSAB web site regularly. CSAB-2015 will provide them last opportunity for claim for refund. Date will be announced shortly. And hence please DO NOT make a call for refund.