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The uncertainty in examinations and universities across India

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Covid 19 pandemic immensely affected almost every sector of the country but the sector which is badly overblown is the education sector. Over the past year, education systems have been forced to cancel classes and close doors to campuses in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Delayed exams, results and admissions are a few of the consequences which students had to face because of it.

 

There are numerous universities present in our country and each one of them has its own admission processes and eligibility. The year 2021 however saw various changes in the admission processes of universities. Let’s find out what changed in the admission procedure of universities after the first and second waves of covid-19.

Before proceeding further, we will be discussing some of the admission procedures before Corona. They include:

 

  • Entrance exams: Many colleges and universities offer admission on the basis of national level entrance exams. For example, JEE (mains & advance) which is meant for admission in all IITs and NITs nationwide, NEET which is conducted for admission in government medical colleges.
  • Private entrance exams: Many universities conduct their own entrance exams for the admission process. Some of these include BITSAT (for Birla institute), VITEEE (for VIT University) etc.
  • On the basis of board exams: Some colleges/universities offer admission on the basis of class 12th score. The higher the percentage, the more the chances of admission. For example Delhi University and its affiliated colleges.

 

This was all before the second wave of the corona. Now since we are facing many troubles due to the highly contagious nature of the virus many changes have been implemented in the admission processes.

 

Changes and adjustments 

 

As far as admissions into government engineering colleges like IITs, NITs are concerned, admissions are based on entrance exams only but certain amendments have been made in the pattern of these exams like:

 

  • No negative marking for numerical questions
  • Total 90 questions, 30 each from PCM. Candidates have to attempt only 75 questions. Moreover, each subject will have 20 MCQs and 10 numerical questions. 5 out of 10 numerical questions are optional
  • Paper will be in 13 languages which is quite beneficial for students fluent in their native language
  • For private engineering colleges like BITSAT, VITEEE the previous pattern remains the same and students have to prepare accordingly

 

Admissions into medical colleges like AIIMS is based on the NEET entrance exam. Following changes are made for the educational year 2021:

 

  • Earlier admission into AIIMS was according to the AIIMS-MBBS exam. But this year this pattern has changed and the admission will be based on NEET score and rank only
  • Total 200 questions. Candidates have to attempt only 180 questions
  • Paper is divided into 2 sections: Section A (35 questions), Section B (15 questions out of which any 10 has to be attempted)
  • Paper will be in 13 languages

 

For admission into colleges affiliated with Delhi University, the process remains the same i.e., entrance into undergraduate merit-based programmes will be based on cut-offs as per past years practice. This year it will be completely online (registration as well as the deposit of fees) and the university will release the first cut-off list between September 7 and 10.

 

This year the number of courses has increased from nine to thirteen. The four new courses for which entrances will be held from this year are Bachelor in Physiotherapy, Bachelor in Occupational Therapy, Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics, and Masters of Physiotherapy. For admission into these courses, students have to undergo entrance exams.

 

Every year many students pursue their higher education in various foreign universities throughout the world especially Singapore, China, Canada and the U.S.A. There are certain changes this year because of the global emergency:

 

  • This year deadlines for applications have been extended. Earlier, students used to apply for 3-4 courses but this year due to the tremendous rise in competition, universities are asking students for their most preferred course.
  • Apart from this due to corona various visa application centres (VACs) have also been impacted, making delays in VISA approval and other formalities. For example: As for the US, most of the universities are giving application fee waivers and waived off the GRE/ GMAT requirements for masters and SAT/ ACT for undergraduates.

Key Takeaways 

 

We all know that this is a very serious phase, something that has devasted the lives of many. But we can’t and we won’t lose hope. The most effective means of maintaining access to learning has been online courses. Also, with that, the students need to understand that sitting idle or just waiting for admission notifications will lead them nowhere. They should practice more and more for the entrance exams and should focus on enhancing their skills through various courses so that this time can be utilised properly.


Also published on Medium.

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