IIT-JEE 2012: Marks reduced to let students finish paper

IIT-JEE 2012: Marks reduced to let students finish paper

The Indian Institute of Technology Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) conducted on Sunday contained a total of 408 marks - fewer than in any of the IIT-JEEs in recent years. In an effort to give students a shot at solving the whole paper, the number of questions was reduced, which brought down the marks from the usual total of nearly 480 marks. The paper also saw slight changes in the usual pattern. The number of questions in each section was fewer than in previous years, bringing down the marks slightly. Prof Ravindra Nadkarni, dean of academics, Vidyalanka, coaching institute for IITJEE, said, “For the past few years, IITJEE has been consistent with the total marks being somewhere around 480. This time, with a lower number, competition appears to be getting higher. There could be situations where a student might score much higher than expected but might not get a rank.” J B Reddy, chairman of IITJEE, said, “The number of questions or total marks is not the important criterion. The important thing is to check students’ aptitude. The objective was to allow candidates to attempt maximum questions, avoiding any rush.” Most students were satisfied with paper one, but found paper two more difficult. No erroneous questions were reported this year.