Class 12 students pay attention! You can apply for JEE Main with only Mathematics, without Science

What to do after class 12th is a critical question before young students. NTA has opened a door for students who had Mathematics as a subject in their higher secondary class, even if they did not study physics and chemistry. Now, students with mathematics in class 12th can apply for JEE Main. 

Starting from JEE Main 2020, there is a new exam at the national level exam for undergraduate courses – B.Planning. For this new exam, all a student needs is to have passed the qualifying exam with Mathematics. For the purpose of admission in the colleges, they will need to have scored 50% in mathematics and 50% in aggregate in qualifying exam.

JEE Main is conducted by NTA. Until 2018, it was a yearly exam by CBSE. Now it is held twice a year – in January and April. The JEE Main 2020 January attempt registrations have opened today only. And with it, the brochure of exam and other public notices have come that highlight the changes in the exam. One of the most applauded changes has been the splitting up of B.Arch and B.Plan exams, since the core eligibility for the two papers are different and now more students can appear in the exam. Students with mathematics in class 12 level, with any other subject combination, can now appear in JEE Main even without science subjects.

In India, students need to opt for specific subject combinations after class 10th, that is for subjects they will study in classes 11th and 12th. There are three streams that students get divided into namely arts or humanities, science, and commerce. 

Science students go for compulsory subjects that are a language such as English, with physics, chemistry. The fourth subject can be any one between biology, and mathematics. Those who take biology can have subjects like mathematics, psychology, biotechnology, physical education as fifth subject, and mathematics subject students can usually go for computer science, informatics practices, economics, physical education as fifth subject. Up until now, JEE Main exam was primarily for science students with PCM combination only. 

Now in commerce, students study a language subject, business studies, economics, accountancy, and a fifth subject. The fifth subject can be mathematics, informatics practices, fashion studies, painting, legal studies, physical education. Thus, as per the new eligibility criteria of JEE Main, commerce with mathematics students can also apply for JEE Main exam, for the B.Planning paper. 

Coming to the third stream, arts or humanities, the subject combinations vary from school to school, and board to board. Usually one subject is a language like english. Then the second subject can be psychology, mathematics, physical education, legal studies. Third subject can be geography, economics, home science, painting, fashion technology. Then fourth subject may be political science, economics, informatics practices. And fifth subject may be  history, mathematics, informatics practices, fashion technology, painting, legal studies, physical education, home science. Thus a student in this stream also, with mathematics as a subject, can appear in JEE Main. 

JEE Main papers that require science subjects only are the courses other than B.Planning. That is, for BE/B.Tech, students must have passed the qualifying exam with physics and mathematics as compulsory subjects along with any one of the subjects namely chemistry, biotechnology, biology, technical vocational subject. 

What do you think of this new change? Let us know in comments below!