11.5 lakh students have registered for JEE Main 2018. This figure is slightly less than that of last year. On the other hand, the number of students who will appear for online paper has risen.
For JEE Main 2018, CBSE closed submissions of application forms on January 1. Students are not getting any extension in form filling this year. With all the registrations in place, glimpses of registration statistics are available now.
The figures for registrations stand as follows: 11.5 lakh students have registered overall; 2.25 lakh have opted for computer-based test, whereas, 9.25 lakh will take the pen and paper-based test. Corresponding statistics for these last year were 12 lakh, 1.8 lakh, and 10.2 lakh. This marks an overall dip in registrations, but rise in test takers for the online exam.
A small albeit significant rise in the number of students choosing the online format of exam could be because JEE Advanced 2018 will be held completely online. So it is probable that students who are focusing towards IITs as their ultimate goal, and are confident enough of becoming eligible for it, are opting for the online exam so that they can practice computer-based tests for both.
The fact that total registrations have declined is no surprise. Years 2015, 2016, and 2017 also saw a steady downfall in registrations. For “paper one”, there were 11,86,454 applications in 2017, 11,94,938 applications in 2016, 13,04,495 applications in 2015, 13,56,805 applications in 2014, and 12,82,000 applications in 2013. As can be seen, only the year 2014 witnessed an increase compared to its previous year. Post that, each year saw a dip.
Reasons for dip in JEE registrations
There can be a number of reasons for this. Primarily, experts say, the reason is that many students have realized now that engineering degree does not necessarily guarantee a job, as was the perception earlier. Moreover, they now have a wider variety of choices and are aware of them.
Many private colleges have been affected dwindling engineering aspirants. There are around 27 lakh engineering seats lying unclaimed in India. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to shut down colleges with less than 30% admissions in past five years. These colleges have been either asked to shut down or merge with nearby colleges.
Another reason is Indian states dropping out of JEE system; they now conduct state level entrance exams. For example, WBJEE is the engineering entrance exam for West Bengal, UPSEE is the entrance exam for Uttar Pradesh, MHT CET is for Maharashtra, and so on. In these states, students may or may not appear for JEE Main, but they do appear for state exams as they offer better chances of admission to state government colleges.
Does this mean that admission to top engineering colleges is easier?
No, this does not mean that admission to top engineering colleges is easier. If anything, competition to top colleges only gets tougher each year. Only a few colleges boast of excellent infrastructure, teachers, placements and rankings. Based on these factors, all students who appear in JEE Main dream of getting admission in these and thus competition for them do not fall.
JEE Main 2018 pen and paper-based test is on April 8, and computer-based tests are on April 15 and 16. It is a national level entrance exam. “Paper one” is for admission to engineering (BE/B.Tech), and “Paper 2” is for architecture (B.Arch / B.Plan). Those who have applied can download admit card for jeemain.nic.in as per schedule.
