Entrance examination always receives a superior attention across the country, particularly the Medical and Engineering exams. Almost every higher secondary pass-out tries their luck in these exams. It seems like, not only the students but also the parents are going through the exam fever. Most of the parents and students believe that these entrance tests determine the candidate’s life and future. It is now becoming the life circus for the aspirants.

Professional exams

The Professional exams that are prevailing have less than three decades of history behind them.  But it now enjoys an ultimate position in the professional education sector. It creates news and talks athwart the nation. Sometimes it leads hot arguments in our Ministry and related authorities. If one really observe, then they can understand that there is no other exams like the Medical and Engineering in our country which owns the celebrity concern.

When the current system of Entrance exam was introduced in our country in 2000, no one ever dreamt that it is going to have such a strong influence over the academic and career decisions of the future generation. The face of the Entrance exam changes every year and it does not share any similarity between the previous ones and the present Entrance exams.

The Change

So what is so special about in the 2011 Medical and Engineering Entrance Examination? From this year onwards, a much talked modification, cutting down the superiority of entrance exams in the admission process of the professional courses is being introduced. The plus-two or equivalent qualifying exam mark will also contribute to the weight-age of the entrance score. A most welcomed act from the Governments part.

The discussion about this type of change was started in the year 2006, having introduced by the respective committee. Lots of arguments and agitation was performed against this proposal. The Government and the academic committee stood against the idea, pointing that it will create imbalance in the admission process. But the entrance reform committee submitted its research report and the needed action plan in the same year. The different states also supported the report by proposing 50% weight-age should give to the plus-two mark. But the uncertainty prevailed for a long time.

Plus-two marks is not going to be a formality

In 2010, the Government showed the acceptance to this proposal and agreed to give certain weight-age to the plus two results in the preparation of the Engineering rank list. But it creates lots of confusion among the bureaucracy of the Education Division. But the most severe problem was to convince the Self-financing and private entities and this lead yet another year to solve. And finally in 2011, a common decision was taken as to consider the higher secondary percentage for putting rank list in order.

Now for all the Engineering aspirants your plus-two examination is not going to be a formality. It will decide your professional eligibility and seat in the same.

Statistic formula- the Rank-List

The formula was suggested by the ‘normalization committee’ and this formula will calculate the exact rank of the candidate with the obtained entrance as well as the higher secondary score, ICSE and CBSE streams also. There will be a common question how the rank list is going to be prepared. The question has its relevance since most of the candidates are just appear for the examination and their plus-two results are yet to come out. The answer is that, there is a statistical formula which will be used to prepare the rank list by collecting the higher secondary score from the various examination boards.

The 2011 entrance exam started on 18 April. In India there are all together 40 boards in higher secondary. The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) has to collect the plus-two results of the candidates from these boards before preparing the engineering rank list. Then the process of normalization starts and only after this the list will be published.

New Changes being implemented

This year it is expected to take a long time to publish the Engineering list. The students are informed about this change before the commencement of their plus-two exams. They have to understand the fact that their papers in Physics, Mathematics and chemistry will be evaluated twice, first in the higher secondary result and another in the engineering rank list.

Select the best out of the lot

CSE will take at least one month in publishing the engineering result, once they got the plus-two mark list. The students are required to send the plus-two score to the CEE board. The board will have to verify the result through the official channels with the examination board. This is to avoid any fraud activity in the mark-list. After making the clarity on the result only they can go further with the normalization. Software, developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), is used to perform this part.

Possible tribulations

Even though, there is a problem regarding the smooth implementation of the reform. Most of our Secondary boards are lacking the computerization of the exam result, including the most prominent board CBSC and ICSE. There is no way to receive a well informed exam data of the candidates from the related board. The CEE will find difficulty in verifying the exam result. The normalization board has to go through the paper works of the secondary exam board as to make a call for verification and normalizing. This will be the major issue that is going to come up in this system.

But this type of reforms will help a large group of students. The Entrance exams are always being criticized for the counting of candidates having poor academic background. And also there is a vast talented group who just pushed back because of financial incapability for affording the best coaching centers. The coaching centers are meant for the upper-middle and upper-class in our country. These institutions are a dream for the merited students from the lower income group. By the introduction of this type of change in the professional education sector we can hope for a faire game to all deserves.

The students just finish the entrance exam and a long process will be there before the result come out. So this is the time to calm down and make plans for the years to come.