Second PU and Class XII students aspiring for engineering seats in the 2018-2019 academic year are in a dilemma whether to prepare for the Common Entrance Test or the Joint Entrance Test (JEE). They are wondering if a single entrance test for engineering colleges across the country, on the lines of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical and dental courses, will be introduced.
Most institutes offering coaching for CET have now shifted focus to the JEE instead.
An official in the Higher Education Department said that the possibility of a single entrance test cannot be ruled out.
“We are not sure about how long CET will continue. So, we are training students for JEE,” said a representative of BASE, a coaching institute, in Mysuru.
Most coaching institutes are offering two modules – JEE Mains and JEE Advanced. “While coaching in JEE Mains is of the same standard as CET, JEE Advanced helps students aspiring for admission in IITs,” the BASE representative added.
Until now, only aspirants to seats in IITs and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) were opting for JEE Mains and JEE Advanced.
Students who have already started preparing for the 2018 CET do not want a change mid-way. Dhanush V., a student of Deeksha Centre for Learning, Kanakapura Road, said, “I am preparing only for CET, as I want to study in Karnataka. Also, my lecturers are of the opinion that organising a single entrance test for engineering will take some time.”
Even colleges that offer integrated coaching – training students to face PU Board exams as well as entrance tests – are turning their focus to JEE.
Ms. Bhavani, who wanted to admit her son in Mother Teresa PU College in Mysuru that has tied up with Deeksha Coaching, said the institute has offered to train engineering aspirants to face JEE instead of CET, along with the Board exams.
What coaching institutes say
“There is need for clarity on whether students will have to write CET or JEE. Changes, if any, should be implemented from 2019 onwards,” says Sridhar G., Founder and Managing Director, Deeksha Centre for Learning.
“Although the syllabus is the same, CET and JEE are different. We provide training for both,” says Y.K. Jayaramappa, CEO, BASE.
