Over a quarter of students who registered for the JEE-Main last week failed to appear to actually write their examinations. Out of the total 8.58 lakh registered candidates, only 6.35 lakh students actually wrote their examinations , according to a tweet by Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday night.
A section of students had held protests and gone to court in a bid to postpone the examination further, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and difficulties in transportation due to local lockdowns.
Also read: Bombay High Court refuses to stay JEE-Main examination
On the first day of the examination, which was meant for the B. Arch and B. Planning entrance tests, less than 55% of students showed up. About 80% of students appeared for the B.E. and B. Tech papers on the remaining days, resulting in a total attendance rate of 74%.
To put it in context, over 94% of registered students wrote the B.E/B.Tech papers in the same examination last year, while the B. Arch and B. Planning papers saw more than 80% attendance.
Also read: A case to use JEE-Main instead of JEE-Advanced this year
JEE Main is the test for admission to all central engineering colleges, as well as a number of State and private institutions. Top ranked students are then eligible to apply for the elite IITs and attempt JEE Advanced, which is being held on September 27 this year. As JEE Main is held twice a year, students who attempt both times can choose their best score.
“JEE Main Exams are held twice in a year. The previous one was held in January this year. Several students who didn't appear for the exam in September may have done well in the January exam hence did not feel the need to sit for the exam this time. We are ascertaining those numbers,” tweeted the Minister.
