The application window for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main will be reopened from May 19 to 24, according to a notice from the National Testing Agency on Tuesday. Students who have previously applied but now wish to change their centres can also do so between May 25 and 31.
The examination, which also serves as the first stage for IIT applicants, was scheduled to begin on April 3. It was postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown and will now be held from July 18-23.
The decision to reopen the application window is meant to cater to students whose alternate plans were disrupted by COVID-19 and want one last chance to apply, especially those whose international travel plans have been put on hold by the pandemic.
“In view of the representations received from various Indian students who were scheduled to join colleges abroad, but are now keen to pursue their studies in the country due to the changed circumstances arising out of COVID-19 and would thus like to appear in the JEE (Main) 2020, the NTA has decided to give one last opportunity,” the notice said.
The online application form is available on jeemain.nta.nic.in and can be submitted until 5 pm on May 24, while the fee can be paid online until 11.50 p.m.
While the announcement was widely welcomed by students when announced on Twitter by Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, a number of students pleaded for a similar facility to be made for NEET, the medical entrance examination.
The decision to allow change in centres will especially benefit students who had originally selected venues in cities like Kota, Rajasthan where they had been studying at coaching centres, but have now been forced to return home due to the lockdown. Details on how to change centres or correct particulars in an already submitted application are available on the NTA website.
With many students forced to prepare for these competitive examinations alone at home, the NTA is also launching an app to support them. The National Test Abhyaas app will provide one mock question paper for both JEE-Main and NEET aspirants daily, with immediate scoring and analysis, said the HRD Minister.
