JEE Main 2021: How all changes in exam are likely to impact students?

NEW DELHI: The year 2020 has had a huge impact on students, especially those studying in Class 11 and 12 and those who are preparing for competitive exams like Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main. With schools, colleges and coaching institutes closed, students had to get used to the new normal of online classes. The three most important factors of the study - practicals, peer discussion, and student-teacher interaction - were missing this year.

As the studies and exam preparation has been affected, the National Testing Agency (NTA) introduced major changes in JEE Main 2021 to relieve students. The changes are:

• JEE Main 2021 will be held in four sessions, one each in February, March, April, and May. Until 2020, the exam was conducted twice a year, in January and April.

• Candidates will have choices among questions. A total of 90 questions will be asked, out of which candidates have to answer 75 questions.

• The exam will be held in 13 regional languages, including English.

How beneficial will be the changes in JEE Main 2021 for students?
The changes brought by the NTA in JEE Main 2021 have been welcomed by students, parents, and academicians. Take a look at how these changes are likely to affect JEE Main aspirants:

First Change - JEE Main in four sessions
This is the most important and much-needed change for JEE aspirants. The benefits of multiple sessions can be taken as

• As the exam will be conducted in four sessions, students can choose the session they want to appear as per his/her convenience, considering dates of board exams or any other exams they will be appearing for.

• The other noteworthy aspect of it is that students who fail to give their best in one attempt can appear in the next session to improve their scores.

• Also, students who did not perform well in one session will know their mistakes and improve them while appearing in the next session.

• Students who are on verge of exhausting their number of attempts for JEE Main based on their appearance in Class 12 will get an additional chance to appear in JEE.

• Students will not have to wait for one whole year to take JEE Main as they have four sessions to qualify for the exam and get admission to their dream college.

• Students who are in Class 12 would be appearing in board exams somewhere in March or April. Students thus can appear in JEE Main before or after the board exams hassle-free.

Second change: Choices in-between questions
The NTA's decision to introduce choice among questions will be of great help for JEE aspirants. The questions in which choices will be given will be taken from two different topics. A student who did not prepare any particular topic or is less sure about it can answer the question from another topic. This is a win-win situation for students as they have the option to attempt the question which they are better aware of.

As the NTA has not reduced its syllabus for JEE Main 2021 and questions will be asked from all topics of Class 11 and 12, the decision to allow choice in between questions will also serve the purpose of minimizing any possible loss to students from the board, which has reduced their Class 11 and 12 syllabi. The choices among questions will be framed in a manner that any student who studies from the reduced syllabus will not have questions from the topics which were eliminated by the board.

Third Change: Question paper in regional languages
The JEE Main exam 2021 will have questions set in 13 languages which include English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Candidates can opt for any one of the 13 regional languages in JEE Main 2021 to appear in the exam.

How questions will be asked in the exam
In the current pattern of JEE Main, a total of 75 questions are asked in the exam, 25 each from physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Out of these 25 questions, 20 are multiple-choice questions (MCQs) while the remaining five are questions with numerical value answers (NAV). As per the change in JEE Main 2021, in place of the 5 questions with numerical value answers, students will get 10 questions out of which they will be required to answer any five.

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