JEE Main 2025: PwD, PwBD candidates to get one hour extra; guidelines for scribe, compensatory time

NEW DELHI: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has notified the government guidelines for conduct of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2025 for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD). The notification comes after NTA received queries related to scribe and compensatory time for disabled students.

As per the guidelines, PwD and PwBD candidates will get an additional time of a minimum of one hour for the three-hour JEE Mains 2025 exam. Moreover, the word extra or additional time will be called compensatory time. The facility of a scribe will be granted on the production of relevant certificates.

“The National Testing Agency has been receiving several enquiries on issues related to scribe and compensatory time for PwD/PwBD candidates. The guidelines which will be followed for JEE Main with reference to relevant extracts of Government Notification and Office Memorandums are enumerated below,” said NTA in the latest notice on JEE Main 2025 new official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in, while sharing the guidelines.

Also read JEE Main 2025 exam date soon; top NITs, engineering colleges in India

JEE Main 2025: Guidelines for PwD candidates

The following guidelines will be implemented in JEE Main 2025 for conduct of written exam for disabled candidates:

• The facility of a scribe, reader or lab assistant should be allowed to any person with benchmark disability, having limitations in writing including that of the desired speed.
• The facility of scribe, reader or lab assistant will be given to PwBD candidates having blindness, locomotor disability, and cerebral palsy.
• In case of other PwBD categories, the facility can be provided on production of a certificate saying that the concerned person has physical limitation to write, and requires a scribe on his behalf to write the exam. The certificate has to be obtained from the chief medical officer, civil surgeon, medical superintendent of a government healthcare institution.
• The facility of scribe and/or compensatory time will be provided solely to those candidates having difficulty in writing subject to production of a certificate to the effect that person concerned has limitation to write and that scribe is essential to write examination on his/her behalf from the competent medical authority of a government healthcare institution.
• The candidate should have the discretion of opting for his own scribe or reader or lab assistant or request the examination body to appoint one. The examining body may also identify the person to make panels at the district/division/state level as per the requirements of the examination. In such cases, the candidates should be allowed to meet the scribe two days before the exam so that the candidates get a chance to check and verify whether the scribe is suitable or not.
• The word "extra time or additional time" that is being currently used should be changed to "compensatory time". It should not be less than 20 minutes per hour of exam for persons who are allowed use of scribe / reader / lab assistant. All the PwBD candidates who are eligible for availing the facility may be allowed additional time of minimum of one hour for examination of 3 hours whether they use the facility or not. Additional time should not be less than five minutes and should be in the multiple of five.