The third and fourth sessions of the all-India engineering entrance examination JEE-Main will be held from July 20 to 25 and from July 27 to August 2 respectively, the National Testing Agency announced on Tuesday.
These sessions were originally scheduled to be held in April and May, but were postponed due to the second wave of the pandemic. The first two sessions of JEE-Main 2021 were already completed in February and March. Students are free to attempt the exam all four times if they wish to do so, with the best score being used for ranking and admissions.
“Candidates who could not apply for the entrance exam earlier are being provided with a golden chance to apply again,” said Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, announcing the NTA decision in a video statement. The registration window is being opened for fresh applicants, while those candidates who had already registered for the April and May sessions can also make changes to their applications. Already, 6.8 lakh students had registered for the April exam and 6.09 lakh for the May session.
Responding to the Minister’s tweet on the exams, several students complained that a two-day gap between the two sessions was too short, and asked for a 15-day gap to allow sufficient time for preparation
Applicants for the third session must submit their forms between July 6 and 8, while those applying for the fourth session can do so from July 9 to 12, said the NTA.
The third session will be conducted only for BE and B.Tech candidates while the fourth session will be conducted for B.Arch and B.Planning as well as the engineering aspirants.
COVID-19 protocols
To ensure COVID-19 safety and distancing protocols are maintained, the NTA has increased the number of testing centres from 660 in 232 cities to 828 centres in 334 cities. All exam centres will have open windows and fans for air circulation, rather than air conditioning. Candidates who have already registered will be allowed to change their choice of cities to appear for the exam.
The examination is an entrance test for admission to undergraduate engineering and architecture courses at the National Institutes of Technology and other Central, State and private institutions, and is also used as an eligibility test for JEE-Advanced, which is the entrance examination for the elite Indian Institutes of Technology.