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With extension in lockdown, students in dilemma over competitive exam dates
With uncertainty in exam dates, the engineering and medical aspirants are worried and concerned about how to take forward their preparation for the entrance exams that were scheduled to be held this year
The city students who have been preparing for the competitive exams and had to appear for the Joint Entrance Examination (Mains and Advanced) and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance test (NEET), are in dilemma after the extension of lockdown till May 17.
With uncertainty in exam dates, the engineering and medical aspirants are worried and concerned about how to take forward their preparation for the entrance exams that were scheduled to be held this year.
Earlier due to Covid-19 pandemic, the JEE (Mains) exam that was scheduled to be held on April 5 was postponed. While, the JEE (Advanced) exam that was scheduled for May 17 has also been postponed and will be rescheduled after the JEE (Mains) exam.
Also, the NEET exam for medical aspirants that was scheduled to be held on May 3 has also been postponed.
“I am preparing for this JEE (Advanced) exam after I appeared for JEE (Mains) in January this year. I scored 99.89 percentile in JEE mains. I feel dejected as the JEE (Advanced) exam that was scheduled for May 17 has been postponed. Now, with not many options left, I am attempting the online test series and revising through reference books,” said Mukul Gupta, a non-medical student who has been taking coaching from a private institute.
Meanwhile, there are some students who have also taken this lockdown positively. They say it’s an extended opportunity to prepare more thoroughly for exams.
“As the exams have been postponed, I have got more time to revise and clear the concepts. The syllabus is vast, and I got the opportunity to attempt more test series and work on my weak areas,” 18-year-old medical aspirant Simridhi Manchanda said.
“I am a little worried, but I know that I need to focus on revision than wasting time in thinking of the exam dates. I study 11 hours-a-day and take frequent breaks to relax as well,” a Class 12 student of BCM Arya Model Senior Secondary School said.
‘Students should keep the momentum going’
“Students need to stop worrying about the exam dates and keep the momentum going. We have advised students, who had completed the entire syllabus, to attempt regular tests and revise their notes time to time. They can participate in online test series. While those students, whose preparation was incomplete, have been advised to focus on chapter wise preparation and attempt part tests. They can attend crash courses, which cover chapter wise important topics. Later, they can take to full syllabus tests,” said Tejpreet Singh, co-founder and COO, Edusquare, a private coaching institute.
Students should not panic and waste time thinking about stuff that’s not in their control, he added.
Meanwhile, he also suggested that the National Testing Agency should cancel JEE (Advanced) altogether and use JEE (Mains) merit list for admissions to IITs also. This would save about 40 days in the admission cycle, he added.
