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Ludhiana: Only 178 appear for JEE Main, against 1,400 in January this year
The examination was held amid stringent Covid protocols. Mathematics was the toughest section, say students
The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main, for admission to engineering colleges was held on Tuesday amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Candidates appearing for the examination in the first shift from 9 am to 12 pm reached the examination centre at TCS ION digital zone, Sherpur chowk and were asked to abide by Covid norms.
As per sources, only 42% of candidates showed up in the first shift and 48% appeared in the examination in the second shift (3 pm to 6 pm).
In the first shift, of the total 170 students, only 73 appeared in the examination while 105 students out of 218 turned up in the second shift. However, in January this year, over 1,400 students took the entrance examination in two shifts.
JEE Main is a computer-based test (CBT) conducted by National Testing Agency twice a year for admission to National Institute of Technology (NITs), Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), and government-funded technical institutes. Candidates can appear for either one or both entrance examinations. The best of the two scores is considered for the ranking.
Staff was deployed at the entry gate to check the admit card of candidates and a 3-ply mask was given to them by the examination authority. Candidates had to undergo thermal screening at the entry gate and at several points hand sanitisers were also kept.
Many students who appeared in the BArch paper in the first shift found the mathematics section to be difficult on account of numerical questions. The paper carried a total of 400 marks.
A candidate Anjali Yadav said, “I found the mathematics portion difficult as it took me plenty amount of time to answer all questions. Physics and chemistry were comparatively easy and it was a balanced paper. The authorities have made elaborate arrangements to maintain social distancing at centres. All the students have been asked to go to the exam centres with masks and sanitisers, once they entered the centre, they were told to use the masks provided by the examination authority.”
“In view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, NTA has taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of students,” said, Rahul Kumar, a resident of Kitchlu Nagar. He said, “Of the three sections, I found the mathematics portion tricky and time-consuming. Overall, it was a balanced paper. Somehow, I was able to complete the paper in the prescribed time.”
