Class 12 marks to be a criterion for architecture admissions

While the admissions rule stays the same, changes have been introduced to the exam paper pattern, which will now also include 60 marks of mathematics questions

After proposing to drop Class 12 marks as a criterion for admission to architecture courses in colleges, the state Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) has decided to retain last year’s format and give 50% weightage each to Class 12 and National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) scores. This move comes days after the Council of Architecture (COA) also made it very clear that HSC marks will be accounted for at the time of admission this year.

NATA will be held on April 16, almost a month before the annual exam date for all these years. (HT File)

“We follow the rule as prescribed by the apex body and our proposal was based on the changes that the COA was planning to implement. Now that COA has gone back to the original format, we are doing the same,” said Dayanand Meshram, joint director, DTE.

While the admissions rule stays the same, changes have been introduced to the exam paper pattern, which will now also include 60 marks of mathematics questions. “Until last year, only general arithmetic questions used to be asked, never specific and definitely never for 60 marks. Introducing such changes just months before the test is unfair to students, especially since most class 12 students are busy preparing for their preliminary examinations at present,” said Subhash Joshi, trustee of a city-based coaching institute.

Students, who were initially worried about the changes being introduced to architecture admissions this year, are finally relieved with the news. “Along with changes to the exam pattern, even the NATA test has been pre-poned by almost three weeks, leaving us with little time to prepare after our HSC exam,” said Anila D’mello, an HSC student.

NATA will be held on April 16, almost a month before the annual exam date for all these years. In 2016, the exam was held in May.