An entrance exam is an exam conducted by various educational institutions to select students for admission to various colleges or universities. These exams can be administered at any level of education, although these are conducted at a higher education level. Entrance exams are the testing grounds for any student to assess her skills and abilities in relation to admission to an institution of her choice and in relation to her chosen academic stream. Most of the entrance exams are conducted by Elite Institutes. These institutes are known for their superior results orientation, cream of teachers and candidates and as such have gained much reputation. Most popular entrance exams in India are AIEEE, JEE, CLAT, MBBS, BDS to name a few. India’s entrance exams are very widespread and almost most of the institutes conduct their own separate entrance exams on the same basis as the national entrance exams. Some of the entrance exams like IIT-JEE, CAT and AIPMT are considered among the most difficult in the world, with JEE having a success rate of around 1 in 45. Throughout the year, these exams have gained great importance. , they have become very topical, important and in the process has generated controversies that have affected students, parents and administrators.
History of Indian entrance exams
Entrance examinations came about with the establishment of the University of Calcutta in 1857. The University introduced the entrance examination, mainly to decide who was eligible to enter the university. The exam reached the status of a school final exam. Later, the name was changed to Registration. After India’s independence in 1947, the examination system was further revised: the secondary examination after class X was called the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination, and the examination after class XII became SSLC. called upper secondary examination (HSC). However, today’s modern entrance examinations owe their existence to the various IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) created during the 1950s. It was the IITs that introduced the All India Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) for their admissions. The logic behind introducing these as a formal procedure was that the varied grades from different school boards could not be used to create a common merit list. Since the inception of JEE, various Indian states have followed the pattern and started entrance tests for admission in the respective states. Soon, the Central Board of Secondary Education started the PMT (Previous Medical Examination) for selected medical colleges in the country and All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) for admission to National Institutes of Technology (NITs). ) and also for any engineering institution that may opt for it.
Entrance exams held in India
* Most of the Governmental and Private Educational Institutes carry out Entrance Exams to various professional courses. These entrance exams are basically multiple choice question papers or more popularly known as MCQs in academic jargon. This pattern was introduced because it was felt that the scores obtained by the school’s students are based on conventional long-answer assignments that might not represent a student’s true potential. The reason is that these scores may represent errors by a human examiner and as such would be unacceptable in a competitive environment where even one or two points could affect a student’s career. This subjectivity was eliminated with the introduction of a Special Examiner. It is known as OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) reading laser which was introduced in 2006.
*Typically engineering institutes in India admit 15% of their students through AIEEE nationwide and the remaining 85% is based on their scores in the entrance exam conducted by the state they are located in University.
* Government Medical Institutes follow the same procedure, basing admissions on the candidate’s rank in the All India Pre-Medical Test.
* Indian Institutes of Management conducts a common admission test for the candidates.
* The Indian Institutes of Technology conduct IIT-JEE.
Various entrance exams and eligibility in India
Engineering entrance exams:
AIEEE – All India Engineering/Architecture Entrance Examination.
JEE – Joint Entrance Examination.
GATE – Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering.
NATA – National Test of Aptitude in Architecture.
SLIET – Entrance exam to the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology.
State Engineering Entrance Exams – PTU CET, RPET etc.
Entrance Medical Examinations:
AIPMT: All India Premedical/Predental Entrance Examination.
AIIMS – All India Institute of Medical Sciences Entrance Examination.
AICEE: All India Common Entrance Examination, conducted by the Veterinary Council of India.
State entrance medical exams: PTU CET, RPET, etc.
Science / Computer Science entrance exams:
CST – Software Technology Competency Exam.
GSA – Graduate School Admission Test.
JAM – Joint Admission Test to M.Sc.
JEST – Joint Entrance Screening Test for admission to the Ph.D.
Management entrance exams:
ATMA – AIMS Test for Management Admission.
CEMAT – Commonwealth Executive MBA and MPA Programs Admission Test.
CAT – Common Admission Test.
IBSAT – ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test.
IIFT – Indian Institute of Foreign Trade MBA Admission Test.
ICET – Integrated Common Entrance Test.
JMET – Joint Management Entrance Test.
K-MAT – Karnataka Managerial Aptitude Test.
MAT – Managerial Aptitude Test.
NAT – National Aptitude Test.
NCHMCT – National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology – Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
NMAT – National Managerial Aptitude Test.
OPENMAT – Open Management Admission Test – Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
RMAT- Rajasthan Management Admission Test.
SET – Symbiosis Entrance Test for undergraduate institutes of symbiosis of the university considered SIEC.
SNAP – Symbiosis National Aptitude Test.
TANCET – Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test.
WAT – Written Admission Test – Army Welfare Education Society (AWES).
XAT – Xavier’s Admission Test.
Law entrance exams:
CLAT – Common Law Admission Test.
Kerala law entrance exam.
Nalsar Access Test.
NLSIU – National Law School of India University Entrance Test.
LSAT – Law School Admission Test, India by LSAC.
Fashion and technology entrance exams:
CEED – Common Design Access Test.
NID entrance exam.
NIFT entrance exam.
Entrance exam to the Pearl Academy of Fashion.
Film and television entrance exams:
Entrance exam to the Institute of Film and Television of India.
National School of Drama (NSD) Screening Test.
Advantages of entrance and eligibility exams
* Develops high self-esteem especially for those who suffer from low morals. If someone feels or really has taken the Board Examinations satisfactorily, they can compensate with the Entrance Examinations. Success at these raises your self-esteem.
* Such entrance exams ensure that only the best minds get the best opportunities.
* Potential students become capable professionals who in turn help in the development of the country.
* Better performance inspires others to do well because of the competitive spirit created by the Competitive Stage.
Disadvantages of Entrance and Eligibility Exams
*Current trends show that the quality of students entering IITs is rapidly declining since 2005.
*These Exams have allowed the proliferation of Coaching Institutes, most of which are more interested in seizing opportunity than guiding students.
* The Training Centers are not only making a business of Education, but also teaching shortcuts that allow a student to pass the Examination but lack the proper knowledge associated with the purpose of the Entrance Examinations. In the end, applicants may be good students but not good professionals because they don’t know the basics of their job.
* These Exams become a source of extra pressure for students who already face the competitive environment in all areas. This pressure can lead to complete loss or lack of interest in studies. However, some succumb to the pressure and seek to kill themselves or abuse themselves.
* Cases of psychological illnesses over the years have increased among today’s youth. They have to deal with many things these days, like going to school, doing homework, preparing for weekly or monthly tests, getting extra training for weak subjects, etc. In such an environment there is no place for sports, health activities or just fun-based activities. As such, physical health also suffers in the form of various ailments.