According to reports, the figure has risen by 16,000 in comparison to the last year. It stood at 4.86 lakh in 2011. The year before, in 2010, it was 4.56 lakh. The process of scrutinising applications is still in process at the seven IITs and the number of applications is expected to hover between 4.75 lakh and 5.02 lakh this year.

• slight increase in number of girl applicants
• tier two cities overtake metros
• IIT-Kanpur zone tops the charts 

Significantly, the rate of increase between two corresponding years has been lowest this year. “We feel the number of aspirants applying to sit for the JEE is stabilizing. There was a sudden spurt in the applications when the eight new IITs started,” said R V Shevgaonkar, IIT-Delhi director.

On the other hand, the number of girl applicants has increased slightly. The abolition and decrease in test fees has borne fruits as there has been a 25% increase in the number of female applicants. IIT Bombay zone takes the cake in this aspect as 27% of the female applicants are from here.

Apart from this, the applications from tier two cities have also surpassed those from the metros. In terms of total number of applications, IIT-Kanpur is leading with Madras following behind. The Bombay Zone, which topped the charts last year, has been left behind.

The IIT officials attribute it to the improving standards of education in these cities which has driven the demand for quality education. “Unlike the old days when most students applied from the metro-centric areas and from the upper middle class, we are now seeing a trend where, thanks to the proliferation of secondary schooling, there is a big upsurge in demand for quality education from students of middle or tier two cities,” said Sanjay Dhande, IIT-Kanpur director.

It may be mentioned here that IIT-JEE 2012 will be held on April 8 in two sittings. Also, in all probability, this is the last year which will bear witness to the IIT-JEE format as from 2013 a new test format giving 60 and 40 percent weightage to the test score and board marks will replace it.

The HRD minister Kapil Sibbal has said that the ministry has decided to put in place a national testing authority as a statutory body that will conduct all kinds of exams.

Notably, ETS (Educational Testing Service) is the world’s largest non-profit educational testing and assessment organization which develops various standardized tests primarily in the United States for K–12 and higher education. It also administers international tests including the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) General and Subject Tests, and The Praxis test Series — in more than 180 countries, and at over 9,000 locations worldwide.

Body to  start work under the aegis of CBSE

Gradual evoloution into a separate body

According to reports, initially the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) will monitor its functioning but with time the body will evolve into a complete separate authority catering to the national requirements of exams.

Meanwhile, the authority will not take over the task of conducting the new exam proposed in place of IIT-JEE and AIEEE as there is scarcity of time but will help the CBSE in research. It will also provide assistance to the various state boards in improving their standards.  The process of conducting exams will be started later on. CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said, “It will be an Indian ETS. It will do research for preparing question papers, administer and conduct exams.”

It may be mentioned here that the IITs have reached on a consensus to merge the IITJEE & AIEEE with a SAT like test with 40% weightage to academics and 60% weightage to the entrance exam. This new mode of selection method is expected to be followed for selecting students in IITs, NITs and IIITs.

IIT Kharagpur

Spring fest, since 1960
Organised in: last week of January
Slogan: the true spirit of Youth
Website: www.springfest.in
Events: Dramatics, music and dance competitions, fine-arts contests, quizzes, and other literary events. Non-competition based events include Star-Talk.
Major Attractions: Perpz, the all day dance floor with a DJ, a jukebox complete and Frolic-o-Frolic.

IIT-Delhi

Rendezvous, since 1976
Organised in: last week of October
Website: www.rendezvous11.in
Events: The events are organised under four heads in Open Air Theatres.
• Spectrum is the inter-college group dance competition
• Kaleidoscope is an inter-college fashion Show & Choreography competition
• Blitzkrieg is the rock band competition followed by a professional performance by a popular band
• Dhoom is the Indian musical performance by renowned artistes

IIT- Mumbai

Mood Indigo, since 1971
Organised in: end of December
Website: www.moodi.org
Events: The events are organised under four heads.
• Pronites are concerts or Pro-shows where musical programmes of different genre like rock, classical, sufi, folk and Bollywood are organised. National and international artists perform on this stage.
• Competitions: In this category, competitions on music, dance, dramatics, literary arts, fine arts and speaking are organised. This section has more of a cultural tinge to it.
• Horizons: Fashion shows, magic shows, stunt shows, panel discussions and other unique and unconventional events and workshops mark this category.
• Informals: It caters to the crowd that assembles on this occasion. Funny, wacky and spontaneous events along with thrilling adventure sports are organised in this section.

IIT- Guwahati

Alcheringa, since 1996
Organised in: January-February
Website: www.alcheringa.in
Events: Various kinds of events are organised in this section. They are divided into different methodical modules. It includes dance, music, class Apart, drama, shades (Fine arts module), Alfaaz (Literary module), quiz, Fun n Masti (informal events), Alcher online and sports module.
Besides this, there is a musical festival programme that goes by the name Pronites. It is held on all the four nights. There are four categories each performed on different nights. They are: “Saaz” – The classical night, “Blitzkrieg” – Expect anything, “Crescendo” – The popular night and Juggernaut – The rock night.

IIT- Kanpur

Antaragni, since 1966
Organised in: January-February
Website: www.antaragni.in
Events: Various kinds of events are organised in Antaragni in different categories.
• India Inspired: Intellectually and politically inclined, this is a platform for discussing national issues and policies.
• Kavi Sammelan: As the name suggests, this is an event where poets assemble to showcase their poetic brilliance and flair.
• Model United Nations: This is a new event added in 2010 in which solutions are proposed for global issues after deliberation and consultation.
• Competitions: Different types of competitions in dance, dramatics, fine arts, film and photography, and musicals are conducted. Apart from this, debates, discussions, word games and writing contests are also organised.
• Workshops and Talks: Workshops on various topics such as film making, western dance, etc. are organised by eminent experts. It has seen participation from people like Mahesh Bhatt, and Subhash Ghai.
• Professional shows: In this category, musical shows by the name Prima Nocte, Synchronicity and Blitzkrieg are organised.  India Haat showcases the rich cultural heritage of different states where performers represent their art and culture. Ritambhara, is a fashion show with a difference. It promotes upcoming talents in the field of designing and modelling.

IIT- Madras

Saarang, since 1974
Organised in: January (Last weekend)
Website: www.saarang.org
Events: The starting point is a classical night superseded by the Choreo night, the Light Music night and the rock concert. More than fifty events are organised in Saarang.
• Lectures and performances: Reputed national and international personalities participate and enlighten the audience with their lectures and shows.
• Competitions: Painting, drawing, elocution, quizzes, Sudoku and various other interesting competitions are organised in which students participate from all over India.
• Professional shows:  Under this category , musical nights of different genre are held under the names of Rock Show, Classical Night, Popular Night.

IT- BHU

Kashiyatra, since 1982
Organised in: February
Website: itbhu.ac.in/gymkhana/kashiyatra12/
Events: Kashiyatra has a variety of events under different names where students from all over India showcase their talent.
• Natraj: The dance event in which different types of dances ranging from western solo to duet are performed.
• Bandish: Musical competition involving various genre of music like solo song, instrumental event,etc.
• Toolika: Painting and sketching competition having different categories like Mehndi, rangoli, claymodelling, tattoomodelling,etc.
• Samvad: It is the platform for showcasing your oratory skills. Debates, extempoes are held in this category.
• Abhinay: Mono acts, theatres, Nukkad events and mimes are organised.
• Crosswindz:  An inter-college festival which concludes with the performance of a professional rock band.

IIT-Roorkee

Tarang
Organised in: March
Events: A wide range of events from dramatics, choreography, workshops, music competitions are organised in Tarang.

According to reports, the government plans to rope in IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai and IIT Kanpur to make the tablet PC project more indigenous and reduce its price. IIT Rajasthan is already supervising its development.

A meeting was held in New Delhi on Thursday under the chairmanship of HRD (Human Resources Development) minister in which this proposal was mooted. Much emphasis was laid on making the tablet indigenous.

Plans to make Aakash indigineous and cost effective

• IIT Kanpur, IIT Mumbai & IIT Madras to join the project 
• 22 crore more  units needed; fresh tenders to be issued
• Speed to increase from 300 MHz to 800 MHz in second phase

As per the proposal, plans are to make Aakash 90 percent Indian by 2014. Besides, the cost also needs to be brought down. As of now, several components which includes the processor are sourced from outside. The cost is around Rs. 1,100 after figuring in the government subsidy.

Notably, the ministry had earlier decided to hand over the responsibility of tendering process to the Department of Information Technology. It was a decision taken in the wake of differences that had cropped up between IIT-Rajasthan and Datawind (the manufacturer of the tablet). The reason behind the differences was the issue of enhanced specification demands.

It has also said that it will need additional 22 crore units of Aakash and for that it is planning to issue fresh tenders so that other companies can also take part in the tendering process.

It may be mentioned here that some PSUs and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing are also expected to participate in the second phase of the “Aaakash roll out”. Significantly,  the speed of the device will also improve from 300 MHz to 800 MHz in the second phase. 

Anand Kumar, mathematician and the man behind the phenomenon called Super 30, plans to reach out to other Hindi speaking states. It has already increased the intake of students in its programme from 30 to 50 for 2012.

While attending the India Today Aspire Education Summit 2012 in Delhi last week , Anand said, “Due to the success of Super 30 programme, there was demand from various quarters to increase the intake of students and so it was decided that we would select more students through written exam to be conducted in April 2012 across 10 centres in the Hindi belt.”

forays into UP,MP and Haryana

As per the new plans, exam centres would be in in Delhi, Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzzaffarpur (Bihar), Kanpur, Lucknow, Banaras, Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradessh) and Rewari (Haryana). Apart from these centres, four to five other centres are also being considered which includes Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Those who want to get an entry into the institute have to sit for an entrance exam. The fee is Rs.50 and the form can be downloaded from the Super 30 website.
Super 30, started in 2003, is reputed for coaching poor but meritorious students for the toughest engineering exam i.e. IIT-JEE. They are provided free accommodation too. The track record of Super 30 is quite impressive. Out of 270 students who received training here 234 have made it to the IITs.

Anand gives the credit for the success to his students. He says “It is the students who put in the effort; most of the students study for 14 hours every day, therefore they should be credited for their success.” He along with his colleagues teaches other students in evening to run the Super 30 programme. He also wants to open schools that provide free education if the government is willing to provide land at concessional rates.

The Hauz Khas campus of the institute may soon see beginning of construction work in full swing. The sanction has given the authorities the approval to enhance the student residential facilities. The go-ahead will lead to accommodation facilities for almost 1,300 people.  Residential facilities for research scholars will also improve. 

To be constructed

• hostel for boys and research scholars
• sports-cum-cultural complex 
• a separate engineering block

According to reports, a new hostel will be constructed for boys on the campus. Besides, an additional complex will be also built for married students pursuing research. There are plans to build a sports-cum-cultural interaction centre too. Apart from this, a separate engineering block will also be developed.

The Registrar of the institute said that they had already received sanction from the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) but the approval of Municipal Corporation (MCD) was also needed. Now that it has been granted the work will gain speed.

Notably, this is the fifth time that they have approached the MCD. 2003 was the last time when the plan had been approved but the institute wanted several modifications which required a further approval. It delayed the sanction.

At present, the 312-acre campus has 10 hostels for boys and 3 for girls. Around 70 percent of the 8,000 students currently studying here live in them.

Dr. Kalam is teaching the course which goes by the name “Empowering 3 billion”. He took his first class on Tuesday. It was a big hit as the student thoroughly enjoyed the tete-a-tete . In the class, Dr.Kalam waxed eloquent about the importance of being “a unique you”. He urged the students to utilise their potential to the optimum so that India could become a developed nation by 2020. He encouraged them to dream and to work hard towards realising that dream.

Innovative ideas and interaction mark the inaugural class

The students were divided into 10 teams of 12 members each and asked to give presentations over Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA). The chief topic of discussion was his vision 2020; his dream for making India into a better country.

The class saw interesting solutions coming from the students. One team proposed an online voting system through which people could cast their votes using their Unique Identification Numbers. They were of the view that many educated people who have access to internet do not cast their votes because they do not want to go to the polling booth. This system would ensure that educated India votes for its democracy.

Another presentation was about interlinking villages for local energy generation that would guarantee self-sufficiency in this sector. Dr.Kalam sat through the entire presentation of 10 hours and spent good time with the students.

The students too were elated to interact with him as a lecturer. Most of them said that they liked the session and were completely bowled over by the scientist’s humility.

Notably, the institute had received unprecedented response from the students when it was announced that the classes for the course will be taken by none other than Dr.Kalam himself. Almost 700 students had applied for the course but in the end only 124 were lucky enough to grab a seat. Significantly, no one knows the method of evaluation for the course but are enjoying it to the hilt.

One prime reason behind holding the IITs in such high esteem is that no one can reach there without merit. This is the sole virtue that counts if you are to acquire a seat there. No donations, no recommendations, nothing else works. And this is precisely the reason why IITians accomplish great feats in their career. If you scratch the background of top corporate honchos, most of them will turn out to be IITians. And why single out the corporate sector, the IITians are in good positions in every field. They are IAS officers, IPS officers, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, et al.

So, what is that magic wand at the IITs that adds so much of value to its students?

You would say academics. After all, they are selected for being adept in this very field only. Absolutely correct, but academics alone is not the reason behind their smartness and proficiency. IITs, of course, focus on academics but not that much as is thought to be.

There are a host of other activities that students participate in during the academic session and they do the value addition along with the academics. The technical and cultural festivals at IITs are very popular. Students from all IITs participate in them and thus, get to interact with each other. Getting elected to a significant management position in these events is a big deal because it is a tightly-contested post and demands considerable management skills. It provides the students with excellent opportunities to learn the ropes of professional world because the events are entirely managed by students; right from arranging sponsorship to inviting guests.

Besides, these festivals inter-hostel events are held throught the year. They offer good platforms to students for honing their talent and soft skills (the X factor of success now a days). 

IITs’ campus nurtures talent in its own special way. They are places where brilliant minds from across the country meet and transact their intellectual capital every day thereby creating a knowledge reservoir that gets replenished every year with the arrival of new entrants.

There are plenty of study material i.e. books, sample papers, available in the market that claim to help the students get to the core of Physics. But deciding on the right ones is not an easy task.  The problem of plenty is that students get confused and waste most of their time fiddling with the books. Some cannot decide the right ones for them while some collect all of them but cannot prepare from anyone fully. This is not to say that the books are not useful or should not be referred but there are some trusted and widely referred books which, if studied properly, can cover up to 99% of the JEE syllabus. Here is the list:

1. H.C.Verma– The gospel of Physics for engineering aspirants. It can be referred for understanding concepts as well as practising questions. Almost all the students follow it during preparation. 

2. Resnick, Halliday and Walker– This book is quite good for learning concepts and theories. They have been explained well .The language is easy to understand and grasp.

3. NCERT books – The NCERT books are a must for every subject including Physics. They are good for concepts as well as practice but more preferable for concepts. Questions are less. Still they must be solved at least the ones in the tougher section.

4. Irodov – This Russian writer can be also referred to but only if you want to study Physics in very detail. The level of IIT-JEE has become much easier now but there was a time (when the subjective paper was also included in JEE) when this book was referred by a lot of aspirants.

5. Study material of coaching institutes – Every coaching institute provides its own study material and they are helpful too for practice purposes. In fact, the trusted names like Brilliant Tutorials and Bansal Classes really give quality material.

Other books can be also referred if you find them easy to understand but always remember this single piece of advice. Never overload yourself with too many books. Four to five books are more than sufficient. Stick to them and study them thoroughly.

Schools and colleges are by and large happy as they feel that students will now pay attention to classes and focus on board exams too. The proposed new policy is being hailed as it will also check the mushrooming business of coaching institutes that charge hefty fees for training students to crack IIT-JEE.

As of now, their hold on students is very strong but what they teach does not help build concepts but promotes rote learning. The students are just taught with the motive of cracking the exam and getting a seat in the IITs or other premier colleges and institutes. To make matters worse some schools have also tied up with these coaching institutes. It is expected that the new policy will put an end to this harmful practice too.

Parents, no doubt, are in the same league. Coughing up money for the coaching institutes and entrance tests will now be not so compulsory for them. The students are elated too but they are also voicing their concerns. Those who have already taken admission in the coaching institutes are of the opinion that the new format should be introduced from 2014. But the overall majority has welcomed the step as it will reduce stress.

Meanwhile, coaching institutes say that it will not affect their presence much. According to them, they will alter their teaching modules as per the new format. Moreover, they feel that students will still need coachings as board marks matter in the new format and to perform well here one needs assistance. 

Academicians are hopeful about the prospect the new single test presents because it will evaluate the aptitude of the students thereby, bringing more quality to the IITs. In recent times, concerns had been raised over the falling standards of students at these leading technical institutes of learning.