The last year of IIT-JEE i.e. 2012 will see more than five lakh candidates appearing for the toughest engineering entrance exam.
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.