Re-engineering exam

Giving 40 weight to Class 12 marks should not distort the level playing field for IIT entrance

Giving 40 weight to Class 12 marks should not distort the level playing field for IIT entrance

Starting next year,entry into IIT and other engineering schools will be determined by a common aptitude-cum-advanced knowledge test which will count for 60 per cent,and board examination results the remaining 40 per cent. A single standard is vastly preferable to the current battery of engineering tests in different states,which presents logistical and financial challenges to students,and often forces them to choose. The new system also aims to correct the imbalance created by the test-prep industry that not all students can afford,and the tendency for school education and IIT coaching to spin in different orbits.

There has been valid critique of the IIT-JEE a national obsession,it made students devote all their mental energies to a single pursuit,focus on rote-learning and gaming the exam with guesswork and quick calculation. However,while there is broad consensus that too much hinged on this one imperfect measure of intelligence,its replacement should not sacrifice its rigour and its uniformity. The success of the new system depends crucially on school boards,and how they manage to adjust for the skews and we have seen some bizarre results in recent years among various school boards. It is possible to create a virtual school board and normalise results across the country. This model must be very carefully crafted to make sure it does not take away from the aims of a single test.

Admissions to these schools directly reflect the structure of opportunity in this country. For all its flaws,the IIT-JEE,after all,was the closest we had of a meritocratic measure it threw the IITs portals open to anyone with the smarts and dedication to crack the test,and it drew students from diverse backgrounds. The new common aptitude test,too,hopes to separate academic ability from other factors like family and quality of schooling. However,the real test would be in how this is implemented what subjects in the school board will count towards IIT admissions? Could this create another set of biases for instance,making English part of the results can affect the sorting? The new system should be a gateway to students across the class spectrum,not a gatekeeper.