No weightage to Class 12 marks in JEE ranking from 2017: HRD Ministry

Students seeking to write the IIT entrance exams ( IIT JEE) will need at least 75% marks in their board exams to qualify from next year, but Class XII marks will not be a factor for determining rankings.

The new guidelines notified by the Union Human Resources and Development said that for students to sit for the IIT JEE they would have to score at least 75% marks or be in the top 20 percentile in the 12th Class exams conducted by respective Boards.

HRD Ministry officials today said that the decision was taken by the Ministry after a committee set up by IIT Council submitted recommendations on changes in the JEE pattern, which were put in the public domain for wide consultations.

“After examining the Ashok Mishra Committee’s report and public feedback, MHRD has decided on a few changes in the JEE pattern for 2017. The present system of allotting 40 percent weightage to Class 12 marks for determining ranks in JEE shall be dispensed with,” an official said.

“Class 12 scores will be a crucial parameter only for determining the eligibility criteria for the exam,” the official added.

To qualify for appearing in exam – Students need to have at least 75 percent marks or be in top 20 percentile in Class 12 examination. SC, ST students should have 65 percent marks. “All other JEE examination systems shall remain unchanged,” the official said.

The committee had, in November, recommended major changes in the JEE structure, including the setting up of a National Testing Service to conduct tests for shortlisting about four lakh students for the exam.

The Committee of Eminent Persons had submitted its report on November 5. Its recommendations were aimed at weaning IIT aspirants away from the dependence on coaching institutes.

The Ministry had put the Committees recommendations in the public domain for wide consultations and decided that the JEE 2016 be conducted in the manner it was held in 2015, with an enhanced intake from 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh in the (Advanced) stage.