An entrance examination is an examination 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. The 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 the chosen academic stream. Most of the entrance exams are conducted by Elite Institutes. These institutes are known for their superior results orientation, cream of faculty and candidates and as such have gained a lot of reputation. Most of the popular entrance exams in India are AIEEE, JEE, CLAT, MBBS, BDS to name a few. Indian entrance examinations are widespread and almost most of the institutes conduct their own separate entrance examinations on the same basis as the national entrance examinations. 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. , have become highly topical, important, and in the process have generated controversies that have affected students, parents, and administrators.
History of Indian entrance exams
Entrance examinations came into being 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 Matriculation. After India’s independence in 1947, the examination system was further revised: the secondary examination after class X was called the Secondary School Completion Certificate (SSLC) examination and the examination after class XII was renamed called the Higher 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 varying qualifications from different school boards could not be used to create a common merit list. Since the inception of JEE, several Indian states followed the pattern and started entrance tests for admission in the respective states. Soon, the Central Board of Secondary Education started the PMT (Pre-Medical Examination) for selected medical colleges in the country and the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) for admission to the National Institutes of Technology (NITs). ) and also for any engineering institution that may opt for it.
Entrance Exams Conducted in India
* Most of the Government and Private Educational Institutes carry out Entrance Tests to various professional courses. These entrance exams are basically multiple choice question papers or more popularly known as MCQ 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 papers 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 the AIEEE at the national level with the remaining 85% 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 candidates.
* Indian Institutes of Technology conduct IIT-JEE.
Various Entrance and Eligibility Exams in India
Engineering Entrance Exams:
AIEEE – All India Engineering/Architecture Entrance Examination.
JEE – Joint Entrance Examination.
GATE – Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering.
NATA – National Aptitude Test in Architecture.
SLIET – Entrance exam to the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology.
State Entrance Exams for Engineering – PTU CET, RPET etc.
Entrance Medical Exams:
AIPMT – All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental 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 Proficiency Test.
GSA – Graduate School Admission Test.
JAM – Joint Admission Test to M.Sc.
JEST – Joint entrance selection test for admission to the doctorate.
Management entrance exams:
ATMA – AIMS Test for Admission to Management.
CEMAT – Admission Test to the Commonwealth MBA and MPA Executive Programs.
CAT – Common Admission Test.
IBSAT – ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test.
IIFT – Indian Institute of Foreign Trade MBA Admission Test.
ICET – Integrated Common Access Test.
JMET – Joint Management Entrance Test.
K-MAT – Karnataka Managerial Aptitude Test.
MAT – Managerial Aptitude Test.
NAT – National Aptitude Test.
NCHMCT – National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology – Joint Entrance Examination (JEE).
NMAT – National Managerial Aptitude Test.
OPENMAT – Admission Test to Open Management – Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
RMAT- Rajasthan Management Admission Test.
SET – Symbiosis entrance test for symbiosis undergraduate institutes of the considered university SIEC.
SNAP – National Symbiosis Aptitude Test.
TANCET – Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test.
WAT – Written Admission Test – Army Welfare Education Society (AWES).
XAT – Xavier 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 examination to the Pearl Academy of Fashion.
Film and television entrance exams:
Entrance Examination to the Film and Television Institute of India.
National School of Drama (NSD) screening test.
Advantages of entrance exams and eligibility
* Develops high self-esteem especially for those who suffer from low morale. If someone feels or has actually passed the Board Exams satisfactorily, they can make up for it with the Entrance Exams. Success in 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 Scenario.
Disadvantages of Entrance Exams and Eligibility
*Current trends show that the quality of students entering IITs is declining rapidly since 2005.
* These Exams have allowed for the proliferation of Training Institutes, most of which are more interested in cashing in on the opportunity than guiding students.
* Training Centers are not only making Education a business but also teaching shortcuts that enable a student to pass the Exam but lack proper knowledge associated with the purpose of Entrance Exams. 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 fields. This pressure can lead to complete loss or lack of interest in studies. However, some succumb to the pressure and seek to take their own life or abuse themselves.
* Cases of psychological illnesses over the years have increased among today’s youth. They have to deal with a lot these days, like going to school, doing homework, preparing for weekly or monthly tests, receiving 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.