Opinion | Options Beyond JEE Mains 2023!

Admission in the top IITs is a dream for many students. To get closer to the dream, every year, lakhs of students appear for the most sought-after JEE exam. This year, approximately 9.4 lakh candidates participated in the Session 2 exam out of which only 2.5 lakh students have qualified to appear for the JEE Advanced exam.

Even though the aspirants leave no stone unturned in exam preparation, there are many who are unable to secure a seat in their desired branch or IIT. At such times, aspirants should not be disheartened as there are many opportunities still available even if one scores low in JEE Main exam, or is unable to qualify for the Advanced.
1. Apply for other engineering entrance exams
There are many options available beyond JEE. Students can appear for other national and state-level engineering entrance exams for admission to BTech courses. They can consider:
a) BITSAT
It is the entrance exam for admission to Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) at three of its campuses in Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad. The application for session 2 will be rolled out from May 22 to June 12. Apart from this, candidates can even apply on the basis of Class 12 marks, after which students will have time from June 2 to 23 to sort out preferences of programmes. The online session 1 test will be conducted from May 21 to 26 and session 2 test will be held from June 18 to 22. It is an online exam with 130 multiple-choice questions on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English Proficiency, and Logical Reasoning.
b) SRMJEEE
Phase 2 and 3 of SRMJEEE is yet to be conducted for the year 2023. Candidates seeking admission to BTech programmes can appear for the national exam conducted in CBT (Computer Based Test) mode. It is a common entrance exam that includes all SRM Group institutes and universities in Kattankulathur, Ramapuram, NCR – Ghaziabad, Ramapuram Part – Vadapalani, Amravati, Haryana, and Sikkim. The entire exam spans over 2.5 hours. The last date to apply for phase 2 and phase 3 is June 2 and July 17 respectively. The phase 2 exam will be conducted on June 10 and 11, and phase 3 on July 22 and 23.
2. Architecture
Apart from engineering, students can even consider a future in Bachelor of Architecture (BArch). It is a five-year full-time programme aimed at developing theoretical, practical, and artistic knowledge enabling students to plan, design and construct physical structures. Students with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects in Class 12 are eligible for the exam.
a) NATA
NATA stands for National Aptitude Test in Architecture. Qualifying for the exam is mandatory for getting admission to various colleges across India offering a BArch degree. It is a national-level entrance exam that will be conducted on June 3 and July 9 for phase 2 and 3 exams respectively. The last date to apply for the second test is May 22 and June 27 for the third test. If a candidate attempts two tests, then the best of the two scores will be considered, and in case the student appears for all three exams then the average of the two best scores will be taken. The exam will be of 3 hours, with a total of 125 questions worth 200 marks. The questions will majorly assess the aptitude of the students focusing on general knowledge, mathematics, and drawing. The questions will be in the form of MCQ, Multiple Select type (MSQ), Preferential Choice type (PCQ), and Numerical Answer type (NAQ), with no negative marking.
b) TNEA
TNEA is for admission to colleges offering BArch throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. The state of Tamil Nadu does not conduct any BArch admission entrance exam or state-level entrance exam for entry to Bachelor of Architecture programmes. Rather it considers the exam score of NATA
– The writer can be reached at vkmalout@gmail.com