The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Council is thinking about a big change for the JEE Advanced exam . They want to make the test "adaptive," meaning the questions would change during the exam based on how a student is performing. This idea aims to make the exam less stressful for students and reduce their need for coaching classes. The Council also talked about adding more mental health staff at all IITs.
The IIT Council , led by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan , discussed these ideas at their meeting on August 25 . The official notes from this meeting were released on January 5 . This was the Council's first meeting in two years, and the discussions focused on making the JEE Advanced exam better and supporting students' well-being.
What is an Adaptive JEE Advanced Exam?
Currently, all students get the same questions in the JEE Advanced exam. But in an "adaptive" test, this would change. Imagine a test that gets smarter as you take it. If you answer a question correctly, the next question might be a little harder. If you answer incorrectly, the next one might be slightly easier. This way, the exam can figure out a student's true ability and knowledge level more accurately.
Professor Manindra Agrawal , Director of IIT Kanpur, brought up this idea. He explained that such a system would start with easier questions. As a student answers them correctly, the questions would slowly become more difficult. This helps the exam find the highest difficulty level a student can handle. He believes this method measures critical thinking and reasoning skills better, instead of just testing what students memorise from coaching.
Why is This Change Being Considered?
The main goals behind this adaptive test proposal are:
- To make the JEE Advanced exam less stressful for students.
- To better check students' reasoning and critical thinking skills .
- To reduce dependence on coaching centers . Many students and families face a lot of emotional and financial pressure because of the coaching industry.
- To make the exam fairer for all students.
The Council hopes that by focusing on natural intelligence and problem-solving through an adaptive format, the exam will reward genuine understanding more than rote learning from coaching classes.
Next Steps for the Adaptive Test Idea
The IIT Council has not decided to change the exam format right away. Instead, they have suggested that an expert committee should study the idea in detail. This committee will be led by the JEE Apex Board (JAB) and IIT Kanpur .
This expert group will look into several things:
- Is it possible to create an adaptive test system on a large scale for many students?
- What are the practical needs and steps to run such an exam?
- Will it really help reduce the need for coaching?
A big challenge is to build a system that can create many questions of different difficulty levels on the spot. The Council also recommended a pilot adaptive test . This would be an optional test held before the main JEE Advanced exam. Data from this pilot test would help understand how the new format works. Based on the results, a plan with clear timings for changing to the adaptive test would be made, rather than sudden changes.
Free Mock Test for Students
The Council also discussed a helpful step for students: offering a free mock test . This mock test would be available about two months before JEE Advanced , which usually takes place in May. The goal is to let students get a feel for the exam environment without any cost. This would also help the exam organizers learn more and make improvements for future tests, especially if the adaptive component is introduced.
More Mental Health Support at IITs
Beyond exam changes, the IIT Council also focused on students' mental well-being. They recommended creating new, dedicated positions for mental health professionals at all IITs. These roles could be permanent or contract-based, offering flexibility to the institutes.
IIT Gandhinagar has been asked to prepare a proper plan for these roles. This plan will include details like career growth for these professionals and ways to check the quality of their services. Professor Rajat Moona , Director of IIT Gandhinagar, stated that mental health is a serious concern at engineering colleges. He added that while many IITs already hire psychologists, the methods and number of staff can vary a lot between campuses. He expects to present a detailed recommendation at the next IIT Council meeting.
What This Means for Students
If these changes happen, students taking JEE Advanced could experience a very different exam. The adaptive test aims to be less about memorising and more about actual problem-solving. It could reduce the pressure to join expensive coaching classes. However, these are still proposals. The expert committee will study all the details before any big changes are confirmed. For now, students should know that the IIT Council is actively working towards making the JEE Advanced exam and the IIT learning environment better and more supportive.
