IIT Admissions 2020: Board marks criteria likely to be dropped this year

The IITs across the country may drop  Class 12 marks criterion for 2020 given that different Boards have responded differently to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) across the country are considering the option to drop the criteria this year for giving admission to students on the basis of their Class 12 performance. The institutes are considering the option, keeping in mind the disruption caused in the Board Exams 2020 due to coronavirus outbreak in the country. This year along with CBSE Board Exams 2020, several other board exams have been either postponed or cancelled. Usually, those seeking admission in IITs through General Category, are given admission on the basis of the rank they have secured in JEE Advanced and should at least 75 percent or figure in the top 20 percentile of her Board Results. SC/ST category students should either have scored at least 65 percent or fulfill the top 20 percentile requirements. 

The main school Boards, including CBSE and CISCE, cancelled their remaining Class 10 and Class 12 exams last month amidst growing concerns over student safety as many states continue to report a record surge in coronavirus positive cases on most days.

The disruption of Class 12 examinations was discussed at a meeting of the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) earlier this month. The JIC is made up of JEE chairpersons of all IITs.

During the meeting, the JEE chairpersons proposed that the Class 12 criterion should be waived for 2020 given that different Boards have responded differently to the Covid outbreak. “There was a consensus that the IITs, instead, should insist on rank holders to have passed their Board exams this year,” said a JIC member. “This would be a one-time exception,” the member said, as reported by a media house.

The Class 12 performance criterion isn’t a make-or-break criterion for admissions even in an average year. “There are very few rank holders who are denied admission every year for either not scoring a minimum of 75 per cent marks or meeting the top 20 percentile cut-off. So, doing away (with this criterion) for one admission cycle isn’t going to make a big difference,” the member said.