Class 12 Marks not a Factor for JEE Rankings from 2017

The Human Resource Ministry headed by Smriti Irani said that from 2017 onwards, Class XII marks will not be a factor in Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) rankings for admissions in engineering undergraduate courses. According to the Ministry, this decision was taken 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.

In an official statement, HRD Ministry said, "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 per cent weightage to Class XII marks for determining ranks in JEE shall be dispensed with".

So then how will the weightage be given to students?

It is undeniable that Class12 scores remain a significant parameter to determine the eligibility for the exam. As per the current norm, a student has to score a minimum of 75% in their Class 12 Board exam or be in the top 20 percentile in Class XII exam.

SC, ST & OBS students are required to score atleast 65% in their Board exams to qualify for JEE entrance exam.

The Committee of Eminent Persons was given the Herculean task of vetting the current structure for appearing for IIT-JEE. The committee submitted a report in November recommending major changes in the JEE structure, including setting up of a National Testing Service to conduct tests for shortlisting about four lakh students for the exam. The recommendations were aimed at weaning IIT aspirants away from the dependence on coaching institutes.