Admissions to IITs and the IISc

We, in India, are usually concerned about marks and entrance examinations.  Lakhs of applicants take the JEE (Main) test and those who get a specified minimum in that test take the JEE (Advanced). Finally, the top 10,000 rankers from the JEE (Advanced) get admission to IITs. There must be a few countries where such severe competition exists. Is there a statistical difference between those are in the 9900-10,000 ranks and in the 11900-12000 rank band? I doubt it.

That is not the end of the story. What do the tests measure? I have heard skeptical comments from many academics about how the exam-coaching industry runs circles round the system!

I was worrying about my daughter’s studying for the exams when she was in the 12^th Grade. “Do you want me to get marks, or get an education, Daddy?”, she asked. The professors know the difference. One of them, from the Indian Institute of Science has written a short article on Linked in which is essential reading for all those interested in the field of higher education. Visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-mayank-shrivastava-06439413/

He tells you how bad Entrance Exam top rankers can be.

Srinivasan Ramani