Engineeringis a very popular career choice among Indian students. Admissions to engineering colleges are usually via entrance examinations that are held at national, state and college levels. However, even before this stage, it is imperative to know about the engineering entrance exams that are conducted every year by different university, consortiums and autonomous colleges.
The eligibility criterion for appearing for engineering entrance exams is a Class 12 or equivalent grade from a recognized school or college with English, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as part of the elective subjects. If candidates want to pursue an engineering course in Biotechnology, then Biology should also be part of the elective subjects in Class 11 and 12 or its equivalent. Many times, students who have secured a diploma course in any technology or engineering subject are also eligible to appear for these entrance exams.
The general exam pattern for all entrance examsfor admission to undergraduate engineering course usually consists of papers in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics with the syllabus covered being the same or similar to that covered in Class 12 of CBSE, ICSE or of any State board. Knowledge of Biology is tested for Biotech courses. The test format is normally in the objective question type. It is critical to know that many entrance exams have negative markings for wrong answers.
Before applying for the entrance exams, it is important that candidates make sure that they are eligible to apply. There are many state level examinations which require candidates to have domicile status to apply under the state’s quota. Application is normally allowed in both offline and online modes with registration payments either done through online payment options or via a Demand Draft.
Here is a fairly long list that could help you get started:
Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main: is held by the CBSE Board every year and is a single entry point for admissions to IITs, NITs, centrally funded engineering colleges and also other state government-run and privately managed technology and engineering institutes.
JEE Advanced: Students who clear the JEE Advanced will be allotted undergraduate engineering seats in IITs and ISM Dhanbad based in the All India Rank (AIR). The eligibility criteria to appear for JEE Advanced is to clear the JEE Mains and be in the top 50,000 rank holder list.
Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test (BITSAT): is a computer-based test for admissions to the integrated first-degree programs in all of the three campuses of BITS including Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad. Each candidate gets a different set of questions as the computer selects randomly from the question bank in the server.
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU): is held for admissions to undergraduate engineering courses in Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology. The eligibility is 50% aggregate marks in Class 12 or equivalent examination.
Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET): is a common entrance test organized annually by the Karnataka Examinations Authority for admissions to engineering courses in all engineering and technology colleges in Karnataka under the government quota.
Vellore Institute of Technology Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE): is conducted by Vellore Institute of Technology for admission to its engineering courses. The institute does not allow home-schooled candidates or candidates who have not attended full time regular school.
Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges Karnataka (COMEDK): holds a common entrance exam every year for admission to undergraduate engineering courses in all colleges under its umbrella. There is a single window counseling system based on scores and rank obtained by the candidates.
Punjab Technical University Combined Entrance Test (PTU CET): is conducted annually for admissions to engineering programs offered by the about 65 engineering colleges affiliated to the University. The PTU CET candidates fill up almost 85% of the available seats.
ISAT: is a national level entrance exam for admissions to B Tech courses in Aerospace Engineering and Physical Sciences in the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, which is the first space University in Asia.
Amrita Engineering Entrance Exam (AEEE): is the common entrance exam (computer based test) conducted by the Amrita University for admissions to undergraduate engineering courses offered at its three campuses including Amritapuri, Bengaluru and Coimbatore.
PES Scholastic Aptitude Test (PESSAT): is an annual entrance exam conducted by the PES University for admitting students to various undergraduate engineering courses. The examination syllabus is 30% from CBSE Class 11 and 70% from CBSE Class 12.
