An entrance examination is an examination that is conducted by various educational institutions to select students for admission to various colleges or universities. These exams can be administered at any level of education, although they are conducted at a higher education level. Entrance exams are the testing ground for any student to assess their skills and abilities in relation to admission to a chosen institution and in relation to the chosen academic stream. Most entrance exams are conducted by elite Institutes. These institutes are known for their superior results orientation, the cream of professors and candidates, and as such they have earned a lot of reputations. Most of the popular entrance exams in India are AIEEE, JEE, CLAT, MBBS, BDS to name a few. Entrance exams in India are widespread and almost most institutes conduct their own separate entrance exams on the same basis as national entrance exams. Some of the entrance exams such as the IIT-JEE, CAT and AIPMT are considered among the most difficult in the world, and the JEE has a success rate of around 1 in 45. Throughout the year, these exams have won great importance, they have become very current, important and in the process has generated controversies that have affected students, parents and administrators.

History of Indian Entrance Exams

Entrance exams arose with the establishment of the University of Calcutta in 1857. The university introduced the entrance examination, primarily to decide who was eligible for admission to the university. The exam reached the end of studies exam category. Subsequently, the name was changed to Registration. After the independence of India in 1947, the examination system was further overhauled: the post-class X secondary exam was called the High School Certificate of Completion (SSLC) exam and the post-XII exam was called Upper secondary exam (HSC). However, today’s modern entrance exams owe their existence to the various IITs (Indian Institute of Technology) established during the 1950s. It was the IITs that introduced the Joint Entrance Examinations of All India (JEE) for their admissions. The logic behind introducing these as a formal procedure was that varied marks from different school boards could not be used to create a common merit list. Since the inception of JEE, several states in India followed the pattern and began entrance tests for admission in the respective states. Soon the Central Board of Secondary Education started PMT (Pre Medical Test) for selected medical universities in the country and India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) for admission to National Institutes of Technology (NIT) and also for any engineering institution that may choose to do so.

Entrance exams held in India

* Most public and private educational institutes conduct entrance exams for various professional courses. These entrance exams are basically multiple choice question documents or more popularly known as MCQ in academic jargon. This Pattern was introduced because the scores obtained by the school’s students were considered to be based on conventional long-response works that might not represent a student’s real potential. It has been reasoned that these scores may represent errors by a human examiner and as such would be unacceptable in a highly competitive environment where even one or two marks could affect a student’s career. This subjectivity was eliminated with the introduction of a special examiner. It is known as OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) laser reading which was introduced in 2006.

* Typically, engineering institutes in India admit 15% of their students through the AIEEE nationwide and the remaining 85% based on their scores on the entrance exam conducted by the state where the university is located .

* Government Medical Institutes follow the same procedure, basing admissions on candidate rank in All India Pre-Medical Test.

* Indian Institutes of Management conducts a common admission test for candidates.

* Indian Institutes of Technology conduct IIT-JEE.

Various Entrance and Eligibility Exams in India

Engineering entrance exams:

AIEEE – All India Engineering / Architecture Entrance Exam.

JEE – Joint Entrance Exam.

GATE – Aptitude Test for Engineering Graduates.

NATA – National Aptitude Test in Architecture.

SLIET – Entrance exam to the Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology.

State Engineering Entrance Exams: PTU CET, RPET, etc.

Medical entrance exams:

AIPMT – All India Pre-Medical / Pre-Dental Entrance Exam.

AIIMS – All India Institute of Medical Sciences Entrance Exam.

AICEE – All India Common Entrance Exam, by the Veterinary Council of India.

State entrance exams: PTU CET, RPET, etc.

Science / Computer Entrance Exams:

CST – Software Technology Competency Test.

GSA – Graduate School Admission Test.

JAM – Joint admission test to M.Sc.

JEST – Joint entrance screening test for doctoral admission.

Management admission exams:

ATMA – AIMS Test for Administrative Admission.

CEMAT – Admission test to the Commonwealth Executive MBA and MPA programs.

CAT – Common Admission Test.

IBSAT – ICFAI Business School Aptitude Test.

IIFT – Admission test to the MBA of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

ICET – Integrated Common Input Test.

JMET – Test of access to joint management.

K-MAT – Karnataka Management Aptitude Test.

MAT – Management aptitude test.

NAT – National Aptitude Test.

NCHMCT – National Council of Hospitality and Catering Management Technology – Joint Entrance Exam (JEE).

NMAT – National Management Aptitude Test.

OPENMAT – Open Management Admission Test – Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

RMAT – Rajasthan Management Admission Test.

SET – Symbiosis Entrance Test for SIEC Deemed University Symbiosis Undergraduate Institutes.

SNAP – National Symbiosis Aptitude Test.

TANCET – Common Access Test to Tamil Nadu.

WAT – Written Admission Test – Army Welfare Education Society (AWES).

XAT – Xavier Admission Test.

Law entrance exams:

CLAT – Admission test to customary law.

Kerala Law Entrance Exam.

Proof of entry to Nalsar.

NLSIU – National University College of Law Entrance Exam of India.

LSAT – Law School Admission Test, India by LSAC.

Fashion and technology entrance exams:

CEED – Common Access Exam for Design.

NID entrance exam.

NIFT entrance exam.

Entrance exam to the Pearl Academy of Fashion.

Film and television entrance exams:

Entrance exam to the Indian Film and Television Institute.

Selection test of the National School of Drama (NSD).

Advantages of admission and eligibility exams

* Develop high self-esteem especially for those who suffer from low morale. If someone feels or has actually given satisfactory board exams, they can make up for it with entrance exams. Success in these increases your self-esteem.

* Such entrance exams ensure that only the best minds get the best opportunities.

* Potential students become trained professionals who in turn help in the development of the country.

* A better performer inspires others to do well because of the competitive spirit created by the competitive scene.

Disadvantages of admission and eligibility tests

* Current trends show that the quality of students entering IIT is declining rapidly since 2005.

* These exams have allowed the proliferation of coaching institutes, most of which are more interested in seizing the opportunity than in guiding students.

* The Training Centers are not only making Education a business, but they also teach shortcuts that allow the student to pass the Exam, but lack the proper knowledge associated with the purpose of Entrance Exams. In the end, applicants may be good students but not good professionals because they don’t know the basics of their job.

* These exams become an additional source of pressure for students already facing the competitive environment in all areas. This pressure can lead to total loss or disinterest in studies. However, some succumb to pressure and seek to kill themselves or abuse themselves.

* Cases of psychological illness over the years have increased among today’s youth. They have to deal with a lot of things these days, like going to school, doing homework, preparing for weekly or monthly tests, going to Extra Coaching for weak subjects, etc. In such an environment, there is no place for sports, health activities or just fun activities. As such, physical health also suffers in the form of various ailments.