In what could ease the exam blues for students taking the entrance examinations to the elite Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) this year, they will be required to appear for two papers and not three.
The IIT has decided to restructure the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to be held on April eight, and the test will now comprise two papers and not three as was the case last year.
Each paper will be of three hours' duration and will consist of questions of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, official sources said.
Earlier, the students had to appear for three papers, one each dealing with the subjects of physics, chemistry and mathematics. The papers earlier were of two hour's duration. The questions will continue to be of objective type and there will be negative marking for incorrect answers, the sources said.
The JEE structure has been undergoing changes since last year. Till 2005, there were two stages of tests in the IIT-JEE. First, the students appeared for a screening test and those qualifying this test were allowed to sit for the main exam. However, a one-stage examination was introduced last year.
About three lakh students appeared for the tests last year. There are over 4,000 seats in seven IITs which are expected to increase to about 5,500 to implement reservation for OBC students.
