Is the IIT –JEE over rated?

 

Clearing the IIT-JEE, or the Indian Institute of Technology – Joint Entrance Exam is the only way to get into the prestigious IITs. Being trained and educated from these institutes opens up a world of opportunities for the best brains.

Are these institutes over-rated? Not the least as it churns out the cream of students in India and abroad. They get the best of training and education from the faculty which is amongst the best in the world.

There is a lot of competition to get into such a prestigious educational programme. The students start preparing early for the Joint Entrance Exam.  Only 1 to 2% of the students who appear for these entrance exams get selected.

The entrance exam is tough and is it really worth it?

In short, a good student who has exceptional skills and are a cut above the rest only get the opportunity to join this programme. They get to interact with the best professors and learn from their seniors and peers in an academically and intellectually stimulating environment.

Are the entrance exams IIT-JEE over rated?

It is a matter of perspective. If you want to be amongst the best, you try to get into the best institution. If you are the kind of person who understands that quality education is imparted in other colleges also; that good professors also exist in non-IIT colleges, you might feel that all IIT and its entrance exam is overrated and hyped.

The IIT-JEE basically tests the students in three disciplines - in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. The syllabus of these examinations is considerably more comprehensive and advanced compared to regular high school curriculum. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan the Nobel laureate in Chemistry failed to get a seat in IIT. His parents did not believe in the concept of training and coaching classes to crack the entrance exam. Students have different aptitude level and they can be skilled in different paradigms and field which cannot be measured by an entrance exam. Many bright students may not have the killer instinct and mental toughness needed to get through the entrances.

The fact that students from IIT do brilliantly and make excellent professionals has more to do with the students themselves than the IITs. The IITs choose the best students through competitive exams, impart right skill and education and equip them to excel. The fact remains that very few students of IIT opt to go for research. Globally there are many colleges which do not have entrance exams as tough as IIT-JEE, nor do they have the gruelling academic schedule of IITs but they are big on research and innovation.

So if one looks at patents earned and innovations that have tried to put a mark in the Universe by IIT students as the basic benchmark of a successful educational institute, then, perhaps IITs may lag behind. Alternately, in terms of entrepreneurship and jugaad, the students do well; justifying the tough entrance exams and the systems of imparting education in IITs.