The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : IITs to revise cut-off marks to benefit serious students

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

IITs to revise cut-off marks to benefit serious students

R. Ravikanth Reddy

It will ensure a minimum of double digit score to claim a seat

HYDERABAD: Perfection in all the subjects – that would be the secret for success at the IIT-JEE this year. However, the IITs are likely to revise the formula to set cut-off marks for admission into these prestigious institutions.

The new formula, devised in view of the controversy that students who got single digit scores in some subjects were listed for admission last year, will raise the minimum marks required in each of the three subjects for admission.

Academics say the new plan is likely to ensure a minimum of double digit score to claim a seat.

According to R.L. Trikha, Head of the Department, FIITJEE Ltd the cut-off in past two years were very liberal. “Cut-off of subjects was marks obtained by student just after first 80 per cent students. This led to cut-off even as low as single digit,” he said adding that this paved a way for non-serious candidates who are not good in all three subjects to gain admission.

Mr. M. Uma Shanker, IIT coordinator of Sri Chaitanya institutions says that with the new scheme students have to concentrate on all the three subjects equally.

The two different methods used in 2006 and 2007 raised the hackles of the students as well as the academics. In 2006 there were reports of the violation of the official cut-off formula denying admission to nearly a thousand students. The following year the method was simplified.

Average marks

But this year the average physics, chemistry and mathematics scores of all students who attempt the three subjects is likely to be calculated and these averages will serve as subject cut-offs.

Mr. Uma Shanker says under the new scheme of finalising cut-offs if the paper is of 160 marks the cut-off in each subject is likely to be between 40 and 50 marks.

So if a student scores 170 plus marks admission is likely.

Last year too students with such total had high chances of admission despite scoring low in one of the subjects. But this year they have to ensure that they get 40 above scores in all the three subjects. More than three lakh students try their luck in the test of which nearly 45,000 are from the State. Last year, 1,697 students from the State got admissions in IITs taking the first position among all the States.

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