“IITs, NITs, CFTIs, IIITS and other engineering colleges, brace yourselves. We’re all marching your way, and will make it to the nearest exam center at least!”
Pack away your gaming console, shut down all your social media and IM apps, lock your smartphone away, and hit the books—it’s that time of the year again! The Great Indian Engineering Pursuit is around the corner, and it’s time to kickstart your prep and get into entrance exam mode.
To help you with this transition, we’ve put together a list of some of the popular engineering entrance exams across the country.
Exam #1: Open The FloodGATEs
To say that the GATE exam is a popular exam is sort of the biggest understatement you can make in the Indian engineering world.
Considered the big daddy guarding the proverbial gates of higher education institutes in India, GATE attracted almost 7 lakh applications last year. This year, you can safely assume numbers to hit even greater heights.
If you’re planning on GATE-crashing, now would be a great time to start your preparation, unless you’re smart and have started already. The exam takes place over the first two weekends of February 2017 (4th and 5th, 11th and 12th February).
Exams #2 and #3: The JEE Brothers
The JEE Main hits examination centres across the country on April 2nd (offline test) and April 8th and 9th (online test). Getting through this gruelling ordeal (aren’t they all?) with a great score, you can pick from the country’s top NITs, IIITs, CFTIs and other top institutions.
Oh, and just so you know, this was the AIEEE your big brother speaks of so fervently.
But if you’re going after the holy grail (IITs, duh), you’re looking at taking on big brother: the notoriously difficult JEE Advanced exam. Here’s the catch, though; you’ll have to get through the JEE Main to even attempt this IIT entrance exam in May: only the 2.5 lakh top rankers get to sit for the ‘Advanced’ version of the JEE.
The struggle is worth it, though: few things can top IIT admission, insofar as the Great Indian Engineering Pursuit is concerned.
Exam #4: Thrilled To BITS
Next up on our list is the BITSAT exam conducted by the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, a computer-based test that will help you gain admission into BITS’ prestigious campuses at Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad.
Last year’s (2016) edition was held between the 14th and 28th May 2016. We don’t know when it will be held in 2017 yet, but the 3-hour test should be conducted around the same time as last year.
Exam #5: From Down South, The VITEEE
The Vellore Institute Of Technology Engineering Entrance Exam is quite popular, and for all the right reasons. This is the gateway to admission into VIT’s renowned campus at Vellore, and its other campus in Chennai.
Steadily attracting a crowd much bigger than can be allowed admission into these two campuses, the VITEEE is a rather late entrant into the entrance exam game, but one that struts proudly with the best of these exams.
Exams #6, #7, #8…: No Shortage Here!
As you’ve probably been told a number of times as a 12th standard student, there’s no shortage of engineering entrance exams in India.
The list reads like an acronym-maker’s dream come true: you have the UPSEE, the Amity JEE, the KIITEE, the LPU-NEST, the APIIT NAT, the ATIT and many more vying for your attention like so many sellers at this metaphorical marketplace.
Pick a couple, read up on them, start your prep, and you could be headed to the engineering college of your dreams come 2017!
Check Institutes for: GATE coaching in Delhi