Number of students appearing for JEE-Main declining: Govt

NEW DELHI: The number of students appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main for admission to engineering courses has been declining in the past three years.

In written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for HRD Mahendra Nath Pandey today said, "Though there is some reduction in the (number of) students appearing for the screening test (JEE-Main), the number of students shortlisted for the IIT entrance (JEE-Advanced) has been increasing each year."

As per the details provided by Pandey, in 2014 the number of candidates appearing in JEE (Main) was 12,90,028 which came down to 12,34,760 in 2015 and 12,07,058 in 2016.

Whereas 1,19,575 candidates were shortlisted for JEE (Advanced) in 2014 and the number went up to 1,47,678 in 2016, the minister said.