However, the gap between the successful states and those that see fewer candidates shortlisted remains with the top five contributing more than 14,632 or 36%, candidates who have qualified the IIT admission test.
“The whole focus has shifted to smaller cities where there is a hunger for technical education. In UP there is a new love for professionals where even parents from poor backgrounds have come to see the benefits of quality,” said Pradipto Banerjee, former director of IIT-Roorkee. “From affluent centers many children go abroad and there is a newfound love for pure sciences.”
“Many CBSE students manage to crack JEE, but we see the dynamics of other state boards change every year,” says an IIT faculty. Andhra Pradesh, an IIT dean said, has invested heavily in education. “From schools to colleges, there’s a greater emphasis on education.” Maharashtra has seen an improvement over the past five years.
However, like most years, different candidates register for JEE depending on the state where they are being coached. Hundreds of students from Mumbai would enroll and take exams in Rajasthan, where they were coached. But data collected from IIT-B by TOI indicates the list of candidates who have qualified from different states. The state information is filled in by candidates while registering for JEE (Mains) as the state data would be used for admission into the NIT system during counseling.
Candidate Registration/Elective Filling for Academic Programs Under JoSAA starts from 10 a.m. Monday.
Solving puzzles gets sharper Maha skills of the top
Pune-based Pratik Sahoofrom Bakliwal Tutorials, with an AIR 7 is the topper of Maharashtra.
Sahoo was solving riddles and puzzles as a child and this became his greatest strength while passing the IIT entrance exam.
“In my youth I developed a talent for solving riddles. When I came to IIT coaching, the director encouraged me to continue. It helped me develop my thinking skills,” he said.
Watch Haryana CM talks to NEET topper Tanishka Yada by phone