Amid coaching concerns, Centre may ease difficulty level of JEE, NEET exams

New Delhi: The Centre is mulling a review of the difficulty level of entrance exams like JEE and NEET to ensure it is in sync with the class 12 curriculum difficulty level and that students do not have to depend on coaching, according to sources.

The review will be conducted on the basis of the feedback from an expert panel set up to examine issues related to coaching.

“The panel is analysing data to study if the difficulty level of exams is in sync with the difficulty level of class 12 curriculum, which is the basis of these exams. Some parents and faculty members of coaching institutions feel that there is a mismatch between the two, which ultimately increases dependence on coaching,” a source said.

“Based on the panel’s feedback, it will be considered to review the difficulty level of these entrance exams,” the source added.

In June, the Ministry of Education set up a nine-member panel to examine issues related to coaching, emergence of ‘dummy schools’ as well as effectiveness and fairness of entrance examinations.

The panel headed by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi will suggest measures to reduce the dependency of students on coaching centres for transition to higher education.

“The committee is examining the gaps in the current schooling system that contribute to students’ reliance on coaching centres, particularly the limited focus on critical thinking, logical reasoning, analytical skills and innovation and the prevalence of rote learning practices,”

the source said.