JEE Advanced needs a revamp, third attempt being discussed: IIT Kanpur Director

IIT Kanpur director Manindra Agrawal said JEE Advanced could be revised in coming years. The review covers coaching dependence, a possible third attempt and alternative admissions.New Delhi,Oct 16, 2026 19:38 ISTJEE Advanced may change in the coming years as calls are out for it, said Manindra Agrawal, Director of IIT Kanpur, who was recently speaking at an event attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Asked about the future of the examination by The Indian Express, Agrawal said that no immediate change was planned, but that a revision could come “in the next few years down the line”.Agrawal’s remarks point to a question that has been gathering force around the country’s principal engineering entrance examination: whether the present system, with two attempts in consecutive years, continues to serve its original purpose.Speaking to indianexpress.com, Agrawal said JEE Advanced had become “very coaching dependent” and required a revamp. Discussions, he said, were under way on how the dependence upon coaching might be reduced. The possibility of allowing a third attempt is also being considered, though no decision has been taken.THIRD ATTEMPT DEBATE, ALTERNATE IIT ADMISSIONS EMERGEAt present, a candidate may appear for JEE Advanced twice, once in the year of the Class 12 examination and once in the following year. A petition seeking a third attempt has reportedly received more than 12,000 signatures, with students arguing that illness, accidents, financial circumstances and lack of early exposure to competitive examinations can cost an attempt.Agrawal, however, said the question was not a simple one. A further attempt could help students who discover the examination late or lose an opportunity through circumstances beyond their control. But it could also lead students to spend another year in preparation, often through additional coaching and expense. “There is an upside, there is a downside. You have to balance this,” he said.The discussion is taking place alongside a wider change in the manner in which IITs are admitting students. JEE Advanced is likely to remain the principal route into the traditional undergraduate programmes, but IIT Kanpur has begun experimenting with other forms of selection.This year, IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras introduced a Bachelor of Cybersecurity programme for which JEE Advanced was not required. Candidates were shortlisted on the basis of JEE Main performance and their work in cybersecurity before being called for an on-campus hackathon. The IITs also have provisions for admitting students through international-level Olympiads.The experiment is significant because it separates admission, at least in some programmes, from the conventional written examination. It suggests that the IITs may increasingly look at a candidate’s demonstrated ability in a particular field rather than rely upon a single examination for every course.For JEE Advanced, therefore, the immediate arrangement remains intact. But the comments from the IIT Kanpur director indicate that the examination is not being treated as a finished institution.Its dependence on coaching, the number of attempts and the possibility of alternative admissions are all now subjects of discussion. The changes, if they come, are more likely to be gradual than sudden.- Ends