Tough IIT-JEE robs Telugu students of top honours

Hyderabad: Bucking the trend, Telugu-speaking students, who used to clinch top ranks in the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced every year, have failed to repeat their success streak in JEE Advanced 2015 results. In the past every year, the Telugu-speaking students used to bag top ranks i.e. first five ranks. But this year, the students settled with all India ranks of fourth, sixth, ninth and 10th under top 10. However, Telugus bagged all India first rank in OBC and SC categories.

This year, Madhya Pradesh boys bagged top three ranks. First rank was secured by Satvat Jagwani scoring 469 out of 504. Second and third ranks were bagged by Janak Agarwal and Mukesh Pareekh respectively. The results of JEE Advanced are supposed to be released on Thursday (June 18). But they were advanced by a day and were announced late night on Wednesday (June 17).

This year, a total of 1,24,741 candidates registered for the test and 1,17,238 candidates appeared. Of the total appeared only 26,456 candidates qualified in examination. In another change in the trend, while most of the students from IIT Madras Zone comprising Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry states qualify every year. But this year, students from IIT Bombay zone (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Karnataka) were the top qualifiers.

As per the data, while 6,838 from IIT Bombay zone are qualified, only 4928 candidates from IIT Madras zone are qualified and stood second top qualifier. Among two Telugu-speaking states, Andhra Pradesh topped with 2155 qualifiers while only 783 candidates from Telangana could make through.

Ananda Raman, Mentor and Director of FIITJEE opined “For last four years, the question paper was predictable and this year it was tricky. There were several questions which had multiple answers that increased toughness of the question paper. Rote learning method did not work. Students, who spent four hours in the institutions, had secured good ranks than students who prepared all the day.”

He pointed out that toughness of paper and ability to think and mark answers in the given time could be a reason for decline in the number of qualifying students. Raman said though AP and Telangana students secured five ranks in the top 10, the number of students in top 100 had come done.

“Majority of students qualify from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Last year, 47 students got ranks in top 100. However, this year 28 students figured in top 100. This year, students from two tier cities got top ranks than from metro,” he opined.K Nagendra Reddy of Nellore district bagged all India fourth rank and topped IIT-Madras zone.

Other all India ranks of Telugu-speaking students include rank K Ashwan Reddy-6, M Sai Sandeep secured-8, K Vishnuvardhan Reddy-9 rank and M Sandeep Kumar-10, K Anirudh Reddy-12, G Sreekar-14, G Saiteja- 16, PSE Sai Prakash Reddy- 17, B Vamsi-19, Akhil-61, Karthikeya Sharma-100, Devashish Mehta-118 and Tejavardhan Reddy-123.

Speaking to the Hans India, K Nagendra Reddy’s father Sudhkar said his son did not appear for both TS and AP Eamcets due to prolonged illness and even before JEE exam he was sick. “But nothing deterred him to sit for the examination. We expected first rank, but he got fourth rank,” said the elated parent who is a lecturer in Narayana College, Nellore.

Sai Sandeep who bagged AIR eighth rank also secured first rank in Telangana State Eamcet and sixth rank in Andhra Pradesh Eamcet. T Bhavan who secured first rank under the SC category said hard work paid off. He wants to join computer science course at IIT-Bombay. The examination is conducted for admissions into premier engineering colleges like Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian School Mines.

By:Yuvraj Akula