JEE Advanced 2021: Candidates absent in last year exam can appear this year directly

Candidates who could not appear for their JEE Advanced 2020 (last year) due to COVID-19 will get another chance this year. As per an official statement released by Joint Admission Board (JAB), the candidates who had registered for JEE Advanced 2020 but were absent or were prevented from appearing in the exam due to COVID-19 can directly appear for the JEE Advanced 2021 (this year). Such candidates will not have to appear for JEE Main exam this year. 

Such candidates who will get a second chance to appear for the JEE Advanced 2021 will be considered in addition to and not as part of the total number of those who will clear JEE Main 2021 in order not to affect this year’s candidates. This year, JEE Advanced 2021 is scheduled to be held on July 3.

“To address the concerns of the affected candidates, while avoiding prejudice to other candidates, it has been decided to allow all the candidates, who had successfully registered to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2020 but were absent in the exam, to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2021, as a one-time measure...the IIT Council has considered the relaxation of the eligibility criteria and decided to permit an extra attempt for those candidates who were unable to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2020 on account of being Covid-19 positive," reads the notice released by JAB. 

“To ensure equal opportunity to all, the JAB has also decided that these candidates will not have to qualify JEE (Main) 2021 and will be allowed to directly appear in JEE (Advanced) 2021 on the basis of their successful registration to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2020. This relaxation of existing eligibility criteria will be in addition to proportionate relaxation of age bar,” the notice further reads.

JEE Advanced 2021 on July 3

This year, IIT Kharagpur will organize the JEE Advanced 2021 on July 3. JAB has decided to shortlist Two Lakh Fifty Thousand (2,50,000) students (including all categories) from JEE (Main) 2021 to appear for JEE (Advanced) 2021. In 2020, IIT Delhi was the organizing institute for JEE (Advanced) in which a total number of 1,60,838 candidates registered for JEE (Advanced) 2020. About 43,204 candidates qualified for JEE  (Advanced) 2020. The total intake was approximately 16,061.

In 2021, apart from India, JEE (Advanced) centers are likely to be set up also in Dubai (UAE), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Singapore. JAB decided that the final decision on conduct of examination at the foreign center(s), if at all, will depend on the prevailing conditions at the time of JEE (Advanced) 2021, the official press release reads.

JEE Main 2021 postponed

Currently, the last two cycles of JEE Main 2021 are postponed. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had announced to postponed the April and May cycles of JEE Main in view of the Coronavirus Pandemic. JEE Main is a national-level entrance test for candidates will to take admission in engineering courses in IITs and other centrally funded government institutes of engineering.