JEE and HSC dates shuffling adding to students' dilemma

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has rescheduled the dates of JEE Mains exam (which we all were expecting as well) since the earlier announced dates clashed with other exams.

However, the new dates are not any better. The new dates are April 21, 24, 25, 29 and May 1 and 4. These dates are adding to the chaos because even with these new dates several regional-level exams are clashing and if we look at some state board's date sheets there is literally no gap between board exams and JEE exam dates. NTA is expecting us to give the Board exam on April 20 and be ready for the JEE Mains the next day itself.

There is one more blunder that the officials have committed while rescheduing. Look at the dates again. April 21, 24, 25, 29 and May 1 and 4. I mean see the difference between a student taking an exam on April 21 and May 4. Students having an exam on May 4 will be getting around two weeks more than students taking their exam on April 21. And for sure that doesn't make sense. And we know that NTA is not a regional or a state body but a national agency, so as students we expected better scheduling.

This is not the first time — last two years also there have been various issues in the timetables of many exams. Yes, the last two years were Covid but most exams happened, maybe online but we had to study nevertheless. As students, there is little we can actually do to change things. These things affect us — mentally we feel drained about exams scheduled too close to each other. Life has become very competitive and we need to do well. But we have been living with an adage for a while now which is ' this too shall pass' and we believe that will happen soon.

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