Achieving admission into a prestigious college or university is a watershed moment in a student’s academic journey. From this point, the individual enters the practical world of learning that enables them to plan and pursue a profession, and while this transition from school to college is an age-old tradition, the process has evolved to meet the changing needs and demands of the time. Notably, with the Indian government mandating all public and state universities to accept student enrolment based on entrance aminations, aspirants must follow the new criteria to ensure admission to their desired courses and colleges.
Recent years have seen a significant increase in competition for seats in public and state universities across India. However, candidates should consider applying to private universities that have global faculty members, scholarships for meritorious candidates, and campus placement offers. This will significantly help them on their career path. Similarly, many students may consider waiting a year to increase their chances of acceptance to a preferred university, however, they should also consider other universities equal in repute to their preferred university.
While the traditional and well-known entrance examinations remain for many engineering and medical aspirants, the role of standardised tests in India has gained increased prominence. Students from any stream are now required to go through mandatory university admissions examinations to test both their subjective knowledge as well as logical and aptitude skills, be it in the application of law, architecture, agriculture, hospitality, and hotel management. In addition, vocational colleges exist for students who want or need to learn new skills before proceeding to formal certification courses.
Preparation Strategy
The focus of preparation should always include comprehensive knowledge acquisition rather than merely subjective knowledge since most universities now assess a student’s aptitude-based skills, in addition to academic knowledge. Whilst standardised board exams are more general and subject-specific, entrance exams are usually more specialised and tailored to specific programmes or institutions. Standardised exams are used to measure a candidate’s proficiency in a particular subject or set of topics, whereas entrance exams are used to confirm whether a student is qualified for admission into a specific programme or institution.
Students need to attempt at least three to four entrance tests each year and should not miss out on a year to ensure their seat in a good institution for better career prospects. Another key aspect is that admission to a reputed college does not ensure a candidate will excel professionally. According to an article by Hans India, on average, 65 lakh students graduate every year in India, including 15 lakh engineers. Still, the unemployment rate was at 7.45 per cent in February 2023.
Furthermore, a report by the Free Press Journal indicates that around 90 per cent of the workforce is employed in the unorganised sector, and thousands of candidates with a degree apply for roles for which they are overqualified. Hence, students need to look at progressive qualifications that will help them build a career, for example, law, architecture, data analytics, machine learning, and AI courses. These courses are being taught separately as part of the standard academic curriculum in many institutions, and often include international faculty visits that provide a global perspective, and give additional encouragement to students to consider career prospects further afield.
After considering current trends, it can be easily inferred that to excel in the entrance examinations students should hone their aptitude-based skills, including critical thinking, creativity, communication, leadership, problem-solving abilities, interpersonal skills, time management and adaptability, and having thorough subjective knowledge. Those who focus on developing aptitude-based skills can improve their academic performance as well as the prospects for success in their career.
Nowadays, students can also participate in certain progressive and modern certification courses, which provide flexibility and convenience, and help them assess their skills through online tools. Most leading universities these days are considering such certifications as a major parameter to assess the abilities of a student.
Preparing for a college admission test might take time and effort, but with a dynamic strategy and the right guidance, students can excel. The basics to remember are: understanding the test format, developing a study plan, taking practice tests, staying focused and motivated, and always looking for future certification programmes to hone your skills.
The author is the Vice President EMEA & Asia, Pearson VUE
