Top 10 Engineering Entrance Exams in India

Engineering is one of the top most sought out course in India. Millions of students aspire to get admissions in high ranked Engineering Institute to pursue their dream course. With a vast profile, Engineering encompasses many streams/branches to choose from. From Computer Science to Aeronautics, the number of engineering degrees available is many in number. The ever increasing demand for this evergreen course led to the rise of more than 50 Top Engineering Entrance Exams. These exams conduct entrance examinations every year to provide admissions for eligible students.

Engineering Entrance Exams serves as a path to study UG level course in engineering colleges. The exam will be conducted at both National level as well as State level. Students can make their choice in choosing the examination they want to take part, based on the colleges they want to study in. More than 7 thousand institutes are spread across the country so, the options available for an average student are plenty. Each exam follows its own exam pattern and the difficulty level of these exams ranges from tough, moderate to easy. Lakhs of students appear for competitive exams every year and it is bound to increase in the future. There is no restriction on the number of exams the students can appear for. They can participate in as many exams as they want, provided they meet the eligibility criteria set by the entrance exam board.

Let’s have a look at Top Ten Engineering Entrance Exams of India

1) Joint Entrance Examination – Main (JEE-Main)

• Introduced in the year 2002 as All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and renamed as Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Main) in 2017, this is a highly competitive exam with an annual registration of 12 lakh students.
• CBSE conducted the exam until 2018. But from 2019, NTA took the charge to conduct the exam.
• This National level exam aims to provide admission to Engineering (BE/B.Tech) and Architecture (B.Arch/B.Plan) courses at the UG level. The exam will be held twice in a year (January and April). And the result will be based on these two sessions. 31 NITs, 23 IITs, 23 CFTIs and several other self-financed institutes take part in the JEE Main Counselling process.
• The examination consists of two papers: Paper 1 for B.E/BTech and Paper 2 for B.Arch. The mode of examination is - Online mode (for Paper 1) and Offline mode (for Paper 2).
• The questions are of MCQ type (except for Drawing section). There is negative marking. Each correct answer fetch 4 marks whereas each wrong answer fetch a penalty of -1 mark
• The JEE Main Counselling process and admission process will be looked after by JoSAA/CSAB board which use All India Rank (AIR) for admission, whereas, institutes that do not use the Centralized Seat Allocation Process will have their own ranking based on the performance in Joint Entrance Examination Main (JEE Main) and other criteria as decided by them.

2) Joint Entrance Examination – Advanced (JEE-Advanced)

• Introduced in the year 1951 as Indian Institutes of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE), the exam was renamed as Joint Entrance Examination – Advanced in 2013. The number of seats available for admission is 11,279 and only the top 2,45,000 candidates who qualified JEE Main will be allowed to participate in the JEE Advanced Counselling process.
• The exam will be held once in a year after the conclusion of JEE Main (which forms the basis for JEE Advanced) and the examination process is conducted by one of the 7 zonal IIT’s
• The exam aims to provide admission into UG courses - Bachelor’s, Integrated Master’s or Bachelor-Master Dual Degree in Engineering, Sciences, or Architecture. As of now 23 IITs are functioning in the country. Apart from the courses stated above, there are other courses too for PG and other related studies.
• Just like JEE Main, even JEE Advance exam consist of 2 papers – Paper 1 for B.E/BTech and Paper 2 for B.Arch and it is conducted in Online mode (for Paper 1) and in Offline mode (for Paper 2).
• Marks will be awarded based on the question type and the marking scheme varies for both the papers. There will be negative marks for incorrect answers and the deduction will be based on type of question and paper.
• The JEE Main Counselling and admission process will be looked after by JoSAA board which use All India Rank (AIR) for admission.

3) Birla Institute of Technology and Science Aptitude Test – BITSAT

• BITSAT exam is organised by Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani institute which is one among the 6 Indian 'Institutes of Eminence' recognized by the Government of India in 2018. The institute started BITSAT examination in the year 2005 to provide admission in one of its 4 campuses
• The 4 campus of BITS are – BITS Pilani, BITS Goa, BITS Hyderabad and BITS Dubai (exam process for Dubai campus differs from others). The UG courses provided by BITS include Integrated First Degree programs in B.E., B.Pharm. and M.Sc.. Apart from this, there are Higher Degree programmes too.
• This All-India entrance exam is highly competitive with more than 3-4 lakh students registering for the exam. BITS institute was ranked 4^th among Engineering colleges (in India) in 2017 by India Today, 5^th by Outlook and 7^th by the The Week and internationally it was ranked 801 – 1000 in the QS World University Rankings of 2018.
• BITSAT exam is conducted online and the test consists of 4 parts. The questions are of MCQ type. A total of 150 questions will be asked and 3 marks will be awarded for each correct answer and 1 mark will be deducted for every incorrect answer.
• The admission to BITS campus will be purely based on merit.

4) Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka – COMEDK

• COMEDK is an autonomous institution consisting of senior academicians and reputed administrative officers who have been associated in educational eco system. It was started in the year 2004 to provide admission to Medical, Dental and Engineering Courses in Professional Colleges.
• The exam can be attended by students from any part of the country provided they fulfil the COMEDK Eligibility criteria.
• Students who qualify COMEDK can opt for UG courses in Engineering, Architecture and Medical. Around 181 colleges participate in the counselling process.
• The examination is conducted in Online mode. 1 mark will be awarded for correct answer and there will be no negative marking.
• COMEDK Counselling will be organized by COMEDK authority where eligible candidates can select the course they want to study in the college they choose.

5) VIT Engineering Entrance Exam – VITEEE

• Founded in the year 1984, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private deemed university and also an Institute of Eminence. It is ranked Number 1 by NIRF - ARIIA in 2019 among private engineering colleges in India and 801-1000 in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2018. Well known for its diversity, training and research opportunities, it is a highly sought out examination in the country.
• The examination is conducted once in a year at National level to provide admissions to B.Tech courses in various VIT campus. There are 4 VIT institutes – VIT-Vellore, VIT-Chennai, VIT-Bhopal and VIT-AP
• VITEEE exam started conducting exam in online mode since 2013 and candidates can choose either PCME or PCBE based on their course they want to study.
• PCME students will be eligible to all B.Tech Degree programmes whereas PCBE students are eligible to B.Tech. Bio-engineering and B.Tech.Biotechnology degree programmes. VIT offers B.Tech, B.Des, B.Arch, BCA, B.Com, B.Sc., BBA, BA, BCHM, M.Tech, MCA, M.Sc, MBA and M.Des courses at UG and PG level
• VIT, Vellore conducts the VITEEE Counselling and admission process. Counselling will be divided into phases and students will be called for the counselling based on ranks (merit).

6) Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Admission Test – SAAT

• SAAT is a National level entrance test conducted by Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University. It was established in the year 1996 and is located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It was declared as a Deemed to be University by UGC in 2007. The university is ranked 38 (overall India) by NIRF in 2018.
• The university conducts SAAT every year to grant admissions into UG programs in Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Business, Nursing, Biotechnology, Agriculture and law; Graduate programs in Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Business, Nursing, Biotechnology, Science, Humanities, Environment, Nano technology, Materials science, Agriculture and Law; and Doctoral degrees in the above mentioned areas.
• SOA is composed of 9 degree granting schools and colleges.
• The entrance test is conducted both in Online and Offline mode and the questions will be of MCQ type.
• Counselling will be conducted by the respective authority and students will be inducted into different programs offered in the constituent institutes / schools of the university

7) Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Entrance Exam – KIITEE

• One of the prestigious universities of India, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) was established in the year 1992-93 and it was bestowed with Deemed-to-be-University status in 2004. KIITEE is the National level entrance exam conducted by KIIT to provide UG and PG Engineering courses and Law courses.
• The examination is conducted once in a year.
• KIIT recently got Tier 1 accreditation and it was ranked 32 by MHRD in 2016. Apart from Engineering the university also offers Medical, Architecture and Business Management courses too. The institute offers B.Tech. program in 9 disciplines.
• The entrance exam will have 120 MCQ with 4 marks awarded for each correct answer and 1 mark will be deducted for each incorrect response.
• There will be 2 rounds of counselling which will be headed by the board authority.

8) SRM Joint Engineering Entrance Examination – SRMJEE

• SRM Joint Engineering Entrance Examination is conducted by Sri Ramaswamy Memorial Institute of Science and Technology, in short SRM Institute of Science and Technology. It was founded in the year 1985 and in 2006, UGC bestowed it with a Deemed to be University status. The QS World University Rankings ranked SRM Institute of Science and Technology 351-400 in Asia in 2019. It claims to have 100% placement.
• It includes 6 campus – 3 in Tamil Nadu (Kattankulathur, Ramapuram and Vadapalani) and other 3 at NCR Delhi, Sikkim and Amaravati respectively. The University offers UG, PG and Doctoral programs in multiple areas. 16 specializations are offered in B.Tech program under various Departments such as Engineering, Management, Medical & Health Science and Science & Humanities.
• The examination will be conducted in Online mode and the questions will be of MCQ type. 3 marks will be awarded for each correct answer and there will be no negative marking for incorrect response.
• The SRM University conducts counselling in offline mode.

9) Manipal Academy of Higher Education Online Entrance Test – MAHE OET

• Formerly known as MU OET, this entrance test is conducted by Manipal Academy of Higher Education which was established in the year 1953. Internationally, MAHE was ranked 701-750 in the QS World University Rankings of 2018 and it is a member of Association of Common wealth Universities.
• It is a deemed university campuses in Mangalore, Bengaluru, Dubai and Melaka (Malaysia). It offers 218 programs in 19 disciplines. Some of the major programs are offered in areas of Architecture, Basic & Advanced Sciences, Communication, Dentistry, Engineering, European Studies & Foreign Languages, Management (MBA), Medicine
• MAHE OET is conducted in Online mode and the exam pattern varies for different courses. The marks awarded will also depend on the course. There will be no negative marking.
• Counselling and admission will be done by the MAHE authorities and candidates or their representatives must be present for the procedures.

10) Aligarh Muslim University Engineering Entrance Examination – AMUEEE

• Originally established as Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875, this institute was later renamed as Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. It was ranked 801-1000 in the QS World University Rankings of 2018. The university is an Institute of National Importance provided under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
• Apart from the main campus at Aligarh, AMU has 3 off-campus centres at Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad (West Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar)
• AMU offers various courses – UG, PG, Diploma, Part time course, Bridge courses in various departments. The courses are offered on the basis on Admission test or based on merit.
• The examination is conducted in Offline mode. The questions are of objective type. 1 mark will be awarded for every correct answer and 0.25 marks will be deducted for every incorrect response.
• Counselling and seat allotment will be conducted in offline mode by the concerned authority of the university.