Calcutta, Oct. 23: From next year, students eyeing an engineering college seat in Bengal cannot ignore their higher secondary papers as they cram for the joint entrance examination.

The Bengal government has laid down that engineering candidates who clear the JEE can claim their seats only if they have scored at least 45 per cent in physics, chemistry and mathematics (combined) in their Class XII board exams. Medical courses already have a separate minimum-marks requirement.

The new rules are part of a revamp of the JEE announced today.

Also, students will need at least 30 per cent in plus II English, whichever board they have studied under, if they wish to do either engineering or medicine. Engineering colleges say students extremely poor in English come up short at campus interviews.

Shutting the door on those with very low JEE scores, counselling for seat allocation will be done at one go. Earlier, it went on till all the 13,500-odd seats across the 54 engineering colleges had been filled.

But more engineering seats will be available through JEE with the 15 per cent quota for the all-India exam being cut to 10 per cent. JEE 2007 will be held on April 22.