The CBSE Class XII board exam dates in several subjects and the JEE (Main) are coinciding, causing anxiety to students.
Bengali and some other languages on April 2 and psychology on April 4 are the papers that coincide with the Joint Entrance Examination (Main), 2025, Session-2.
The first session was held in January.
The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the JEE, will reschedule the exam date for students whose exam falls on the same date as the board paper, a senior official of the agency told Metro.
The National Testing Agency (NTA) published the dates of JEE (Main) from April 2 to 4 and April 7 to 9 on March 20.
Candidates are provided an intimation of the allotment of the exam city, which also mentions the date of the exam.
The timetable of the CBSE Class XII exam that ends on April 4 was published in November last year.
“I have the Bengali board paper on April 2, and on Thursday, when we were issued the examination city intimation slip for JEE, I saw that the joint entrance exam is also on the same day. Of course, I cannot miss the board exam because that would mean my result would be withheld, so I would have to skip JEE. But that would mean losing out on a year,” said Sandra Datta, a Class XII examinee.
A total of 28 language papers are scheduled on April 2, some of which are Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Manipuri, Marathi, Gujarati, Mizo, Japanese and German.
Another Class XII examinee, Soumik Banerjee, said he had prepared for two years for the competitive exam. “It will all go to waste if I can’t appear for JEE this year.”
Both on April 2 and 4, the NTA will conduct the exam in two shifts — 9am to noon and 3pm to 6pm.
“The authorities have to change the date because changing the shift will not help us. The board exam ends at 1.30pm and there might not be enough time to reach the JEE centre on time even if it is in the second shift,” he said, whose Bengali exam is coinciding with JEE.
A last-minute confusion regarding exam dates can be stressful for students.
For Dhruv Basak, another examinee, the psychology paper coincides with JEE on April 4.
“We have to focus on both the board exam and JEE. But here I am, about 10 days before the competitive exam, wondering whether I would be able to appear for it,” said Dhruv.
At least two principals said that they have several students whose board exam date coincides with the JEE. “We have about 10 such students. We have informed both the CBSE and the NTA about it,” said Arun Dasgupta, principal of Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir.
Many students who appeared in the January session of JEE have applied for the April session to fare better. “I could not clear the cut-off in January, so this is my second attempt,” said an examinee.
A senior official of the National Testing Agency (NTA) said they would address the problem.
“In case of any issue, the candidates can write to us, and the exam will be rescheduled...we address genuine cases where the date of the JEE (Main) coincides with the board exam,” said a senior official of NTA.
They have already received change requests for Marathi and Gujarati language papers, the official said.
Candidates have to email jeemain@nta.ac.in and attach the CBSE admit card and the examination city intimation slip of JEE.
The admit cards of JEE are issued closer to the date of the exam.
Last updated on 26 Mar 2025
