Joint entrance 2012 will have fewer questions so that examinees have more time to answer each.

Instead of 90, the examinees have to answer 80 multiple-choice questions in two hours. “Students will get exactly a minute and a half to answer each question,” said Bhaskar Gupta, the chairman of the state JEE board.

Under the new format, 60 questions will carry a mark each and the rest, two marks each.

Last year, those appearing for the mathematics and biology tests had to answer 80 one-mark multiple-choice questions and 10 short-answer type subjective questions, carrying two marks each. In the combined physics and chemistry paper, with full marks 100, the examinees had to answer 90 questions.

The board also announced a new method of allocating exam centres. “Candidates used to be assigned centres near their permanent addresses. From now on, the centre will be located near the school where the student wrote his or her Higher Secondary or equivalent examination,” said Gupta.

He added that a candidate would have to submit an application to be allocated a centre near his or her permanent address.

“Such candidates would have to email their applications to wbjeeb@gmail.com by January 31,” said a board official.

The board’s announcement on Monday followed its earlier decision to frame only multiple-choice questions in the JEE, scheduled for April 15.

“Last November, we had decided to follow the model of all-India competitive examinations such as the CAT or the IITJEE and decided to do away with subjective questions,” said Gupta.

“We are anticipating that the Common Entrance Test will start from the 2013-14 academic year. So it is time our students got accustomed to objective questions,” said a board member.

According to Gupta, the board will have new security measures in the admit card and optical recorder sheet, where examinees will have to mark answers, to prevent unfair practices.