In an effort to make the JEE Advanced examination more student-friendly and less anxiety-inducing, the IIT Council has proposed a major shift in how the highly competitive test is conducted. The apex body has recommended that an expert committee examine the feasibility of introducing adaptive testing, a system where questions are generated in real time and adjusted according to a candidate’s performance.
The proposal, detailed in the minutes of the IIT Council meeting held on August 25 last year and released on Monday, reflects growing concerns about the intense pressure surrounding the exam and its broader impact on students and families.
Pilot Adaptive Test May Precede JEE Advanced
As a first step, the Council has suggested conducting an optional adaptive test as a pilot exercise ahead of this year’s JEE Advanced. The goal is to collect performance data and study how students respond to this format. Based on the findings, the Council believes a phased transition plan, complete with clear timelines, can be developed for a potential shift to adaptive testing in the future.
The meeting itself was significant, having taken place after a two-year gap. Chaired by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Council includes directors of all IITs and chairpersons of their Boards of Governors.
Concerns Over Coaching Culture And Student Stress
According to the meeting records, IIT Kanpur Director Prof Manindra Agrawal flagged serious issues with the current structure of JEE Advanced. He highlighted the dominance of the coaching industry and the emotional as well as financial strain the exam places on families.
Prof Agrawal stressed that the test needs to move beyond rote learning and better evaluate critical thinking and reasoning skills. Adaptive testing, he argued, could help level the playing field. The model, as noted in the minutes, has the potential to reduce dependence on coaching, improve fairness, and enable more secure and flexible testing environments.
How Adaptive Testing Would Work
Under the proposed system, questions would be generated "on the fly." A candidate would begin with relatively simple questions, and as they answer correctly, the difficulty level would gradually increase. Over time, the test could accurately identify the level of complexity a student is able to handle.
"If we introduce aptitude-based questions, it can significantly reduce the influence of coaching," Prof Agrawal explained when contacted. "Aptitude is linked to innate intelligence. Coaching may help students use their intelligence more effectively, but it cannot fundamentally change it."
The Council has recommended that a panel led by the JEE Apex Board (JAB) and IIT Kanpur examine the operational challenges involved and assess whether such a shift could genuinely reduce coaching dependency. It has also called for the development of a robust tool capable of generating questions across multiple difficulty levels.
Additionally, the minutes suggest holding a free mock test around two months before the actual exam, which is typically conducted in May. Last year, over 1.80 lakh candidates appeared for the computer-based JEE Advanced, with 54,378 qualifying.
At present, however, the expert committee is yet to be formally constituted.
Focus on Mental Health Across IIT Campuses
Beyond exam reforms, the Council also turned its attention to a pressing issue within IIT campuses: student mental health. In light of recent student suicides, the Council recommended creating sanctioned posts for mental health professionals across IITs.
The minutes underscore the need for a long-term, structured approach. With IITs hosting anywhere between 3,000 and 18,000 students, along with faculty, staff, and families, the Council noted that a dedicated cadre of counsellors, psychologists, and psychiatrists is essential. These positions, it suggested, could be filled either on a regular or contractual basis.
IIT Gandhinagar has been tasked with drafting a comprehensive framework for these roles, including clear promotion pathways and quality assessment mechanisms.
Toward A Unified Mental Health Framework
Responding to the Council’s recommendations, IIT Gandhinagar Director Prof Rajat Moona emphasized that mental wellbeing is a critical concern across engineering institutions, including the IITs.
"Psychologists are already being hired at IITs to address these issues proactively," he said. "The work done by different institutions will help bring coherence to our collective efforts."
Prof Moona noted that practices currently vary widely from one IIT to another, from the number of counsellors per student to the types of interventions offered, ranging from basic counselling to clinical and medical support. The aim now, he said, is to develop a set of unified recommendations that can be presented at the next IIT Council meeting.
As discussions around adaptive testing and mental health infrastructure gather momentum, the Council’s latest recommendations signal a broader attempt to rethink not just how students are tested, but how they are supported throughout their academic journey.
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