Page 1 of 1

If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:11 am
by Guest2014
Whilst browsing I came across this gem in Wikipedia. I have pasted some bits below:

************************************************************************

The Joint Entrance Examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology is an annual engineering college exam in India. It is used as the sole admission test by the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). It has a very low admission rate (about 10,000 in 660,000 in 2012), and was thus one of the toughest examinations in the world.

Between 2000 and 2005, an additional screening test was used alongside the main examination, intended to reduce pressure on the main examination by allowing only about 20,000 top candidates to sit the paper, out of more than 450,000 applicants.

In September 2005 directors of all the IITs announced reforms to the examination. The revised test consisted of a single test, replacing the two-test system. In order to be eligible for the main examination, candidates had to secure 60% in the qualifying examination, while candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Physically Disabled (PD) categories must secure a minimum of 55%.

In 2008, the Director of IIT Madras called for revisions to the examination, arguing that the coaching institutes were "enabling many among the less-than-best students to crack the test and keeping girls from qualifying". They expressed concern that the present system did not allow for applicants' 12 years of schooling to have a bearing on admissions into IITs.

Coaching

Preparing for the Joint Entrance Exam normally begins two years before students take the test. 95% of students who pass this exam attend coaching academies, which has created a $3.37 billion industry with annual tuitions of up to $1,700. These academies include tests multiple times a week, up to 200 students per class, and long hours, in addition to regular high school work. There are hundreds of academies across the country and the most famous—in Rajasthan—attracts 125,000 students each year. Coaching programs have become major corporations and are now not only listed on the stock market, and attract millions of dollars of investment from private equity firms. The high-pressure environments, with much competition and high expectations, have been blamed for the significant number of suicides that occur in these academies.

************************************************************************

Now that is TOUGH! (and cruel)

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:01 am
by salsa
Wow! I'm speechless!

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 9:59 am
by Pinner
Yes, but at what age this institute of engineering exam happens? 11 or 16?

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:06 am
by Bee
I think 17-18

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:11 am
by Pinner
So fine at 17/18. Our poor kids have to do this when they are at 10. And also preparation starts when they are at 8.

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 10:31 am
by kenyancowgirl
It's not fine at 17/18...nobody should be doing that to children! Did you read the last sentence about the pressure contributing to the high rates of suicide in the tuition academies?!! That is not fine at 17/18. And preparation certainly didn't start in this house at age 8...it is possible for a bright child to do well with very little preparation and no tutoring. It is also important to have confidence in your child's ability - wherever they end up. I am a great believer that things happen for a reason.

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 11:39 am
by JamesDean
Pinner wrote:... And also preparation starts when they are at 8.
:shock:
What KCG said ...

JD

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 2:44 pm
by Guest2014
The exam takes place at 18. I studied maths at university and then taught it for a long time so I had a look at past papers for this exam and the maths is significantly harder than A-level. Even a good (UK) A-level student in maths would not pass the maths section of this IIT test. Not only are the questions harder but they require ingenuity to answer, something which A-level maths certainly does not. The IIT maths papers are of a similar standard to the Oxbridge/Imperial maths entrance test.

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:01 pm
by salsa
Wow! I can't believe there are so many prep schools. What about having more schools to actually teach the technology rather than prepare for the test? Missed opportunity?

Re: If you think the 11+ is competitive, think again!!!!!

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 4:15 pm
by Guest2014
salsa wrote:Wow! I can't believe there are so many prep schools. What about having more schools to actually teach the technology rather than prepare for the test? Missed opportunity?
Teaching technology is not really the right direction to take. The very best candidates in science/maths need to be selected and then prepared to be original thinkers of the future. Of course, there are many regular technology colleges in India but the IIT is the most desirable one (just as here we have many good schools teaching the same curriculum but the grammars are still desired).

I'm guessing but I suspect that it's even more competitive in China.