IIT-NIT Board Eligibility Norms Likely to Drive More Students to Opt for Improvement Exams
KOTA, Oct. 7: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the schedule for Class 12 improvement examinations. According to the official notification issued on Wednesday, the online application process for improvement exams will begin on October 8, while the last date to apply is October 24.
Last year, the application process had started on September 9. This year, CBSE conducted the evaluation of answer books digitally for the first time. Some shortcomings were reportedly noticed during the process, resulting in a significant number of students seeking re-evaluation. Education experts believe that if a larger number of students remain dissatisfied with their results, the number of applications for improvement exams could also increase.
Amit Ahuja, an education expert at ALLEN Career Institute, said students wishing to improve their marks will have to apply online through the Private Candidate Login available on the CBSE website.
Students opting for improvement in all five subjects will have to pay a fee of ₹1,600, while those opting for improvement in one or more subjects will have to pay ₹320 per subject as the examination fee.
According to the CBSE notification, the improvement examinations are proposed to be conducted in February, March and April 2027, along with the main examinations.Number of Improvement Candidates Likely to Rise This Year
Ahuja said that CBSE students constitute a significant share of candidates appearing for JEE Main and JEE Advanced every year. The board eligibility criteria for admission to IITs and NITs had been relaxed for students during 2020-22, but the eligibility requirement was restored from 2023.
Under the existing criteria, students seeking admission to IITs and NITs are required to secure either 75 per cent marks in Class 12 or marks equivalent to the category-wise top 20 percentile of their respective board.
The same eligibility criteria are expected to remain applicable for admissions in 2027. Therefore, students who fail to meet the required board eligibility despite qualifying in JEE Main or JEE Advanced may need to appear for improvement examinations.
Ahuja said this is likely to result in an increase in the number of students opting for CBSE improvement exams this year. Last year, several students reportedly missed the improvement application deadline due to confusion over the board eligibility criteria and later faced difficulties securing admission to IITs or NITs despite obtaining ranks in JEE Main and JEE Advanced.
Education experts have therefore advised students who do not meet the required Class 12 eligibility criteria to apply for improvement within the prescribed application window.
