Last Updated on August 6, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar
Entrance Examinations are very important. It is an entrance exam that stands between you and that seat in the elite engineering college! There are number of entrance examinations in India today- JEE, GATE, PSC, UPSC and so on. So, after noting the vast number of entrance examinations and a world that revolves around it, I’ve decided to put up an article related to the ‘great Indian entrance exam preparations’. This is part serious and part humor.
When I asked my dad about the entrance exams of his time, he told me that there was no entrance exam for engineering admission back then. He said that there were about 4 engineering colleges in Kerala, India back then (only Government colleges) and the students who got the most marks in pre-degree made it to those colleges. Same system existed for medical admissions.
But times have changed now. The small state of Kerala alone has more than 150 private engineering colleges. Entrance exams had to be introduced to select the brightest talents to the right colleges and seats. Slowly, importance of entrance exams increased and now it has reached its pinnacle! There is an entrance test for everything! For engineering admission, medical admission, CAT, PSC jobs, UPSC jobs etc. The IIT fever is the best example that shows how our country is obsessed with entrance exams!
Now, I’m not against the concept of entrance exams. They are absolutely necessary. I’m just discussing the effect it has had on the common man. But entrance exams should be designed so that it acts as a filter and separate the deserving-bright students from the ‘also-rans’ and ‘wannabes’.
It is very amusing how the concept of entrance exam has caught up with the common man like a wild fire. There are so many ‘entrance-coaching classes’ mushrooming in metro cities and small town alike! There are entrance exam coaching classes for virtually everything- from engineering to UPSC to LD Clerk exam!
These mushrooming coaching classes have even transformed the look and feel of towns altogether! Take the example of Kota, India. It is presently the JEE coaching hub of India. There are so many coaching classes over there. This sleepy town in Rajasthan, India is now bustling with students who come from different states to prepare for the JEE exams. This phenomenon has transformed the look of the town. Similarly, in Kerala, Pala, a small scenic town is well known for entrance coaching centers.
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For aspiring students, entrance exams are the stepping stone toward their dream career and course. But for many coaching centers, it is just another business venture. They have realized that the opportunity is big and are seizing it by the neck! Whatever it is, entrance exams are here to stay and so are the entrance-coaching classes!
I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.
I share articles related to courses, colleges, careers, exam tips and more here.