Hyderabad: It is easier to get into the top 20 percentile of all students appearing for Intermediate exams in Andhra Pradesh than in Telangana State. The top 20 percentile is one of the criteria for qualification for admissions to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and the Indian School of Mines (ISM).
As per data released by the JEE apex board, students affiliated to the AP board of intermediate education (APBIE) had to score 466 (out of 500) marks to get into the top 20 percentile in the state. The corresponding score for TS remained higher at 470 (out of 500). This is also the highest top 20 percentile cutoff for any board across the country.
According to the rules of the JEE apex board, students have to score 75 per cent aggregate marks in the 12th board exams or be in the top 20 percentile of students writing the state board exams. This year was the first time when AP and TS held their own intermediate board exams after the latter formed its own BIE. The cutoffs are calculated out of 500 marks for all 12th boards.
The 20 percentile cutoff for TS intermediate exams was the highest across the country, with AP coming in second. Interestingly, even for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 marks, the top 20 percentile cutoff was 440 out of 500, which is still lower than that of the two state boards.
The corresponding cutoff for the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations board was slightly higher at 443 marks. However, despite this, 776 students from Telangana and 770 from Andhra Pradesh got admissions to IITs.
This is so as obtaining 75 per cent mark is one of the criteria. It is noteworthy that the cutoffs of all other state boards are much less as compared to those of the two states. For instance, the top 20 percentile cutoff for 12th exams in Jharkhand, held by Jharkhand Academic Council this year, was only 315 and that of Tripura was 314. These are by far the lowest in the country.
“Students in our two states score the highest marks in 12th exams. The system of exams in intermediate in both the states is in an extremely poor shape. Without even a proper study, students score 90 per cent marks,” a senior official in the TelanganaEducation Ministry said.
