From the third to last week of June, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMJEEE 2021). The SRMJEEE will be scheduled between the two exam dates as the CBSE Examination Board ends by 10 June and JEE Advanced by 3 July. However, the vice chancellor of the SRM Institute, Sandeep Sancheti said: "It the situation changes due to COVID-19, then we're going to take a call, for now, SRMJEEE will be held as scheduled.”

For Indian candidates, SRMJEEE is the only route for B.Tech admissions and also the SRM scholarships are linked with these ranks. For seats that remain vacant after admissions through SRMJEEE 2021, preference will be given to JEE Main candidates up to certain ranks. For engineering admissions at SRM, SAT scores are mainly considered for admissions of NRI or foreign candidates. It should be noted that the top 1000 rank holders of JEE Main are given direct admission at SRM University.

When asked if Class 12 marks are given weightage in SRMJEEE 2021, Dr Sancheti said, “Considering Class 12 marks as an exclusive mechanism will not be there in the plan unless the situation forces us. The reason being that declaration of board results is not certain and also some of the boards do not share the details of marks to be used for normalization. Although in the 2020 session, Class 12 marks were accepted for SRM IST admissions, we are not in favour of it for the reasons mentioned.”

“In the worst case, we may consider Class 12 marks that may result in a delay in admissions just like the previous year. However, with the vaccines rolling out and things turning out positive, it is very likely that conducting SRMJEEE will not be an issue,” he added.

SRMIST Exam Pattern
With the Class 12 Board syllabus reduction by CBSE and most state boards, the SRMJEEE syllabus is tailored accordingly as the SRMJEEE 2021 examination is based on the topics covered up to Class 12 only. Following the guidelines, SRMJEEE 2021 syllabus has already been reduced by 30 percent which will be available at the official website.

The SRMJEEE exam 2021 will not be held in an online mode because not every candidate has the required gadgets and Internet connection. SRMJEEE 2021 will be conducted at the designated exam centres. SRMIST will try to accommodate more number of SRMJEEE exam centres in the 2021 session. “It will depend upon the number of applicants in a particular area but if things improve, it will not be difficult for candidates to travel for a distance as well,” said Dr Sancheti.

When asked if SRMJEEE 2021 will be held in more than one sessions, Dr Sancheti said, "Giving more attempts will not be of much use as the exam is conducted consecutively for four to five days. But if students think that they need another attempt, we may allow more than one attempt.”

SRMIST Online Classes
The students are expected to know the Class 12 topics that are part of the syllabus. While 30 per cent syllabus reduction has been considered, there is no excuse not to know or learn the remaining topics that form the other 70 per cent. “We accept that there is a slight difference between online and offline mode. However, I believe that the depth of knowledge which the students can achieve is far more accessible in the online mode provided they are interested and we seek such students. One should not depend upon the classroom because teaching is a tiny concept while learning is huge and students should strive to perform better even with the changed circumstances,” Dr Sancheti said.

SRMIST Placements
At SRM University, COVID-19 has not affected the placements in any way. The students have bagged over 5000 offers by now and there are still four months to go. Last year, the varsity reached 8,600 placement offers. “One factor that may play a difference in the numbers is that last year around 17000 students graduated; however, this year 15000 students will be graduating in the current batch,” Dr. Sancheti informed.

SRMJEEE 2021 Participating Institutes

1. SRMIST at Kattankulathur, Ramapuram, Vadapalani
2. SRM University AP
3. SRM University Sikkim
4. SRM University Sonepat
5. SRM University Ghaziabad