Do I choose branch over a particular IIT / engineering college? How do I decide my branch/college preference list?

Deciding whether you must give priority to your chosen institute or your chosen branch of study is always a tough choice to make and a very important one too. A lot of students go hunting for placement packages of various branches in various IIT and other colleges and prioritize accordingly but that is not a wise thing to do.

It is very important to give higher preference to a branch that interests you more. Go through the syllabus of various courses, talk to seniors to get an idea on what to expect coming your way in the next 4 years. It's no use getting stuck in Computer Science for 4 years if you hate coding programs but love working with electronic circuits.
Pursuing a branch that interests you also helps if you wish to pursue higher studies in the same field. But sometimes if wiser to let the branch go if you get into a more reputable IIT or college than the one you getting you favorite branch in.

The reputation of the institute can help you in the long run, so strike a balance between your interests and the reputation of IITs. Go by last year's branch-wise cutoff as It will give you a rough idea of this year's closing ranks. And remember, its very important to fill the order of choices intelligently so that you do not regret later after its too late to rectify your mistake.

I have made it to the Extended Merit List (EML), what institute can I expect?

Extended Merit List - EML is for admission to institutes like IISER, IIST, RGIPT and IIMS. But the admission to the institutes is first offered to Common Merit List students and if seats are left then EML students get a chance to grab a seat in them. IITs have issued tens of thousands of ranks in this list, So please do not count on getting into any particular course/college through EML. It is just an indication of the good result you can expect in your other entrance exams.

Eligibility criteria for JEE 2010

Date of Birth
The date of birth of candidates belonging to GE, OBC and DS categories should be on or after October 1,1985. Whereas the date of birth of those belonging to SC, ST and PD categories should be on or after October 1,1980. The date of birth as recorded in the high school/first Board/ Pre-University certificate will be accepted. If the certificate does not mention the date of birth, a candidate must submit along with the application, an authenticated document indicating the date of birth.

Year of passing Qualifying Examination (QE)
A candidate must have passed the QE for the first time, after October 1, 2008 or in the year 2009 or will be appearing in 2010. Those who are going to appear in the QE later than October 1, 2010 are not eligible to apply for JEE-2010.
The qualifying examinations (QE) are listed below:
i) The final examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by any recognized central / state Board, such as Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi; etc.
ii) Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognized Board / University.
iii) Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.
iv) General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
v) High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
vi) Any Public School/Board/University examination in India or in any foreign country recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
vii) H.S.C. vocational examination.
viii) Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.
ix) 3 or 4 year Diploma recognized by AICTE or a state Board of technical education. In case the relevant qualifying examination is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination at an earlier level.

Minimum Percentage of Marks in QE
Candidates belonging to GE, OBC and DS categories must secure at least 60% marks in aggregate in their QE. Whereas, those belonging to SC, ST and PD categories must secure at least 55% marks in aggregate in the QE. The percentage of marks awarded by the Board will be treated as final. If the Board does not award the percentage of marks, it will be calculated based on the marks obtained in all subjects listed in the mark sheet. If any Board awards only letter grades without providing an equivalent percentage of marks on the grade sheet, the candidate should obtain a certificate from the Board specifying the equivalent marks, and submit it at the time of counselling/ admission. In case such a certificate is not provided then the final decision rests with the Joint Implementation Committee of JEE-2010.

How to obtain an application form?

Applications can be obtained by post by sending a Demand Draft for the correct fee amount to the appropriate IIT zone (within which you are choose upto two exam center's of your choice).
The addressed IIT zones being one of the below: Chairman, JEE, IIT Bombay, Mumbai-400 076 (CANARA Bank); IIT Delhi, New Delhi-110 016 (UNION Bank of India); IIT Guwahati, Guwahati-781 039 (State Bank Of India); IIT Kanpur, Kanpur-208 016 ( State Bank Of India); IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur-721 302 (AXIS Bank); IIT Madras, Chennai-600 036( Indian Bank); IIT Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667 (Punjab National Bank).
Applications are also available at Select Bank outlets of Canara Bank, Union Bank of India, State Bank of India, Axis bank & Punjab National Bank. The specific branch details are available at the official website.
From any of these branches, candidate may buy application form with the information brochure by giving Rs. 500/- for ST, SC or female (White Color Envelope) and Rs.1000/- for all other candidates (Blue Color Envelope). This information brochure contains all the details related to JEE such as procedure of the application, examination center, syllabus, courses offered by various institutes, fee structure, counseling and other related information about JEE-2010.

How to apply Online?

The candidate can apply for JEE-2010 online through the JEE webpage from 1st November 2009 to 7th December 2009.

Documents and Materials Necessary for Applying for IIT-JEE Online:

1. A clear attested copy of your SSLC (10th standard) certificate for age proof.

2. Latest passport size (3.5 cm x 4.5 cm) color photograph

3. A thick A4 size (21 cm x 29.7 cm) cloth cover

4. Attested copy of category certificate for SC/ST applicants. Click Here to download the FORM OF THE CERTIFICATE TO BE PRODUCED BY SCHEDULED CASTES AND SCHEDULED TRIBES CANDIDATES.

5.If you are visually impaired and you need a question paper with enlarged font, download the request letter format HERE , fill up the same and enclose with your application form.

6.DS Category : Children of Defence/Paramilitary personnel killed or permanently disabled in action during war or peacetime operations can submit an attested copy of the relevant certificate issued by a competent authority in the Directorate of Resettlement and Rehabilitation, New Delhi (under the Ministry of Defence, Govt., of India) or in the Ministry of Home Affiars, Govt., of India, as applicable, along with the application.

Online Application Procedure

Step 1.

Collect the necessary documents/materials needed for the online application process.

Step 2 .

There are 3 ways to apply online. Click here to choose a way that best suits you.

Step 3 .

Click here to start the application process.

IIT JEE Application Checklist

Before posting the completed application, please go through the following checklist:
Ensure that : You have used the correct Application Form relevant to your category/gender and filled the same properly. You have filled up all the relevant information on the envelope correctly,
The application form must be addressed to the concerned IIT as per your choice of cities of JEE examination,
You have written your address and application number on the Acknowledgement Card (no postage stamp is necessary),
You have enclosed with the application form an attested copy of the 10th Class or Equivalent Examination pass certificate, where your Date of Birth is mentioned clearly. In case, the pass certificate is not available, enclose attested copies of your admit card and mark sheet of 10th Class examination,
You have enclosed the duly-filled Acknowledgment Card with the application form in the envelope provided,
You have retained a photocopy of the completed Application Form.

I have not received my admit card and the exam is getting closer. What do I do?

If the Admit Card is not received by March 20, 2010, then the candidate should obtain his/her Registration Number and Examination Centre from the institute of his/her zone through phone (Interactive Voice Response System IVRS)/Website. On receiving these data, the candidate should write his/her Name, Application No., Registration No., and Examination Centre on two identical halves of an A4-size paper. He/she should then affix his/her photograph and sign (as done in the Application Form) on each of them. The candidate should get the photographs and the signatures attested by the Head of the institution last attended/gazetted officer/notary public, and meet the IIT Representative with this paper on April 11, 2010 one hour before the commencement of the examination in the office of the Presiding Officer at the Examination Centre. The candidate must also bring the Acknowledgement Card issued to him/her upon receipt of his/her Application Form.