JEE (Advanced) 2021: IIT Kharagpur postpones test in wake of COVID-19; no new dates announced

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) (Advanced) 2021 has been postponed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur due to the COVID-19 situation in the country. As reported by The Times of India, the decision was declared by IIT Kharagpur in a statement released on its official website. The publication further states that a review committee of three members met at IIT Kharagpur in April to take stock of the pandemic situation. It decided that postponing JEE (Advanced) 2021 is necessary as the process for the exam can only start after JEE Mains 2021 is conducted. However, JEE Mains 2021 for both April and May sessions have already been postponed. According to the notice, JEE (Advanced) 2021 which was scheduled to be held on 3 July has been postponed, however, the institute has not announced a new date. The notice adds that it will be declared at an appropriate time. JEE (Advanced) 2021 was supposed to be held on Saturday, 3 July in two sessions. The three-hour-long paper-1 was scheduled from 9 am to 12 pm while paper-2 had to be conducted on the same day from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. NDTV reports that the top 2.5 lakh candidates from the JEE Mains 2021 are eligible to appear for the JEE (Advanced) 2021. Through the test, students can get admission in the IITs in several Bachelor’s, Integrated Master’s, and Dual Degree programmes. The report further mentions that those JEE (Advanced) candidates who registered for the exam in 2020 but could not appear due to Covid-19 can also take the exam this year.