Is the 2015 JEE Advanced Paper Still Haunting Students?

The recent release of Netflix series Kota Factory Season 3 has sparked a pertinent question among students: Is the 2015 JEE Advanced paper still haunting them? The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced paper is notorious for its unpredictability and difficulty level, and the 2015 paper was no exception.

In the show, a group of students are seen discussing the 2015 JEE Advanced paper in a classroom, with one student asking Vaibhav Pandey and Balmukund Meena if they were able to solve it. Pandey’s response was laced with frustration, saying, “Yeah, we couldn’t. Go ahead and solve it if you can. Also, go win the 2015 World Cup as well. Will you?” The scene highlights the anxiety and pressure that students face when dealing with a challenging exam.

The 2015 JEE Advanced paper was unique in many ways. The cut-off marks were lower than expected, with 100 marks required for General category candidates, 70 for OBC-NCL, 52 for SC, and 48 for ST. The topper scored 469 out of 504 marks, which was 93.05 per cent, lower than the previous year’s topper who scored 334 out of 350 marks (95.42 per cent).

Experts and IIT professors were approached to understand what made the 2015 paper so difficult. Himanshu Gupta, Physics Faculty at Physics Wallah, said that the marking scheme was the main culprit. The paper had no single-choice questions, and the multiple-choice questions had a complex marking system, with +4 marks for correct answers and -2 marks for incorrect answers. This made the paper lengthy and challenging.

Saurabh Kumar, a senior educationist with over 22 years of experience, agreed that the JEE Advanced paper is always difficult, but the difficulty level is not the only factor that causes stress. He believes that the competition, cut-off marks, and number of applicants taking the exam are also significant factors.

An IIT professor, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the nature of the questions in JEE Advanced makes it an advanced-level exam. The professor believes that the exam should be challenging to select only the brightest minds.

Aditi Garg, a student who appeared for the exam, said that the paper pattern was unexpected and difficult. She found it challenging to decide whether to answer a question she was unsure about due to the negative marking scheme. On the other hand, Kshitiz Goel, another student who appeared for the exam, thought the paper was “good and balanced,” but not too easy or lengthy.

The JEE Advanced 2015 paper saw approximately 1.22 lakh candidates appearing for papers 1 and 2, competing for 10,000 seats across IITs and ISM Dhanbad. The exam’s marking scheme and pattern have undergone changes over the years, with the introduction of step marking for multiple-choice questions and the removal of negative marking in matrix-type questions.

The question remains: Is the 2015 JEE Advanced paper still haunting students? While some may find it challenging, others may view it as a good and balanced paper. The debate highlights the importance of understanding the exam pattern and marking scheme to better prepare for the exam.