An IIT aspirant, who did not join any coaching institute, has found the recently held JEE Main exam a tough nut to crack.

However, this year with no weightage given to Class +2 marks, candidates are highly apprehensive about their final results.

Engineering is one of the most widely sought-after career options in India and the first choice of every aspirant to get into a premier institution like the Indian Institute of Technology.

This year, around 10 lakh students appeared for the JEE Main exams on 2 April.

While the overall exam was of moderate difficulty level, some must be tensed and worried about the results.

Instead of being upset or thinking about taking any drastic steps, focus on preparations to realise your dreams.

A back-up plan in advance is necessary, so that one can have more options in hand.

Here are a few alternative options for students who are not confident of their JEE Main attempt:  

• Do not give up on JEE Advanced: Right now, the aim should be to prepare for JEE Advanced. You may have not done well and your chances of securing the desired cutoff marks to get into an IIT may be negligible. But this is not the right time to forego your dreams. Continue with your preparations, as there are many other reputed universities that absorb students through this exam. Institutions such as National Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Science some of the well known engineering institutes could get through with the help of t JEE scores.
• Try for alternative engineering exams: If you have made up your mind to seek a career in engineering itself, then there are umpteen other technical institutions that conduct their own entrance examinations. The level of difficulty may vary but students can choose as per their preferences and universities. They can choose from various state-level entrance exams that can help them get an entry. There are other alternative exams like BITs, VIT, SRM and state entrances and clearing these will give access to many colleges. It will be simpler to crack because most of these exams as syllabus is parallel to that of CBSE and JEE Main. Students can work on further preparation and improving their weaker segments for the upcoming examinations. However, while selecting colleges other than the premier ones, one should consider certain parameters. You should look for residential campus as it provides a sound environment for studies. The laboratories should be equipped with modern amenities, journals in library, etc. The institutes should be accredited by NAAC or NBA, which is a quality indicator in academic delivery standard.
• Look for options to study abroad: If students are uncertain of getting into a good engineering college in India, then they can look for viable options in foreign universities or institutions in USA, UK, Australia, Singapore and Canada. One should look at employment options, medium of instruction, accessibility, long-term plans and monetary constraints before planning to pursue.
•  Drop a year: Although it might be looked down upon in the conventional society and fraught with risks, there is no harm in skipping a year, if you are confident of your ability and ready to try again with complete dedication. However, it is necessary to take an informed decision and be well aware of the repercussions, as sometimes, with relentless studies and not much else left to do for an entire year, students might feel saddened. Ideally, they should pursue an alternative course, such as learning a language.

The writer is Director, Aakash Educational Services Pvt Ltd.