Almost every class of 12 PCM students aspires to be an engineer one day, and for this, most of them desire to get into one of the country’s 23 prestigious IITs. If you too dream of this, you may be familiar with the IIT JEE main exam – the primary step to fulfill your dream. Around 6.35 lakh total students appear for JEE Main in 2020. 

For those who are not aware, let us break it down for you quickly! IIT JEE mains is the first JEE exam that you need to clear to appear for JEE advanced. If you get a good rank in this, you can join your most desired IIT. In simpler words, this essential and valuable exam is the only key to achieve your IIT aspirations. 

While the exam is not easy to qualify for, numerous students prepare extensively and appear for it each year. In this post today, we will give you an idea of the number of students who appear for JEE Main each year. After this, you will have an idea about the number of students you have to beat to get your desired rank. 

How Many Students Appear for JEE Main Each Year? 

While the number of students appearing for an exam is not a parameter for its toughness, it is always good to know the number of people who will be there competing with you. So, without further ado, here is a yearly analysis of the students who appear for JEE main exam of the past three years. Have a look: 

Total Students Who Appear for JEE Main in 2018 

As per the reports, nearly 10.43 lakh aspirants gave the Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination Main exam in 2018 that took place on April 30. All these candidates were from 112 different cities across India and abroad.  

The top 2,24,000 students who qualified for this JEE Main 2018 were eligible for the JEE Advanced examination. The ones who got top ranks in this exam were able to get into their sought-after IIT college for their preferred engineering branch. 

Total Students Who Appear for JEE Main in 2019 

If you are wondering how many students appear for JEE main in 2019, this number was 8,74,469 for the first exam of the year. It was for the January 2019 IIT JEE, and it has a change in comparison to the earlier years. Now, the students were able to give their exams in the online mode. While 8,74,469 aspirants gave the exam, the registrations were far more – around 9,29,128 students. 

Also, from this year, the exam took place twice a year. That means the students got a second chance the same year! For the April 2019 IIT JEE mains exam, the number of students registered was 9,35,755 in number. However, 8,81,096 students gave the exam, and the top 2,24,000 students out of this then got the chance to appear for their JEE advanced exam. 

Total Students Who Appear for JEE Main in 2020 

Now, let us move on to the JEE main & advanced exam 2020. This year, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the conditions were a little different. While the January main and adv exam went on well, the CBSE had to postpone the second exam two times. Once the conditions stabilized, the exam took place with proper COVID-19 precautionary measures. 

Let us first see the total students who appear forJEE main in the 2020 – January session. The number of students who appear for  JEE main in 2020 was 8,69,010. The registration for BE/B for this session was 9,21,261. The exam took place between January 6 to 9 in 570 exam centers. 

Moving on to the JEE main September 2020 session, the attendance was 94.15%. If we go by the Ministry of Education statistics, 6.35 lakh students gave the exam between September 1 to 6 despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The applicants for this session were 8.58 lakh. 

What Should You Do After Your IIT JEE Mains Exam? 

Now that you know how many students appear for JEE main in 2019 and 2020, you may have an idea about how important the exam is for all engineering aspirants. If you manage to crack the test, you can appear for JEE advanced. However, let us be a little practical here! What if you do not meet the cut-off or your JEE main score is too low! Fret not! We have an answer to this also.  

While you fill in your JEE main & advanced exam forms, always ensure that you have a backup plan. For this, you can fill in other engineering institutes and government exam forms. However, keep in mind that even these require your full effort. This way, if you are doubtful of getting into your desired college, you will have a Plan B ready and not end up wasting a year. 

The next thing you can do is try getting into an NIT if your score is not enough for the IITs. Alternatively, if you are giving JEE main for the sole purpose of getting into an IIT, there is nothing wrong with appearing for the next session to pass your exam. Meanwhile, you can put in all your effort and prepare as much as you can. You can even opt for IIT JEE coaching online or near you. 

If all of this does not work, do not give up hope. Some of the private engineering colleges in the country can cater to your dreams of becoming an engineer. If not, a career change is always an option. After all, the PCM branch is the most versatile one! 

How Many Times Can You Appear For JEE Main Exam? 

We all know that the JEE Mains exam takes place two times a year. However, we often find students asking, “how many attempts for JEE mains?” If you want to know this too, we have an answer to it. Read on to find it out. 

The NTA JEE Main eligibility criteria say that a candidate can appear for this exam six times. It can happen over the course of three consecutive years. For instance, if you pass class 12 in 2021, you can appear in both the JEE main sessions for 2021, 2022, and 2023. However, before filling in your IIT JEE exam form, make sure you go through the eligibility criteria to get an idea of all the requirements first. 

Wrap Up 

So, this was the yearly analysis for how many students appear for JEE main exam. The sole purpose of telling you about this is to make you aware of how crucial the exam is to get you started on your engineering journey. This analysis does not mean that you cannot crack IIT JEE main & advanced exam since you have a lot of competition.  

Your success does not depend on this but your dedication and hard work. So, have faith in yourself, prepare well for the IIT-JEE Mains exam, and appear for it. Once done, only the cut-off will decide if you can give the advanced exam. However, you will know that you have given your 100% effort to achieve your dreams and nail your place in your desired engineering college.  

All the best!