Archive · 2 Sep 2026
12,000 IIT Aspirants Seek Third JEE Advanced Attempt
JEE Advanced is an important exam for students who want to study at the Indian Institutes of Technology.
Students can currently take it only twice in two consecutive years.
More than 12,000 students are asking for a third chance.
They have also suggested spreading two chances across three years.
The students say one difficult exam day may not show everything a student knows.
Illness, anxiety, mistakes and unequal access to coaching can affect results.
They compare this rule with JEE Main, which offers more opportunities, and NEET, which allows unlimited chances.
They believe another attempt could make the competition fairer without changing the number of seats or exam standards.
More than 12,000 aspirants petitioned officials to increase JEE Advanced attempts from two to three.
Current rules allow two attempts in two consecutive years, beginning with the Class 12 graduation year.
Aspirants alternatively proposed using two attempts across three consecutive years.
They compared the policy with JEE Main’s six opportunities over three years and NEET (UG)’s unlimited chances.
The petition says health issues, exam pressure and unequal preparation resources can affect performance, while seats and standards would remain unchanged.
- Who
- More than 12,000 JEE Advanced aspirants across India.
- What
- They petitioned the Ministry of Education, the IIT Council and the Joint Admission Board to allow three attempts, or two attempts across three consecutive years.
- When
- The petition was reported on September 1; the demand has existed for several years and recently gained renewed attention.
- Where
- The petition was directed to the Ministry of Education, the IIT Council and the Joint Admission Board.
- Why
- Aspirants say two attempts may not reflect students’ abilities because of exam pressure, health issues, mistakes and unequal access to preparation resources.
Aspirants seeking more opportunities
Existing eligibility framework
Number of attempts
Aspirants seeking more opportunities
Aspirants want a third JEE Advanced attempt, or two attempts spread across three consecutive years, to provide greater flexibility and fairness.
Existing eligibility framework
The current framework permits a maximum of two attempts in two consecutive years, with the first attempt in the Class 12 graduation year.
Competition and standards
Aspirants seeking more opportunities
The petitioners argue that an extra attempt would not create unfair competition because candidates are already screened through JEE Main, while seat numbers, exam difficulty and evaluation standards would remain unchanged.
Existing eligibility framework
The reports describe the existing eligibility framework but do not report an official response supporting or opposing the proposed change.
Student performance and equality
Aspirants seeking more opportunities
Aspirants say illness, anxiety, minor errors, the single-day format and unequal access to guidance or resources can prevent students from demonstrating their full ability; a third attempt could help reduce these disparities.
Existing eligibility framework
Under the existing rules, eligibility remains tied to two consecutive years, and the reports do not indicate that officials plan to alter that timeline.
- Current JEE Advanced limit
- A maximum of two attempts in two consecutive years.
- First eligible attempt
- The first attempt must be taken in the year the student passes Class 12.
- Requested change
- Three attempts, or two attempts spread across three consecutive years.
- JEE Main eligibility
- The top-scoring 2.5 lakh JEE Main candidates may appear for JEE Advanced.
- JEE Main opportunities
- Candidates may take JEE Main up to six times across three consecutive years, beginning with the Class 12 graduation year.
- NEET (UG) comparison
- NEET (UG) allows unlimited chances and has no age bar, according to the reports.
- COVID-19 precedent
- An additional JEE Advanced attempt was allowed during the COVID-19 period.
Sources
Chorus grows for increasing JEE-Advanced attempts to 3; aspirants petition Education Ministry
Chorus grows for increasing JEE-Advanced attempts to 3; aspirants petition Education Ministry
Over 12,000 IIT Aspirants Petition Government For Third JEE Advanced Attempt, Urge Government To Revise Existing Attempt Rules
