Joint Admission Test for Masters (IIT-JAM)
Joint Admission Test for Masters (JAM) is conducted by IITs and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). This is an entrance examination to offer admission to students in MSc and Post Graduate courses in science in the IITs and IISc. Candidates who wish to take admission in an integrated Ph.D. program can also apply for JAM. Many National Institute of Technology (NIT) and centrally funded engineering colleges also consider IIT JAM marks for admission to Masters programs.
JAM is conducted online under the guidance of HRD ministry, Govt. of India. IIT JAM is conducted in seven subjects Geology (GG), Chemistry (CY), Mathematical Statistics (MS), Biotechnology (BT), Mathematics (MA), Physics (PH), and Economics (EN). Students who wish to get admission to Masters in Economics (Two years), Joint M.Sc.‐Ph.D., M.Sc. (Two years), M.Sc.‐M.S. (Research), M.Sc.‐Ph.D. Dual Degree, and other Post‐Graduate Degree programmes at IlTs (Bhilai, Delhi, Madras, Bhubaneshwar, Gandhinagar, Dhanbad, Bombay, Guwahati, Varanasi, Palakkad, Tirupati, Hyderabad, Ropar, Indore, Roorkee, Jodhpur, Patna, Kanpur, Mandi and Kharagpur) should apply for the IIT JAM exam.
The JAM examination is conducted once every year in the month of February. More than 80,000 students appear for the JAM every year, but due to limited seats in the top universities, this examination is considered to be highly competitive.
JAM | Examination Sections
The JAM exam is a computer-based online entrance test. The question paper has 3 sections in total. Each section has 20 questions. The candidates are given 3 hours or 180 minutes to attempt the entire paper. The questions are of multiple choice type (MCQ), multiple select (MSQ), and numerical answer type (NAT). There is negative marking in some questions. The exam is conducted in the English language. All the 7 papers consist of 60 questions each.
| Examination | JAM |
|---|---|
| Mode | Online |
| Language | English |
| Time | 3 hours |
| Sections | 3 |
| Marking scheme | 1 mark and 2 marks questions |
| Negative marking | -1/3 for 1 mark question -2/3 for 2 marks question - Only in Section A |
| Question type | MCQ MSQ NAT |
JAM | Examination Pattern
There are 3 sections in the JAM exam paper. The sections are Section A, Section B, and Section C. The questions are asked of mixed types like MCQ, MSQ, and NAT. There is negative marking only in section A. For every wrong answer -1/3 mark is deducted of 1 mark question and -2/3 mark for 2 marks questions.
Section A has 30 questions, out of which 10 questions are of 1 mark and 20 questions are of 2 marks. All the questions are of multiple choice question type. This means for every question, 4 options will be given. Out of these 4 options, only 1 option has the correct answer. Students have to mark the option as having the correct answer to get marks.
Section B has only 10 questions. All the questions are of multiple select types. Candidates have to select all the correct options for the given question. Marks will only be awarded if all the correct options are selected by the candidates. There is no negative marking in this section. Each question in section B carries 2 marks.
Section C has 20 questions. 10 questions carry 1 mark and rest 10 questions are of 2 marks each. This section consists of questions of Numerical answer type. No options are given in this type of question. For a particular question, candidates have to enter the answer in numerical value from the digital keyboard on the computer screen. There is no negative marking in this section.
The pattern of questions and their weightage
| Question Pattern | Section A | Section B | Section C | Total Questions | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ | MSQ | NAT | |||
| One Mark Questions | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 20 |
| (Q1-Q10) | (Q41-Q50) | ||||
| Two Marks Questions | 20 | 10 | 10 | 40 | 80 |
| (Q11-Q30) | (Q31-Q40) | (Q51-Q60) | |||
| Total | 30 | 10 | 20 | 60 | 100 |
IIT JAM | Results Announcement
The JAM exam scores are released on its official website. Candidates can check their IIT-JAM scores online by entering their login details at the official website result page. It is recommended to download and print the scorecard for future reference. The cut off marks are also released with the official notification of the results.
The candidate’s JAM scorecard contains the following details:
- Name of the candidate
- Photograph of the candidate
- Total marks scored
- Marks in each section & each paper
- Indicated pass/fail
- All India Rank for each paper attempted
If there is a tie in a test paper between combined scores of two candidates, a higher rank will be awarded to the candidate with a higher ratio of positive marks than the negative marks. In case the conditions fail to break the tie, the same rank will be awarded to both candidates.
An all-India merit list is prepared based on the AIRs awarded to the candidates. However, “the number of candidates included in all India’s merit list depends on the total number of seats available in a given subject in each category (ST, SC, NC-OBC, and PwD),” the official website informs. All qualified candidates who have been given AIRs will then be eligible for admission to their respective courses offered at colleges that recognize IIT JAM scores.
How to check the IIT JAM results online?
Candidates can check their marks and rank online after the publication of JAM exam results and release of cut off.
Follow the below steps to check your JAM exam scores:
Step 1: Visit IIT JAM’s official Web site.
Step 2: Click the IIT JAM results link appearing on the website’s home page. To check IIT JAM Result 2020, click here for a direct connection.
Step 3: Enter the Registration / Email ID and password for JOAPS.
Step 4: Evaluate the given arithmetic statement and insert the value in the given space.
Step 5: Press the Send button. On clicking the send button students will be able to see their scorecard on the computer screen.
Colleges accepting IIT JAM scores
The admission test is conducted for admission to IITs and IISc. But there are many NITs and other institutes that accept the JAM scores for admission to postgraduate programs. The top colleges that consider the JAM scores for admission include the top IITs, IISc, NIT, and IISERs.
JAM Exam Registration | How to apply?
Candidates who wish to appear in the IIT JAM examination have to first register themselves at the official website. They also have to fill the online application form to write the examination. The steps to fill and submit the online application form is very simple.
Follow the steps below to fill and submit the JAM exam online application form successfully.
Step 1: Check-in Online
- Visit the IIT JAM official web site, i.e. jam.iitkgp.ac.in
- Click on the link “Login Application (JOAPS).
- A screen displays a login page.
Step 2: Check-in
- Enter in the form all the necessary information including Candidates Name, Email ID, Mobile Number and other information.
- Tap the Send button
- Students will receive an Enrolment ID sent to the registered email address and Contact Number after successful enrollment.
Step 3: Fill out the application form in specifics
- Candidates are expected to sign in to the website using their Enrollment ID and Password.
- Candidates are needed to click on the “Edit Application Form” and fill out the details after login.
Step 4: Exam Info for JAM
- Join JAM test specifics such as paper no, paper subject, and city preferences review.
Step 5: Personal Information for applicants
- Name & mobile number of the parent/guardian, preferences of the city, number and choice of test paper(s), date of birth, gender, address for communication, the status of category & PwD, and other necessary information.
- In this stage, candidates will need to verify their email I d and mobile number by entering their mail and contact SMS into the OTPs they are given to.
Step 6: Contact details
- Enter the appropriate address with valid Personal ID information details (give ID number proof).
Step 7: Information on Certification
- Diploma, percentage of marks / CGPA, year of passage, name, and address of the institution, etc are required.
Step 8: Scanned photos upload
- Go through the option to upload photos.
- Select and upload the scanned portrait, signature, and SC / ST / PwD certificate images (if applicable) one by one.
Stage 9: Application Fee Payment
- Candidates will then continue to make the fee payment after uploading the documents. The application fee is payable in both online and offline mode.
- The fee payment can be done in online mode via debit/credit card or net banking account. Candidates are expected to enter the details of their payment and pay the application fee.
- Students are expected to take the printout of the e-challan form in offline mode and submit the challan to SBI Bank’s nearest branch.
- Students that take the printout of the filled application form after completing all the steps in the application form.
- It is suggested that the students keep the printed application form secure for further use.
- The printed application form need not be sent to the authority.
JAM Examination – Who can Apply?
Those who wish to write the IIT JAM examination will have to meet the eligibility criteria set out below:
- Nationality: Indian nationals and foreign nationals are eligible to participate.
- Age Limit: Age limit does not apply.
- Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s degree with minimum marks required.
- For general category candidates, the minimum aggregate marks required for graduation are 55 percent.
- Relaxation of 5 percent is granted to reserved candidates in the marks needed in the qualifying examination.
- For candidates who obtain letter grades / CGPA, the accepting institution must agree on the corresponding marks.
Difference between JAM & GATE Examinations
The IIT JAM examination scores are valid for a year and this examination is specifically for students who have completed their graduation in B.Sc. degrees. Although GATE and JAM are similar examinations, the GATE examination is mostly written by Engineering students. GATE also has subjects like Chemistry, Biotechnology, Mathematics, Economics, Statistics, Geology, and Physics so it is advisable that students preparing for either GATE or JAM can also write the other to keep their options open.
The GATE examination is also written by a lot of students who aspire for PSU jobs and have more institutions accepting the score as compared to JAM.
