Only one Engineering entry test

new delhi: if your mind boggles at the thought of your 17-year-old taking as many as 15 engineering exams next year, take heart. the central board of secondary education (cbse) has decided to conduct a combined entrance examination on the lines of its annual all-india pre-medical test. instead of taking separate exams for state engineering colleges and private institutions, students will have to get through just one examination — except for iits.''on an average, each student had to appear for 10 to 14 examinations which caused a lot of stress,'' says cbse chairman ashok ganguly. five states — among them himachal pradesh, uttaranchal and chandigarh — have already agreed to be affiliated. talks are on with bihar and jharkhand. and now the home ministry is approaching other states, including delhi, to participate in the combined test. if delhi agrees, a student will be able secure admission to colleges like the delhi college of engineering and the netaji subhash institute of technology. the only other joint entrance examination is conducted by the indian institute of technology. the all india pre-medical/pre- dental test (aipmt/pdt) conducted by the cbse attracts 2.2 lakh students every year. the engineering examination charges will be comparable to the rs 200 charged for aipmt. once a state comes into the cbse fold it will be obligatory for all private institutions to route themselves through it, said officials. the union government has also asked the university grants commission to route admissions to deemed universities through this examination. ''we have already discussed the curriculum with state boards,'' says ganguly. but going by the number of seats, it may be a tough task, say officials. as for the number of all-india seats, it's 1.6 lakh, says controller of examinations pavnesh kumar.