Months after the IIT Council recommended exploring an ‘adaptive’ version of the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced), the IITs have decided to conduct a pilot aptitude test among students joining all 23 institutes this year, The Indian Express has learnt.

In adaptive testing, the difficulty of questions changes according to a candidate’s responses — a move aimed at making the exam “a better and less stressful assessment” while reducing dependence on coaching-driven preparation.

The decision was taken at a recent meeting of IIT Directors, where the proposal to reform assessment methods in the IIT entrance process was discussed further.

According to official sources, the proposal received support from several IITs, although some directors also expressed reservations about operational challenges and implications of introducing a new assessment model. The consensus was that a pilot exercise should be undertaken before any larger policy decision is considered.

As a first step, students admitted to the IITs this year are expected to participate in an aptitude test that will be developed and coordinated by IIT Kanpur. The exercise is likely to involve all 23 IITs and may be conducted after admissions are completed later this year.

Official sources said the pilot is intended to help IITs better understand the strengths and limitations of aptitude-based assessment and generate evidence before any decision is taken on future changes to JEE Advanced.

The exercise is also expected to provide data on whether aptitude-based measures offer insights beyond those captured through the current entrance examination system.

The development marks the first significant movement on a proposal discussed at the IIT Council meeting held in August last year. The Council had recommended that the Joint Admission Board (JAB) and IIT Kanpur evaluate the possibility of introducing adaptive testing.

At the time, the proposal was presented as a possible way to assess reasoning and critical-thinking abilities more effectively while reducing dependence on coaching-driven preparation.

Sources indicated that while the Council discussions had focused on adaptive testing, the immediate priority was to conduct an aptitude assessment among incoming students and study the outcomes.

According to officials familiar with the discussions, IIT Kanpur will design the assessment through an internal team and coordinate its administration across the IIT system.

One official familiar with the discussions said the directors agreed that a trial would be the best way to evaluate the proposal because opinions within the system were divided, with some seeing merit in the idea and others seeking more evidence before supporting a larger shift.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that the Council — the apex coordination body of the premier institutes — recommended that an optional adaptive test be held as a pilot ahead of the next JEE Advanced examination to collect performance data. Based on the results, a phased roadmap with specific timelines for any transition to adaptive testing could be outlined, according to the minutes of the meeting held on August 25 last year and released in January.

According to the minutes of the meeting, IIT Kanpur Director Prof Manindra Agrawal had raised concerns regarding the current structure of JEE Advanced, the growth of the coaching industry, and the emotional and financial stress experienced by families preparing for the examination.

Pointing out that the exam needs to better assess critical thinking and reasoning skills, Agrawal had proposed a shift to adaptive testing. “This model further reduces coaching dependency, enhances fairness, and allows flexible, secure testing environments,” the minutes had stated.

The IIT Council subsequently recommended that a panel led by the JEE Apex Board (JAB) and IIT Kanpur examine the proposal, the operational logistics involved, and its potential to reduce dependence on coaching. The Council also recommended that a tool be developed to generate questions of varying difficulty levels.

According to the minutes, the Council had suggested holding a free mock test two months ahead of the examination, which is usually conducted in May.

Explaining the concept earlier this year, Agrawal had told The Indian Express: “In an adaptive test, questions are generated on the fly. There will be questions of varying difficulty levels; a candidate starts with simple questions, and as they solve these, the difficulty level increases. After a period of time, you can pinpoint the difficulty level to which a student can solve questions.”

“If we bring in the component of aptitude-based questions, it can reduce the impact of coaching. Aptitude co-relates with innate intelligence. Coaching can only train students to use intelligence better; it cannot change that intelligence,” he had said.