Some view this decision would turn futile unless it helps the system move towards a national standard in school education. The decision to hold such a common test for central institutions was announced in a press meet in New Delhi on Monday.

Director of IIT-Madras, Bhaskar Ramamurthy, who attended the meet, told that the IIT will give 50% weightage to class 12^th marks initially for short listing the students. He added that the students who do very well at school level and take class 12 seriously can make it to premier institutions.

The NITs will give 40% weightage to Class 12th Board marks and 30% weightage for performance in JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced, the two parts of the common exam, and accordingly combined merit will be decided.

State Planning Commission member and former vice-chancellor of the Anna University, E Balagurusamy, said it would help reduce the impact of coaching centers in determining the future of students.” One of the main reasons for Tamil Nadu abolishing engineering entrance poor rural students neither had the means nor the access to such training nor found it difficult to compete,” he said.

Balagurusamy said the move should pave the way for a national standard in school education.There is a huge disparity between systems in quality. It has to be bridged.