The first quarter of a year is the most important time for students as it is the time when many of the examinations are conducted.

COVID-19 and the related difficulties had created a lot of problems among the students as most of them were anxious about what the future had in store for them. Even though schools were shut and many exams cancelled, competitive exams such as JEE and NEET were conducted following strict COVID protocols.

While we venture out into a new year, Let's have a look at what we know about the important upcoming exams in 2021.

• CBSE Board exams

New year eve of 2021 began with Education Minister Ramesh Pokhrial announcing the dates for CBSE class 10 and 12 board exams. According to the Minister, class 10 and 12 exams will begin on May 4, 2021 and will conclude by June 10, 2021. 

• Kerala SSLC and Plus Two board exams

The SSLC and Plus Two Higher Secondary Examinations for 2021 is scheduled to be held from March 17 to March 30, 2021. The Plus Two exams will be held in the morning and the SSLC exams in the afternoon, according to a notification issued by the government.

• Joint Entrance Examination (JEE Main)

With many alterations, the Joint Entrance Examination will be held in multiple shifts - February, March, April, and May this year. Students can attempt all four times and the best score will be taken into consideration. The pattern of the exam has also been changed to accommodate COVID-19-driven changes to the syllabus. In 2021, JEE will be held on the following dates.

Session 1 will be held on February 23, 24, 25 & 26 , 2021. Session 2 is scheduled for March 15, 16, 17,& 18, 2021. The third session will be held on April 27, 28, 29 & 30, 2021 and the last session on May 24, 25, 26, 27 & 28, 2021. 

• National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET)

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal in one of his webinar interactions with students said that the ministry has no plans to cancel NEET owing to the pandemic. He also said that NEET will be held offline due to the requirement of the exams. The official date for NEET 2021 is yet to be announced. Students are requested to check NTA NEET website - ntaneet.nic.in regularly for updates. 

• The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT)

The Common Law Admission Test for the five-year undergraduate programme at the 22 Law Universities across the country, is scheduled to be held on May 9. Online applications for the common entrance test can be submitted from January 1 till March 31.

• Common Admission Test (CAT)

This management exam conducted by Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to offer admissions to PG & Fellow management programs is usually scheduled to be conducted on the last Sunday of November going by previous year trends. Aspirants who could not apply for CAT 2020 due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in India are eyeing CAT 2021.

CAT 2021 Application process generally commence from the first week of August 2021. Aspirants are requested to check CAT website https://bit.ly/3rMp6EF for further updates.