VIJAYAWADA: The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains for admission to IITs commenced in 52 centres across Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday morning. The exam, which was postponed earlier, is now being held following the directions of the Supreme Court.
In Andhra Pradesh, as many as 82,748 candidates are appearing for the exam and elaborate arrangements were made at all the 52 centres.
Students entered their respective examination centres in a staggered manner from 7 am, as per the time slots allocated to them. All norms of social distancing were followed in the first session of the exam conducted between 8 am and 12 noon.
Though students came wearing masks, as per the guidelines issued by the National Testing Agency, new masks were provided at the examination centres by officials. This apart, the body temperatures of all students were checked with thermal scanners and instead of body frisking, metal detectors were used.
Students were allowed to carry transparent water and sanitiser bottles. To ensure minimum contact, candidates were instructed to keep their bags and footwear also at a distance from each other. While students were made to sit on alternate computer systems, all invigilators were given personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear during the examination.
A separate room was kept ready for those whose body temperatures were recorded higher than prescribed or those who showed any symptoms of COVID-19.
As per the COVID-19 guidelines released for conducting the exams, parents were not allowed to wait at the centre premises or gather around the entrance while dropping off or picking up their children before and after the examinations respectively. The second session will be conducted between 3 pm and 6 pm.