The third edition of the engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains will be held from July 20 to 25, and the fourth edition from July 27-August 2, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced on Tuesday. The results of the two editions will likely be announced in August.

“The third edition of JEE-Mains will be conducted from July 20-25 while the fourth edition will be held from July 27 to August 2. The exams will be conducted while following all COVID protocols keeping the safety of candidates in mind,” Pokhriyal said, PTI reported. 

He later took to Twitter to say, “There were some concerns among the students regarding JEE (Main)-2021 Examination during COVID. Hon’ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji has always said that the safety, security and bright future of our students should be the highest priorities of the Education Ministry.”

“Accordingly, to ensure the safety of the students I have advised  National Testing Agency to make the following arrangements,” he added. 

Also Read: What is the status of NEET 2021? All we know so far

JEE-Mains for admission to engineering colleges are being conducted four times a year from the current academic session to offer flexibility to students and a chance to improve their scores amidst the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in India.

The first phase was conducted in February, which was followed by the second phase in March. The third and fourth phases were scheduled for April and May but were postponed due to a spike in the number of cases of coronavirus during the second wave of the pandemic.

 “Looking at the present situation of COVID-19 and keeping students safety in mind, JEE (Main) – May 2021 session has been postponed,” Pokhriyal had said in April. 

The JEE-Advanced exam, which is conducted for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), was also postponed. The exam was scheduled for July 3.