The JEE-Advanced test for admission to Indian Institutes of Technology will be conducted on July 3, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' announced on Thursday.

The relaxation in the eligibility criterion pertaining to class 12 marks will be offered this year too, he said.

"JEE-Advanced will be conducted by IIT Kharagpur on July 3. The relaxation in admission requirement of 75 per cent marks in class 12 which was announced last year in view of Covid-19 pandemic will be offered this year as well," Nishank said.

For admissions to IITs, apart from qualifying the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Advanced, the candidates are required to secure either a minimum 75 per cent marks in class 12 board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

While JEE-Mains is conducted for admission to engineering colleges across the country, it is considered as a qualifying test for JEE-Advanced.

Last week, the minister had announced that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will hold the examinations for Classes X and XII students in May-June, almost two months behind the usual schedule.

"The board exams for class 10 and 12 will be conducted from May 4 to June 10. Schools will be allowed to conduct practical exams from March 1. Date sheet for both the classes will be issued soon. The results will be declared by July 15," Pokhriyal had announced.