TANCET

Overview

The Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET) is an eligibility examination conducted for admission to selected post graduate programmes in colleges across Tamil Nadu, India. The test is conducted by Anna University, Chennai, on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu. It serves as a screening examination through which candidates qualify for participation in the centralised counselling process for post graduate admissions in the state.

Key details

Role in admissions

TANCET functions as an eligibility test for candidates seeking admission to post graduate programmes offered by colleges in Tamil Nadu. The examination covers admission to Master of Engineering (M.E.), Master of Technology (M.Tech.), Master of Architecture (M.Arch.), Master of Planning (M.Plan.), Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and Master of Computer Applications (M.C.A.) courses.

Candidates appearing for TANCET typically write the paper relevant to the post graduate stream they wish to pursue. Engineering aspirants take the paper aligned with M.E., M.Tech., M.Arch. and M.Plan. admissions, while management and computer applications aspirants take the M.B.A. and M.C.A. papers respectively. The examination is conducted by Anna University, which is one of the principal technical universities in Tamil Nadu, and is held on behalf of the state government to standardise the admission process across participating institutions.

Background

Anna University, headquartered in Chennai, administers TANCET as part of its responsibilities entrusted by the Government of Tamil Nadu in respect of post graduate technical and professional admissions. The use of a common entrance examination allows the state to evaluate candidates from diverse academic backgrounds on a uniform basis before they are considered for seats in engineering, architecture, planning, management and computer applications programmes offered by colleges in Tamil Nadu.

Because TANCET is an eligibility examination, qualifying in the test is a prerequisite for participation in the subsequent admission and counselling stages, rather than a direct allotment of seats. The structure ensures that candidates are assessed on subject-specific aptitude appropriate to the post graduate course concerned, with separate papers for the engineering and non-engineering streams.

References

1. "Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Nadu_Common_Entrance_Test.