Should You Drop A Year After 12th?

June 16, 2020

Class 12th is perhaps the most interesting of all school classes since you get to experience the true bridge between being a teenager and an adult. On one side you are still in school, while on the other you have big decisions to make such as which college to visit, and sometimes even if you should drop a year after Class 12th. Often parents and society lead us to believe that dropping a year after 12th could mean a big career loss or the wastage of your time. Some parents also inspire their kids to drop a year to prepare for entrance exams such as JEE or NEET. Let’s look at what could be the right decision for you:

Causes

The causes to drop a year vary from person to person, but the most common ones are:

Not clearing entrance exam of choice
Not scoring enough in boards
Not preparing for entrance to focus on boards

Let’s look at these in detail.

Not Clearing Entrance Exam of Choice

This is the most common case for JEE and NEET aspirants who miss the cut to get into their dream college. If you feel that you could’ve gotten in or cleared the exam with a little more preparation time, it is time to look at it more deeply. You should see by what margin you missed the cut, whether you can get into a decent college if not the one you wanted, and if you have enough self-discipline to prepare for another year. By answering these questions and confirming if it is something you really want, you’ll get the right answer.

Not Scoring Enough in Boards

Now this situation is a little out of ordinary, and while it is possible to give an improvement exam, it isn’t a path that is recommended for most since it takes a lot of discipline to clear boards without attending school. The final step to consider here is if you are really sure about doing this, then you can first look at the colleges that do offer admissions at this score and if you like them. If not, you can go ahead with your decision.

Not preparing for entrance to focus on boards

A lot of students go down this path in which they use 11th and 12th to focus on boards, and drop a year to prepare for entrances. This is one in which parents mostly encourage students to take the drop, and if your parents are on-board with this, and you feel you can clear it; you can go for it.

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