Hello Mayank. I am a Automotive Testing professional having 8 years of experience. I have current CTC of 9 Lacs per annum but in recently I changed my profile to Program manager. I dont like this role and want to change my career to Data Science/AI/ML as I used to dealt with data in my previous jobs to do Reliability analysis. Request you to suggest me whether should i switch to career in Data , if yes then what's the career path and approach.

Ans: Since you passed Class 12 from Delhi, your JoSAA State of Eligibility is Delhi, not Madhya Pradesh. The permanent address does not determine this. JoSAA considers the OBC-NCL category rank for OBC seat cutoffs.

With a 76 percentile, CRL around 3,80,524, and OBC rank approximately 1.37 lakh, your chances in regular JoSAA rounds for NITs and most IIITs are very low. Realistic options are mainly some lower-demand GFTIs and, if vacancies remain, CSAB Special Rounds, typically in branches like Civil, Mechanical, Production, Food Technology, Biotechnology, or other non-CSE branches.

It’s important to keep state and private college counselling as your primary backup plan rather than relying solely on JoSAA. ALL the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Sunil, I just reviewed last year’s JoSAA opening and closing ranks, and it appears that securing admission even in lower-demand branches with your rank will be quite challenging. However, I recommend you also double-check the possibilities yourself.

By the way, have you appeared for the MHT-CET exam? If yes, please share your expected score or rank. Additionally, have you registered or applied for any other entrance exams or colleges? Providing these details will help me give you a more precise and tailored response. ALL the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Dharmendra Sir, a BITSAT score of 242 is excellent, though her JEE score is somewhat lower in comparison. Regarding branch choice, it’s important to remember that almost all branches can lead to good careers if the student is genuinely interested and passionate, continuously upgrades both technical and non-technical skills, builds a strong network and personal brand, researches job market trends, and joins at least an above-average college with decent placement records.

Your daughter can consider BITS MSc in Mathematics if she has a strong interest in math. BITS placement records show over 70% placement rates in roles like Data Science, Analytics, Quant, and Finance for this program. Additionally, BITS allows MSc Maths students to switch to certain BE programs after the first year, based on meeting criteria such as minimum CGPA—but this is not guaranteed.

My advice is that she should not accept a BE branch she does not like, even if offered via CGPA-based promotion from MSc Maths.

If she prefers Electrical Engineering, then DTU’s EE branch would be a better first choice.

Overall, prioritizing MSc Mathematics at BITS seems to be the recommended path initially. ALL the BEST for Your Daughter's Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Relisha, my suggestion is to focus mainly on your interest and the type of work you enjoy when making a career decision, because long-term satisfaction and financial stability depend on how much you like your work, how continuously you improve your skills, and how well you build connections. Over the next four years, work on improving both your technical and soft skills related to your chosen field, build a strong LinkedIn profile that clearly shows your skills and achievements, and create a good professional network by connecting with people in your domain. Keep checking job market trends regularly through LinkedIn and other reliable sources so you stay updated. Also, choose your college carefully by looking at the placement records of the last 2–3 years. If you decide to go for mechanical engineering, then focus seriously on skill development and personal branding, because these efforts together will play a big role in your long-term career satisfaction and financial growth. ALL the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: The percentile you mentioned is for JEE Main, which is used primarily for admission to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs, not IITs. Admission to IITs is based on JEE Advanced ranks, which are separate. You have not mentioned your grandson's home state also. At your grandson's rank, top NITs/IIITs and popular branches like CSE/ECE are generally unlikely; chances are better in some lower-demand branches in newer/lower-cutoff NITs or IIITs, and especially in several GFTIs. Category-wise cutoff trends published from JoSAA data also show many mid/lower-tier institutes extending much further than top campuses. Apart from your grandson's home state, have other States' NITs/IIITs/GFTIs also as backup options if son is interested in any particular branches. To get detailed information about opening and closing ranks for the last 2-3 years, please visit the official JoSAA website. There, you can input details such as Round Number, Institute Type, Institute Name, Academic Program, and Category to view the corresponding cutoff ranks.

By reviewing this data, you can identify near-realistic institution and branch options that match your rank. This will help you strategically fill the maximum number of choices during the JoSAA counselling window to improve your son's chances of admission. It is advisable to fill choices for both JoSAA and CSAB Special Rounds and keep state-level and private institute options ready as backups. ALL the BEST for Your Son's Prosperous Future!

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Ans: He has good/strong chances of admission to ECE, EE, or possibly CS/IT at mid-tier NITs and good IIITs (like IIIT Gwalior), which have strong placement prospects.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Try with lower branches (Civil/Mechanical) in newer NITs like NIT Mizoram, NIT Nagaland, or NIT Arunachal Pradesh.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Chances with top NITs are slim, but you can try with lower or newer NITs with less demanding branches. At present, try to focus on the advanced exam.

Good luck.
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Radheshyam

Ans: Poonam Madam, With a CRL of 53,700 and an OBC-NCL rank of 16,000, the most realistic JoSAA option appears to be NIT Kurukshetra under Haryana Home State quota, primarily for lower-demand or newer branches. In 2025, NIT Kurukshetra’s OBC-HS cutoffs closed around: 15,224 for Production & Industrial Engineering, 15,885 for dual-degree Civil Engineering & 17,735 for Sustainable Energy Technologies. Among these, Sustainable Energy Technologies seems the most achievable option, while Civil and Production & Industrial Engineering are borderline. Admission to core or top branches at NIT Kurukshetra and regular-round IIIT Sonipat is unlikely at this rank. However, IIIT Sonipat could become possible during CSAB Special Rounds, where 2025 CRL cutoffs ranged between 61,875 and 67,471. Have other States' NITs/IIITs/GFTIs also as backup options if son is interested in any particular branches. To get detailed information about opening and closing ranks for the last 2-3 years, please visit the official JoSAA website. There, you can input details such as Round Number, Institute Type, Institute Name, Academic Program, and Category to view the corresponding cutoff ranks.

By reviewing this data, you can identify near-realistic institution and branch options that match your rank. This will help you strategically fill the maximum number of choices during the JoSAA counselling window to improve your son's chances of admission. It is advisable to fill choices for both JoSAA and CSAB Special Rounds and keep state-level and private institute options ready as backups. ALL the BEST for Your Son's Prosperous Future!

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