WITH SEVERAL complaints of glitches in the conduct of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET), the first-ever all-India exam for admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses in 45 Central universities, the National Testing Agency (NTA) is considering making changes for next year’s exam. Reduction in the number of subject combinations on offer and review of the number of cities where the exams is held are among the measures under consideration.
NTA Chief Vineet Joshi spoke to The Indian Express on the row over delay intimation of exam centres, technical glitches in the exam, learnings from the conduct of CUET and the feasibility of merging all national entrance tests, among other things.
Edited excerpts:
Q. NTA has conducted several entrance tests for four years, including JEE Main and NEET, without complaints of delayed release of admit cards, widespread cancellation and glitches. So what happened with CUET?
A. In the last two years, cheating in [entrance] exams has become common. So we had to ensure that it didn’t happen during CUET. To secure the exam, we felt that securing the exam centre should be our priority. To do that, we decided to announce the exam centres to candidates [through the release of admit cards] as close as possible to the exam date without causing inconvenience. This was a deliberate step. In fact, this wasn’t introduced first with CUET, but with the conduct of JEE (Main) this year.
As for the change in exam centres, this largely depends on the mock test we conduct a day before the exam. If certain technical challenges are faced during the mock test, we change the centre so that candidates do not face issues during the exam. In some cases, a new centre is allotted for the same day, and in other cases, the candidates are given a choice to appear on another date.
In another step to maintain sanctity of the exam, we tried reducing the gap between the uploading of the question paper and the start of the exam. But this window proved to be too short some times to upload the paper on time. We are now doing it an hour or two before the exam starts. Also, we are testing software to compress the size of the question paper so that we can upload it just on time but without delay.
Q. What difference does the announcement of the exam centre so close to the exam date make to the security of CUET or any entrance test, for that matter?
A. Exam centres can abet cheating. Even if a single candidate cheats, it impacts everyone. Announcement of centres closer to the exam date leaves conspirators with little or no time to plan the use of unfair means.
To reduce inconvenience to candidates, we have tried to allot the city of their choice in most cases, which is usually either the city where they are currently living in or have their permanent address.
Q. What exactly happened on August 4 when the entire second shift was cancelled?
A. The question paper upload happened very late. As per the new policy, we were uploading the questions just before the exam. It [second slot on August 4] was a bigger shift [in terms of the number of candidates taking the exam]. Because of the Internet speed, it took time [to upload the question paper]. We consulted the invigilators and students if they wanted us to go ahead with the exam once the paper was finally uploaded. Some of them wanted to go ahead but others wanted it postponed. We went with the majority.
Q: What is your biggest learning from the conduct of CUET-UG? And based on your experience, are you considering changes in the exam for next year?
A. CUET is different [from other entrance tests] in many ways. In this exam, students have the most flexibility as they can choose any combination of subjects. We also covered far-off and remote areas where the exam was conducted smoothly.
The learning is that we have to strike a balance. This was the first year of CUET and people were apprehensive that this was yet another entrance test that would push students towards coaching. In this context, we decided not to limit the subject combinations on offer. This eventually led to 45,000+ unique combinations of subjects opted by students appearing for CUET-UG. However, based on suggestions from various academics and students, we are now looking to strike a balance. We might propose a reduction in the basket of subjects that candidates can choose from.
In my opinion, for example, if someone is looking to pursue commerce, they will be given a combination of three or four subjects to choose from rather than 61 subjects.
That apart, currently, there are over 400 cities, which may be brought down… or we may have to find a better mechanism of exam delivery like having our own centres or using computer tablets. Based on this year’s experience, we will suggest these points to the committee [headed by the vice-chancellor of the University of Panjab to chalk out a roadmap for CUET], which will take the final decision.
Q. Going forward, will CUET be conducted twice a year?
A. The NEP (National Education Policy 2020) has recommended that it [competitive exams] should be held more than once a year. CUET, as you know, is being conducted on behalf of the UGC (University Grants Commission). So, we will consult with them.
If it [CUET] is conducted twice a year, then ideally we should follow the JEE (Main) calendar. The first session can be conducted around January, which is well before the Class 12 Board exams, and the second session in April, so that the CUET results are announced before the Board results.
Q. What are your thoughts on the merger of CUET, JEE and NEET proposed recently by the UGC Chairman?
A. The NTA doesn’t make these decisions. We are conducting these examinations on behalf of different bodies such as the UGC and the Health Ministry. This decision needs to be made by these bodies.
But the idea of a merger of the three entrance exams is feasible since we are testing the same level of students on similar subjects with all of them competing for admission to an undergraduate programme. So the merger is feasible but will need thorough planning.
Q. Students have criticised this proposal saying that the government should focus on conducting one exam (CUET) properly instead of merging three.
A. There were challenges in conducting CUET, but it is not as if those challenges are unsurmountable. We have identified the challenges and those can definitely be addressed.
Q. Recently, JNU V-C Santishree Pandit said that admissions to masters programmes cannot be conducted through Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) test and that the absence of qualitative testing would impact student intake. Is the NTA open to changing the format of CUET for postgraduate admissions?
A. There is a designated committee that guides the NTA on the exam pattern. Suggestions are always taken up and discussed before making any final decision. But every system has its pros and cons. Conducting subjective type exams creates discrepancies during the evaluation process. It has been experienced in the past with NEET and UGC-NET, which were earlier conducted in subjective mode but were then transformed into MCQ-based format for a smoother evaluation process.
Instead of the NTA assessing writing abilities, maybe the individual universities can determine after the candidates comes to them for admission with his or her CUET score. Similar to what is done for PhD admission at many universities.
Q: NTA had set up a committee to look into the row in Kerala over the NEET dress code, in which a female student had alleged that she was made to remove her undergarment before taking the test. What action has the NTA taken in this matter?
A. The report [of the committee] has not come yet.
Q. But why have such a strict dress code for an entrance test?
A. The idea is to avoid instances of cheating. We have seen various incidents in the past where microphone wires were stitched into the sleeves of a candidate’s shirt or hidden in the candidate’s shoes. So all this is done to stop that. But we take measures to not hurt any religious sentiments related to dresses. In such cases, students are advised to reach the centre an hour early so they can be frisked properly. We also advise the security staff to ensure the dress code is adhered to but this is not implemented with an iron hand. They have to sensitively handle the kids.
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