Testing times are not over yet

PU students now have to handle professional entrance exams, and staying calm and positive will help them a lot

For the scores of II Pre-University Course (PUC) students who have just heaved a sigh of relief that the final examinations are over, it does not take much time for the realisation to dawn that the testing times are far from over. The conclusion of the II PUC exam only beckons a series of entrances exams — some national, some private, some State-level — that hold the key to the students' professional future, especially for the thousands of professional course aspirants. Yes, it is the entrance season.


While there is no specific data about how many such exams a student takes on an average, experts will tell you that most students who are engineering aspirants attempt the Common Entrance Test (CET), the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and the IIT-JEE (which was held on April 8), while most of those wanting to pursue medical courses write the CET, the COMED-K, the CMC Vellore and the Kasturba Medical College-Manipal exams.

Add to this the NEST for the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, those of the Indian Institutes of Information Technology and various other State entrances and deemed university exams, the list is endless.

Needless to say, the preparation for all these exams would require a lot of planning. Many will say that for the State entrances, to know the 12th Standard syllabus well is more than enough, and that the remaining preparation would be in gaining speed, being familiar with short questions, learning how to identify the less time-consuming ones and learning the short-cuts to solving the mathematical problems. The major portion of the preparation is to recap what was learnt for the board exams, after which one can start identifying patterns in how to answer the test.

No blanket formula

H.S. Nagaraj, Director of the Bangalore-based educational training organisation BASE, said that a confident student need not write too many examinations. However, for those who do, he said there is no blanket formula that works for the whole umbrella of exams, and that students have to manage circumstantially. But he did give some very basic suggestions for anyone writing any of these exams.

“Exams come and go, but learning should be the primary objective. The stress is mainly because of the system of society. But remember that efforts can never go a waste,” he pointed out. To begin with, students should be disconnected from all other thoughts and have a positive attitude, according to him. “Don't go with any expectations about the examination. Be calm and ensure that you have all the materials required,” he added.

The next round of the battle is inside the examination hall. Read the instructions carefully, is the first piece of advice, as many entrance exams are undergoing a change in format this year. “Many students make an incorrect reading of the instructions, or go through them hurriedly, which is never advisable as it will only cause harm,” Mr. Nagaraj said.

One need not answer the questions in order, he said, as in competitive exams one loses marks for answering wrongly than not answering at all. So, attempt the questions to which you have answers first, is the tip. Finally, don't keep writing till the last minute. Keep some time for revising the answers.

Read More

The exam confusion

Students, parents and tuition centres are worried as the CET or NEET question remains unanswered

Well into the first week of January, the confusion surrounding medical admissions this year persists. While private colleges have issued the formal schedule for the entrance test conducted by the COMED-K (Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental colleges of Karnataka), the State Government is yet to notify its schedule. However, news reports have been repeatedly pointing to the possibility of a common centralised entrance this year.

Despite the State Government's assurances that the new proposal will be shelved, in December, when the Union Government appealed to the Supreme Court seeking an extra year to implement the court order to conduct a centralised entrance for medical exams (termed the National Eligibility Entrance Test in the Medical Council of India notification), the apex court expressed its displeasure.

The Court, in effect, has refused to pass an order extending the time for conducting the exam. While it has not been made clear by the Central Government what course it will pursue following the Court order, in its plea it had attributed the inability to conduct the common exam to the reluctance of State Governments. Karnataka and other States have sought more time to shift from a State entrance to a centralised one.

Disparity

While some have done so on grounds of disparity in syllabus, others have vaguely proposed that it puts students at a disadvantage. Of course, the MCI has repeatedly pointed out that if colleges implement the NCERT syllabus, it should not be a problem as every State will have individual State lists. However, in Karnataka, the Pre-University college syllabus does not follow the NCERT syllabus, and academics claim that the disparity between the recommended syllabus and the one colleges follow is as high as 40 per cent. The State has asked for a year's time to “upgrade” its syllabus.

However, all this dilly-dallying over the examination has caused much confusion and anxiety among students and parents. As Chaitra Hudligi, a II PUC student from Bangalore, points out, the medical admission process is a “highly competitive and stressful” affair. “Right from the beginning of the year they told us that there is going to be a central exam. At my coaching centre, they first taught us the CBSE syllabus so that we can write the central exam. Mid-way they said that the CET may be there after all,” she explains. She points out that while the subjects are the same, the treatment of questions (particularly in Physics and Chemistry) is different. Another student, Vijeesh Kumar, who will take the exam for the second time this year, explains that last year his preparation for the AIPMT (All India Pre-Medical Test) was indeed different from the format of the CET. “One cannot say that the CET is very simple. But the style of questioning is certainly different.”

Coaching centres too have been finding the uncertainty difficult. They stand to lose if one exam replaces the plethora of medical entrances that students study for. And the uncertainty over the 2012 exam too is affecting them.

Last option

A lecturer at a Bangalore coaching centre, K. Prasad, says that students are “worried” and “frustrated” over the lack of certainty. “Basically it is the State syllabus students who need special coaching to gear up for a centralised examination. Some coaching centres are also thinking of providing crash courses or refresher courses in case the NEET is held this year. But all this should have been sorted out well in advance,” a coaching centre representative said on condition of anonymity. She added that the government too woke up too late to this problem. “The MCI notification was issued in February. What were State Governments waiting for till November,” she asked.

Read More