Entrance Exams

Right from the time it was introduced in the State, the common entrance examination for admission to engineering and medical courses has been a subject of debates, both academic and otherwise.
While there are many who swear by this present system, which uses multiple-choice questions, a number of others argue that the present examination does little by way of selecting the right sort of candidates for engineering and medical courses.
In such a scenario, when the Left Democratic Front Government decided to constitute a committee to recommend reforms in the examination, there was an expectation in academic circles and among students that this year, it would be drastically different from its 2006 predecessor.
Now that this committee has submitted its interim recommendations to Minister for Education M. A. Baby, it has become clear that no major structural changes will be effected this year. But then, will there be any changes at all? Yes, but very small changes, which can be effected without notice and any adverse impact on students who have already started preparing for the examination.
The interim report of the committee recommends, among many things, giving more time for students to complete the papers and printing of question papers in Malayalam also. "Yes, these and some other similar recommendations have been given by the committee. Now, I will hold discussions with various people, will take the CM [Chief Minister] into confidence on this matter and then the Government will make an announcement. Anyway, there will be no major changes this year. Maybe, next year, in 2008, we can think of making substantial reforms," Mr. Baby told.
Though this development may be viewed with relief by many students, the fact remains that the academic community remains divided over continuing with the examination as it is. Details of the committee's deliberations, confirm as much. So, major reforms are at least a year away. But then, what are the kind of changes that are being contemplated by the committee?
Plus Two marks
A major issue extensively debated by the committee was the kind of `weightage" that should be given to marks scored in the Plus Two examination. While there were those in the committee who felt that the marks of the Plus Two examination and the entrance test score should be considered on an equal basis while preparing the rank list, others argued for a much lesser emphasis on the Plus Two marks.
Some committee members pointed out that if the Plus Two examinations were to be given any `weightage' at all, a comprehensive reform of those examinations should be done first. "As it is for the Plus Two examinations, the second year examinations do not cover the first year portions. On the other hand, the questions asked for the CET are from the first year portions. So, that has to be changed. But then, who will make that kind of changes for the CBSE and ICSE?" a member of the committee told The Hindu Educationplus.
The issue of minimum marks in the qualifying examinations also came up for discussion.
A majority of the members were reportedly of the view that lowering of the minimum marks required in the qualifying examination would actually be detrimental to the interests of students. One member reportedly argued for increasing this minimum score to 60 per cent, the percentage accepted for the entrance examination to Indian Institutes of Technology.
The nature of questions in the present examination also came in for criticism in the committee, with some members pointing out that the questions asked now are too much about pattern recognition and guessing of right answers than about pure science concepts and analytical or reasoning skills. One member suggested that a computer-based "graded" question paper be adopted a la the GRE. The need for setting up a question bank was also discussed at the meetings of the committee. In fact, this recommendation has been made by the M. P. Chandrasekharan committee, which submitted its report a few years ago.
Plus Two pattern
At one point, the committee's deliberations veered round to the possibility of introducing a Plus Two pattern entrance examination, which allows for both short-answer questions and questions that call for detailed calculations. But then, pointed out some members, this would mean abandoning the computerised evaluation system followed so far in the CET and the introduction of manual evaluation complete with false numbers and double valuation.
Eventually, a majority of the members reportedly expressed reluctance to move away from the computerised evaluation.
The committee is expected to continue with its deliberations on possible long-term reforms in the days to come.
Schedule this time
The entrance examination for medical and engineering courses will be held from April 24 to 28.
The schedule is as follows:
Engineering entrance examination: April 24: 10 a.m. to noon - Paper I physics and chemistry; April 25: 10 a.m. to noon - Paper II mathematics
Medical/agriculture: April 26: 10 a.m. to noon - Paper I chemistry and physics; April 27: 10 a.m. to noon - Paper II biology.
Architecture aptitude test: April 28 - 10 a.m. to noon - Paper I aesthetic sensitivity; 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. - Paper II drawing.