Hundreds of students anxious about online entrance tests for college admissions

The exams are proving to be stressful because the onus of having a stable internet connection or power backup during selection process is on them

Students are stressed because of the uncertainty regarding the board exams, which have been postponed “indefinitely”.: Shutterstock

Jhinuk Mazumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |  11.05.21 : Hundreds of students already anxious about their school-leaving exams are getting doubly worked up over having to appear for online entrance tests for college admissions.

The entrance exams are proving to be more stressful because the onus of having a stable internet connection or power backup during the selection process is on them.

Any suspicious behaviour will be treated as malpractice and the application will be treated as “not selected”, a college in Bangalore has mentioned on its admit card.

Students are stressed because of the uncertainty regarding the board exams, which have been postponed “indefinitely”. The hassle of online entrance exams takes away a level-playing field, some of them said.

The pressure is not just  about knowing the answers in a “time-bound paper”, but ensuring that the video does not get disrupted and that there is no noise in the background.

“The challenge was to answer 120 MCQs and to sit at an angle so that I was visible clearly to the invigilator. But I could not see anything except the question paper on the screen. For any communication from the invigilator, I had to keep an eye on the instructions on the chat box,” said Ruchika Gupta who appeared for an entrance test for Christ University.

Students are having to make arrangements at their homes and with family members isolated or quarantined, it is difficult to find personal space for the entrance exams.

“Everyday is so unpredictable. If there was some clarity about the boards it would have eased us,” Ruchika said.

One student while appearing for the test received a “warning” on the screen because the AI-enabled platform had sensed a noise. “It was the doorbell and I had to show a 360-degree view of the room because the system had sensed a noise,” the examinee said.

For many students, the challenge is not just focussing on the exam but to not keep “moving too much”.

“I had to ensure uninterrupted connection otherwise there is a danger of the application being disqualified. It was a one-and-half hour paper during which time I had to answer 120 MCQs,” said 19-year-old Harsh Singhania, who appeared for Christ University’s BCom entrance on May 8.

Christ University receives about 80,0000 applications for various courses and this is the second year that they are conducting online entrance tests, authorities said.

Colleges have to ensure that students do not resort to unfair means, a concern that has been raised by teachers during online exams.

“We have an AI-enabled platform and if it senses a movement or hears a voice (prompting), the examinees receive a warning on the screen. For interviews, there can be no prompting because it is one-on-one. For micro presentations, students have limited time so the chances of taking help are extremely limited,” said Anil Joseph Pinto, registrar, Christ University, Bangalore.

The students have received detailed instructions on their admit cards for Christ. One of which is: “Impersonation or any suspicious behaviour (prompting by a third person or accessing notes/gadgets) will be treated as malpractice and the application will be treated as ‘Not selected’.”

“It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that the camera, microphone, power back up and stable internet connection is available during the selection process,” reads the selection process details for micro presentations and personal interviews for the university.

Many students feel such a system will put many candidates who do not have a perfect setting at home at a disadvantage.

The university authorities admit the possibility but point out that it allows “significantly more people to take the test”.

“When the exam was conducted in Bangalore, it would deprive a lot of people. It is more empowering now for more people to participate through the internet, it is more economical,” said Pinto.

St Xavier’s College Calcutta, which conducts entrance tests for courses like BBA, Mass Communication and Animation, plans to decide about the exams by the end of the month. “There are challenges in the online entrance because we have applicants from the districts who might not get an equal advantage in an online exam. They are good students but they might not have all facilities like internet access and uninterrupted connection,” said Reverend Father  Dominic Savio, the principal of the college.

Both CBSE and ISC will review the situation in the first week of June but parents and teachers said it is difficult to keep students “motivated” to study.

Siddhanth Gupta, a Class XII examinee, said that he is caught between preparing for entrance tests and board exams. “If there was certainty about the boards we could focus on the entrance. This delay is making us more anxious. I have applied to a university in Sydney and they will close admission by July-August. If I don’t get my board results till then, I will have to apply in February, which would mean a delay of seven or eight months.”