CUET-UG 2023: Remarkably Smoother
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
By Linus Garg
First publised on 2023-07-17 05:46:37
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
In a remarkable change, the Common University Entrance Test for undergraduate admissions (CUET-UG) was conducted with much better management this year. Last year, the exam was plagued with technical glitches that left the examinees exasperated, confused and frustrated. But with more than 15 lakh applications this year (last year it was just over 10 lakh), more universities offering seats and more examination centres, CUET was conducted between May 21 and July 5 and the results were announced on July 15, paving the way for the academic session to start in July or August. This was a huge turnaround for NTA and one is sure it will work to make the exam system more robust in future.
The way ahead involves bringing more universities onboard as computerized and centralized examination process is the only way to stop cheating, corruption and other anomalies that are associated with pen-and-paper tests. For this, the NTA has to create infrastructure and have many more exam centres with proper equipment so that the test can be held in a shorter span of time, even in a day or two. Further, it has to manage things in a way that allows for the exam to be held in end-June or early July with the results being declared within the 10th of July so that classes can start in July.
The NTA has been excellent in conducting other exams like NEET, JEE etc and over a period of time it will have many other all-India exams under its belt. It has to eliminate systemic errors and create a robust and widespread infrastructure to conduct these tests smoothly. The success of CUET this year is a positive sign. NTA must now work to bring more universities under CUET, expand the pool of examination centres and prepare for a scenario where more than 20 lakh students will take the test for seats in nearly 400 universities next year.
