Question pattern, design flaw irk NET candidates

Another season of the National Eligibility Test conducted to determine the eligibility for Assistant Professor & Junior Research fellowship has come to an end. The University Grants Commission (UGC) for the first time had entrusted the responsibility of conducting NET to the National Testing Agency (NTA). The UGC-NET December 2018 examination was conducted from 18 to 22, in two shifts each day. For the first time in its history, the examination was conducted through online mode.

However, several candidates do not seem happy about the tests. One of the major issues pointed out by most students was about the location of the centres. Most of them were in relatively inaccessible areas and students found it difficult to reach before the reporting time. For instance, the candidates who took the test at the Aluva centre on December 19 in the morning shift had to struggle to reach there. KSRTC buses were not deployed in the morning and private buses don't ply on the route.

Another common complaint was regarding the technical glitches in the design of the question window.

Tessa Jose

Tessa Jose, a NET holder in English Literature, seemed unsatisfied about the pattern of the question paper. The final-year postgraduate student of St. Joseph's College, Devagiri, Kozhikode, said that the questions were not up to date.

She also complained that the mock test turned out to be utterly useless as the design of actual format of the question frame on the computer system was totally different. Some features provided in the mock test window were even completely absent for the real test, Teesa said.

Karun Pradeep

Karun Pradeep, a NET holder in Commerce, prefers the offline mode exam though he noted that competitive examinations are now increasingly in the online mode. The final-year M.Com student of Sacred Heart College, Thevara, found the online mode highly straining especially while answering the sections on comprehension and data interpretation.

Online test is not the right way to test the students until the digital divide is minimised in the country, he opined. He noted that our education system makes us comfortable only with paper-and-pen exams but the demands of online tests call for a different style of practice.

Karun is also dissatisfied with the mixed pattern of questions which prevented one from focusing on one’s strong points thus slowing down one's attempt.

A Mumbai-based student of the International Institute of Population Studies revealed that several questions for Population Science Paper II came out of the syllabus, even though the NTA in its release earlier had clearly stated that it will not be changing the prescribed topics.

Varuna C V

Varuna C V, who wrote the NET for the first time, found that the NET questions tested problem-solving skills rather than the application of ideas. The first-year post-graduate student of English at Maharaja’s College said such a pattern was unexpected.

Few students want to be a Guinea pig for testing new examination systems. As the test was online the students cannot work further on the pattern of questions. Most students wish that NTA will publish the questions on its website.

The next season of NET will be conducted by NTA tentatively in June 2019. Aspirants are optimistic that the problems faced were entirely due to the fact that the exam is being conducted online for the first time and hope that the next time the agency will overcome these handicaps.