This year saw the first iteration of the CUET (Central University Entrance Test). The exam is being conducted for admissions to more than 90 universities in India (including 40+ central universities) and aspires to standardize the university entrance process across the nation. There are also talks of the JEE and NEET being merged into the CUET, which would make it the gold standard assessment across all types of courses (engineering, medicine, arts, sciences etc.).
The NTA
(National Testing Agency) was charged with the mammoth task of conducting a
multi subject exam with more than 50K+ subject combinations. This year’s exam
saw various issues from exam slot cancellations to technical glitches. Academic
experts are concerned that the lack of preparedness by the NTA will severely
impact the future of the current and upcoming batches. Experimenting with new
formats of admissions can drastically impact the quality of admissions and
leaves room for ambiguity in measuring a candidate’s skills. Various academics
from top universities have even questioned the credibility of the CUET results
given that there were so many technical issues this year.
Many feel that
the CUET adds unnecessary burden on students to take up coaching. The erstwhile
process was more focused on-board exam results and a drastic shift from a
subjective assessment to an objective competitive exam gives more power to the
coaching industry which may not be accessible to every student in the country.
The exam also reduces the autonomy of institutes in creating a tailored
admission process based on the type of course. Every university will be forced
to follow a cookie cutter template to assess students without giving weightage
to soft skills or subjective / domain knowledge.
The CUET is a
national level entrance exam for various universities in India. The exam is
conducted across multiple phases by the NTA (National Testing Agency) and had
more than 1.4 million applicants this year.
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