CUET UG Phase 4 Exams Cancelled At Various Centres

Issues related to the CUET (Central University Entrance Test) continue to plague aspirants as there were several reports of exams being cancelled across various centres on Wednesday (17^th August 2022). Most of these cancellations were due to technical glitches. Some students also reported a late start to the exam due to these issues. The NTA & UGC have assured that they will reconduct the exam for the affected students. Most of the affected centres were based in Delhi (VIPS Pitampura, GHIMIT, Asia Pacific Institute Jasola etc.).

This is the fourth phase of the exam which started last month. The previous phases also saw a barrage of issues from cancellations to technical glitches. This phase of the exam will see nearly 3.6 lakh aspirants appear for the test. The initial plans were to finish the CUET exam by 20^th August 2022, however the exams will now be concluded on 28^th August as per authorities.

Issues related to the CUET exam have also prompted many to question the UGCs planned move to merge the JEE & NEET for the upcoming batches. Given the hassle of conducting a computer-based test for a large number of candidates, will it be feasible to increase the number of students appearing for the exam?

The CUET(Central University Entrance Test) is a national level entrance exam for several universities across the country (including 40+ central universities). This is the first time such an exam is being conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency) and will see more than 14.9 lac applicants.

Activist Pawan Bhadana Gets Permission For Protest At Jantar Mantar Against The Merger Of JEE & NEET Into CUET

In light of the latest announcement made by the UGC chairman, several students have come out to protest against the planned move to merge the JEE and NEET into the CUETexam. Student activist Pawan Bhadana is organizing a major rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi (on 17^th August 2022) and has already obtained provisional permission from the Delhi Police.

What Are The Key Concerns Being Highlighted By The Students?

·         Both JEE & NEET aspirants are requesting the NTA to conduct a reexam owing to the several difficulties faced by candidates this year (cheating, rigging, technical issues etc.)

·         Many students and experts feel that the UGCs planned move to merge the JEE & NEET may not be ideal. Both the exams test different skillsets and should have different levels of difficulty

·         This year’s competitive exam cycle was met with lot of criticism from students as they felt that they had very less time to prepare. The gap between the CBSE boards, JEE Mains, NEET and CUET was very less which added to the stress of preparing for these exams

Students are demanding that all their concerns should be addressed by the NTA and a structured resolution should be provided. The JEE, NEET & CUET are major Indian competitive exam which are conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency). All three exams had a combined applicant pool of more than 4 million students.

CUETs Glitches Will Not Impact The Merger Of JEE & NEET, Says UGC Chairman

The UGC chairman had recently announced the centres plan to merge two of the largest and most prestigious competitive exams in the country (JEE & NEET) into the CUET (Central University Entrance Test). The idea is to reduce the number of exams students need to give while standardizing the overall process of admissions in the country. The announcement saw various factions of students raise objections to the plan stating that the difficulty and subject matter of both the exams is very different and the move to merge them may not be the best idea.

The UGC chairman (Jagadesh Kumar) in an official statement said that the CUETs glitches will not impact the plans to merge both the exams. The CUET is envisioned to reduce the burden on students and is inline with the NEP 2020 (National Education Policy). Technical / logistical glitches will be handled and the centre as well as the education ministry will not rush into the move without properly planning it first.

This years CUET exam was marred with controversies as students face numerous difficulties while appearing for the exam. From technical issues to exam slot cancellations the NTA (National Testing Agency) was busy fire fighting exam logistics. The fourth phase of the exam is set to begin today (17^th August 2022) and the admit cards for the same are already available on the official website https://cuet.samarth.ac.in

 

NEET And JEE Aspirants To Protest At Jantar Mantar Tomorrow!

n order to voice their concerns related to the UGCs planned move to merge the JEE and NEET exams into the CUET, several aspirants have called for a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on 17^th August 2022. The protest is being led by student activist Pawan Bhadana and will commence tomorrow at 10 AM. Students are showing opposition to the UGCs stance because of the difference in the difficulty as well as the pattern of both the exams (JEE & NEET). Experts also feel that both exams need to test different skillsets and cannot be merged into a common exam based on an overlapping knowledge base (both exams have Physics & Chemistry as common sections)

In addition to the concerns related to the new exam pattern from next year, NEET aspirants are also demanding a reexam citing concerns related to irregularities, cheating, and rigging during this year’s exam on 17^th July 2022. At the same time, engineering aspirants are requesting the authorities conduct a third session of the JEE claiming that technical glitches and logistical issues have impacted several aspirants this year.

The JEE & NEET are national level entrance exams for engineering and medical courses in India. Both exams had a combined aspirant pool of more than 2.5 million this year and are conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency).

Tamil Nadu NEET Aspirant Ends Life Fearing Results

As the official NEET result declaration date nears, many aspirants are anxiously waiting for their outcomes. One such girl from Karur took an extreme step on Friday (12^th August 2022). She was allegedly stressed about her exam outcome and could not cope with the pressure of failure. She had already appeared for the exam last year and was unable to secure a medical seat owing to low scores (326).

Her kin and relatives are shocked and dismayed at the incident. Exam stress is drastically affecting the mindset and psyche of today’s youth. Students much reach out and seek help if they ever feel extreme thoughts of negativity.

The NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) is an Indian competitive exam for admission into MBBS and BDS courses. The exam was conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency) on 17^th July 2022 and had more than 18 lac applicants.

 

Will The One Nation, One Exam Formula Work? Shortcomings Of Integrating JEE & NEET Into The CUET

The UGC (University Grants Commission) is trying to build consensus on merging two of the largest and most important exams in India (JEE and NEET) into the CUET (Central University Entrance Test). The rationale for doing this is to reduce student burden / hassle in appearing for multiple exams while also easing the logistical burden on the organizing body (NTA).

Many experts feel that the move may not go as planned as this years CUET was marred with issues and controversies. The organizing body faced several logistical challenges in conducting a multi subject exam for more than 1.4 million aspirants. Several exam slots were cancelled, and hundreds of students faced issues while appearing for the test. The consensus is that the NTA (National Testing Agency) was ill-equipped in managing the new pattern of the exam and major revamps were required in the overall code of conduct of the exam.

Veterans from academia are also questioning the UGC’s stance on combining two exams which need to fundamentally evaluate very distinctive skill sets while having a common knowledge base. The JEE and NEET need to be differentiated in their difficulty, type of questions and pattern despite having common subjects (both exams have physics & chemistry sections, the NEET additionally tests biology while the JEE tests mathematics). The shift may also have a drastic impact on admission cut-offs and competition as more students will be given the choice of opting for multiple streams.

The centre needs to critically evaluate the impact of merging the JEE and NEET before taking its decision. Rushed consensus in creating educational frameworks may adversely impact the future of millions of candidates.

Major Update! NEET & JEE To Be Combined Into The CUET Exam

 The UGC (University Grants Commission) is working to integrate two of the largest competitive exams in the country into a single test via the CUET (Central University Entrance Test). This will allow merging the admission process of engineering and medical colleges, allowing students to appear for a single test and explore different streams without the hassle of appearing for multiple entrance exams. Given that there is an overlap in the knowledge base of both the tests (NEET & JEE), The UGC has drafted a unique proposal which will give students the freedom to appear for their desired subjects and be considered for admissions based on the relevant streams.

The move is also aimed at simplifying the logistical complexity of the exam by minimizing the number of tests for students. Having a combined exam will also give students a better chance at getting the exam centre of their choice and reduce the burden of arranging computing resources across thousands of centres in India and abroad.

Reports suggest that the UGC is trying to build consensus for the same and is suggesting that the exam can be conducted twice a year (April / May and Nov / Dec).While the intention of the move seems logical, the NTA has been facing various challenges in organizing a multi subject exam such as the CUET. This year’s exam has been getting serious flack from students and experts. Many are also questioning the shifting priorities of education in India making it more focussed on competitive exams rather than a holistic learning c