Last updated time: 15 March 2023, 18:27 IST
Deviating from the norm, Kumar said the exam will be conducted in three shifts from this year (File photo/News18)
M Jagadesh Kumar said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the National Testing Agency (NTA) are committed to ensure that the second edition of CUET-UG is flawless.
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG will be conducted in three shifts instead of two this year and plans to combine it with important entrance exams like JEE and NEET will be announced at least two years in advance, said UGC Chairman M Jagadesh. Kumar.
In an interview to PTI, Kumar said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) and National Testing Agency (NTA) are committed to ensure that the second edition of CUET-UG is flawless.
“I agree that last time there were a few glitches during the exam, but this year all the issues have been resolved. Keeping in mind the experience of the students, the plan has been made and we are ready to ensure that the candidates do not worry about the exam and do not make any mistakes,” he said.
“Additional computers and additional centers have been deployed as a plan B so that in case of any glitches, candidates can be shifted there and the exam is not canceled on a particular shift,” he added.
Deviating from the norm, Kumar said that the exam will be conducted in three shifts from this year.
Asked about the proposal to merge CUET with JEE engineering exam and NEET medical entrance exam, Kumar said, “It will definitely be done. The details are being worked out, but whenever a merger takes place, an announcement will be made at least two years in advance so that students can prepare accordingly.” The UGC announced in March last year that undergraduate admissions in all central universities will be conducted through the Common Entrance Test and not on the basis of Class 12 marks.
The debut edition of CUET-UG was held in July last year and ended in glitches, prompting the NTA to cancel the exam at several centres. Although several students were informed that the exam would be canceled a night before the exam, most of them refused the centers.
The UGC chairman then said that the examination at some centers had been canceled following reports of “sabotage”.
With an enrollment of 14.9 lakh, CUET, the common gateway to undergraduate admissions in all central universities, has surpassed JEE-Main’s average enrollment of nine lakh to become the second largest entrance examination in the country.
“This year we received more than 11.5 million registrations. The deadline has been extended to March 30 and we expect applications to cross last year’s number,” Kumar said.
Asked about “normalizing” scores that have left several applicants disappointed, finding their grades lower than their original scores, making it harder to get into their dream college, he said he made an effort to minimize any errors during the process.
“The exam schedule has been reduced to 10 days this year instead of more than a month and a half to reduce normalization errors as there is more variation when the exam is held over a long period of time,” he said. .
The normalization formula using the “equipercentile method” was decided by a panel comprising professors from Indian Statistical Institute, IIT Delhi and University of Delhi.
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(This story was not edited by News18 staff and was published by a syndicated news outlet)
