The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2018 was almost a complete debacle it is now emerging with students at 243 out of 260 total exam centres reporting snags and glitches so far, as research by Law School 101 revealed, as also reported by Lawctopus. This is contrary to convenor Nuals Kochi’s claims that we reported yesterday that 98.5% of the test centres were glitch-free.
According to responses to a Google form published online by Law School 101, which is a free online education portal run by Nalsar Hyderabad alumnus Vennela Krishna, 1,447 candidates at this time claim they have been adversely affected by technical glitches at 243 CLAT 2018 centres across India.
Update 16 May 2018, 11:19: The number of complaints in the Google Form now stands at 1,855, or around 3% of CLAT takers.
“Shortly after the CLAT 2018 finished yesterday, I received numerous complaints from my students pointing out that their systems shut down or their screen froze repeatedly during the exam,” explained Krishna. “To understand the extent of these issues, I started a survey to gather complaints.”
The survey form can be accessed here.
“I expected a handful of students to fill the survey,” noted Krishna, but yesterday there had been “1,011 responses from candidates all over India, outlining different issues that they faced with the exam”, which has grown to more than 1,400 today.
The full list of centres have been published by Lawctopus.
Some of the most common issues, as highlighted by responses to Law School 101’s Google form, which Krishna published first at blog Youth Ki Awaaz were:
The most frequent issue that seems to have been felt by hundreds of students is that the questions did not get displayed on their screen at 3:00 PM, when the exam was supposed to start, and they faced around five to ten minutes of delay before the first question showed up.
In other cases, when the screen opened, the questions or the options were missing or were still encrypted and did not display properly.
Another widespread issue had been that the systems provided to candidates repeatedly hanged or shut down, or the screen froze, all while the timer counted down their time.
All of this resulted in delays and loss of time, in an exam where attempting all 200 questions is difficult even with the two hours utilised completely.
Krishna wrote further:
Additionally, another serious issue has been that of corrupt hardware, such as malfunctioning mouses and monitor screens.
Other complaints that have been heard relate to bad infrastructure – many centres did not provide proper chairs to candidates and made them write the exam in the heat without switching on the AC or the fans, nor did they provide them with water in the mid-May heat.
Many candidates also complained of ill-behaved and unhelpful staff at the centres, who in addition to causing delays themselves, also went on to pick fights with students while the exam was going on!
But perhaps the most serious complaint raised so far is that of improper invigilation. Stories are being shared of multiple centres in the country where the invigilators walked out of the room or simply allowed the candidates to talk and discuss questions amongst themselves.
In other cases, where the computers stopped working, or the screen froze in the middle of the test, the centre staff scuttled about helplessly, while the candidates were allowed to have a discussion about the questions they attempted so far.
Krishna has also shared with us recorded videos from candidates who claimed they ended up wasting precious time arguing with invigilators over these glitches at the test centres.
Nuals Kochi vice chancellor Prof Rose Varghese did not respond to our call for comment today.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing a petition by academic Shamnad Basheer, trying to reform the CLAT system, which has been dogged by successive NLU convenors reinventing the wheel every year (and usually failing somewhere along the complex process).
NLUs have been loathe to institute reform, since all share revenues from the process (with the rotating convenor each year getting the lion’s share).
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Interesting days lie ahead.
Common law admission test CLAT-2018 INDIAN NATIONAL LEVEL EXAM: GROSS MISMANAGEMENT and INTENTIONAL NEGLIGENCE:
Like at many other exam centres, at Bandra west (Mumbai), please note the following:-
1- Long wait and confusion for biometric verification.
2- The ball pen was not working, when asked for replacement it was rudely refused.
3- There was power cut for about 20 to 25 minutes.
4- The duration of power failure was not compensated to some candidates. For some students, the screen showed the time as 2 hours after the delay but for some around 15 to 20 minutes were cut.
5- Initially, the invigilators were ignorant of the password and that it was to be informed to the candidates.
6- Some questions were visible incomplete with only 3 instead of 4 to answer.
7- The test didn't even start at 3 pm. Even after repeatedly asking the officials, all the answers they were getting was '' You ll get 2 hours, doesn't matters if it's from 3 or 4 pm.
8- During the power cut, the students were unlawfully discussing the question paper.
9 - The invigilators were conversing among themselves loudly disturbing all the candidates.
Appeal to Honourable Prime minister and Education / Law minister to probe enquiry and order reschedule of CLAT 2018 exam and save the candidates from depression and future culpable suicides.
1. biometric verification took a long time.
2. The invigilators were themselves talking
3. AC stop after 30 minutes of commencement of exam
4. exam started at 3:20
5. students were talking during exam and the invigilators were just ignorant and just point out that please do not talk...!! thats it....
VERY DISAPPOINTED...
@JAIPUR_RAJASTHAN
1) Most students and parents are happy with the exam. Only 1 or 2 percent of candidates have signed the Google form. Also, who is this Ms Krishna and who gave her the authority?
2) Giving extra time is the discretion of the invigilator. It is fully justified if some extra time was given as there were factors like shortage of water in hot climate, power cut etc. What is wrong with it? In some cities temperature went up to 40 degrees. It is a serious health crisis. Extra time can totally be justified under law.
3) Above all the biggest reason is National Interest and principle of Greater Common Good. A retest will disrupt the exam schedule, be unfair to those who scored well, involve lot of extra expenses of public money etc.
4) What about those getting 140+ ?? It is totally unfair to them
I pray that judiciary does not intervene. Maybe CLAT can be held by a separate body next year, but NO retest this year please.
In case you're wondering who gave Ms. Krishna the authority, you're asking the wrong question. She doesn't need it; the circulation of an informal survey to gauge some kind of tenor (albeit not representative) is well within her right. You might want to turn to the tome we call the Constitution, and refer to Article 19(1)(a).
Further, what do you mean "this is discriminatory to those who scored above 140+"? Are you implying that, given the Nationwide furore over this year's CLAT, we are still to grant any semblance of deference to this process anymore? Having said this, what, even, is the value of a 140+ score on such a test? Again, you might want to refer to a legal principle we call "fruit from the poisonous tree".
If you don't believe in the democratic ideal of fair play, and are hell-bent on progressing via a flawed process, I seriously pity the NLU you end up getting into (if status quo stands). Please open your mind: this is the very least I implore of you
I am sure you're one of those who got extra time to complete the exam.If you are so sure that you will get 140 in this one, why hesitate in giving it one more time?
I'd like to counter your "GREATER COMMON GOOD" argument by the principle,"MINORITIES SHOULD NOT BE IGNORED"! For 2000 seats in clat ignoring the 1400 kids, in which books is it justified?
Refuting your points one by one:
1. Even if 'most' students are happy, all aren't. Had the paper been conducted properly, the students would be happy with the management of the paper and would not have the mismanagement to blame for not faring well (which is a genuine reason for not performing well as of now - mass cheating and commotion during the exam). I personally am a victim of the disturbance. Also, it is appreciable that this very Ms. Krishna is working hard to get justice delivered to sixty thousand CLAT aspirants. More power to you, Ma'am Vennela.
2. You say giving extra time is fully justified due to hot climate, power cuts, etc. Well, if that is the case, everybody pan India should have been awarded extra time due to th power cuts and surrounding conditions s. The problem is not giving extra time. The problem is giving UNEQUAL amount of extra time at different centres. Had the centres awarded the same extra time, the conduct of the paper would've been 'fair'. As of now, it is violative of Article 14, as everybody was not treated equally and NUALS is a 'State' under Article 12.
3. You talk about a 'Greater Common Good' and that 'A retest would disturb the exam schedule.' A rested would cause us a few days of inconvenience but CLAT 2018 literally messed up the rest of lives. Are we really going to let 'messing up the exam schedule' be a reason for going to a college which is below what we DESERVED?
4) What about those who are getting below 140 but deserved to get above 140? (Which they couldn't due to technical glitches, time awarded being less than 2 hours and commotion in the examination hall)
I pray that without the judiciary intervening, NUALS Kochi realises their screw up and announces a re test soon.
I don't know when there will be a settled body taking the CLAT exam.
Still after a decade we are not able to ascertain whether the NLU'S are STATE, NATIONAL OR NATIONAL IMPORTANCE INSTITUTION.
Statement 2: no one does!
Statement 3: everyone knows - they are state institutions (dunno why you put this here anyhow?)
So I suppose, I should be thanking everyone trying to suppress the impact of this. At the very least, we now know what we should be expecting from our chosen profession.
Sincerely,
Just another student
pleae share as much as you can
2.Cheating at a whole new level like its a class 6th test.
3.Seen a video where some person recorded a student (glad he recorded it)giving test till 7 pm
4.Just imagine it was only one incident recorded. In that scenario it was very easy to google the answers and give it to him/her who is giving paper till 7.
5.Those who got extra min are enjoying and those hard working who lost 10 -20 min are in depression.
They earned a lot of money and their job is done to hell with equality and all.
Jab online exam sambhalta nhi to pen paper wala karane me kya jata h?
This year exam was just like an angry mob stealing from the store whatever they can and some civilians had to pay for their actions OF both clat authorities and the gross cheaters.
www.facebook.com/100006142838098/videos/vb.100006142838098/1631718863709526/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab
I entered the college premises (DD College, Dehradun) at 01:40 p.m. (sharp). The college staff asked the candidates to throw their pen/pencils which they carry with themselves (they said it would be provided inside the examination hall) then they asked to take off our shoes, belts, and even the wallet and keep them anywhere we wish, as they were not allowing any of these belonging to the examination hall. Had it been so, the CLAT conducting University, NUALS, Kochi must have mentioned it in the admit card itself very clearly. It is beyond doubt that the candidates who are coming from out of station would be carrying the wallets (if not any other articles for that matter), so, the instructions would have to be given to the concerned colleges about the proper keep of the articles. This is such a big misbehaviour on the part of both the conducting university and the colleges concerned. This is something really ridiculous, the College asked us to keep the wallet/belt at any place we wish to with no responsibility at all of loss on their part.
Next, the frisking process and biometric attendance was very tiring and slow. The Candidates were standing in queue for more than 1 hour before the exam. After the biometrics, there was another attendance (manually using our left thumb impression and signature on an attendance sheet) in the examination hall room, that also took another half an hour. When I sat at my assigned seat, as there was no wall clock, I asked the invigilator about the time to which he replied very rudely: “Do you see any watch in my hand?” I asked “Sir, you might be carrying the cell phone?” He said “No” and walked away. As per my understanding it was above 03:00 p.m. when I started the practice test. After this, when I logged in for the real test (unaware of time) all the questions and options were blank/boxes as if they were encrypted and the timer had started at that very login-time. I asked the invigilator about it and he said that it was a server glitch and would be resolved in some time. I asked about the management of this wasted time to which he said that the extra time would be given at the end. After some time, invigilator asked us to exit the session and made us start the session again and then I logged in for the second time. This process took almost 10 minutes. After login, I realised that I am 10 minutes down. Then, I continued my exam. During the period of examination, the invigilation staff was very unsupportive and irritating. In the lab, there were around 6-8 people. Two of them standing right next to me were constantly chit-chatting, I requested several times to stop talking. Then, there was an AC which was not active, and fans (due to repeated electricity cut off) were not working fine plus there was no facility for drinking water. Now, when the exam time was over, I was to leave the room so I asked invigilator to sign my admit card, he said there is no such instruction to sign the admit card, then I showed him the Instruction No.2 on my Admit Card to which he said it is not mandatory. Asking him repeatedly, he signed it rudely. After coming out of the hall I searched for my pair of shoes, wallet and belt (not pen/pencil as they were being thrown by me as instructed by them). Luckily, I found my wallet and belt but most of the candidates lost their wallets, belts too. There was a huge heap of shoes right next to the college’s main gate and I had to find ‘my’ pair of shoes in that. I searched for almost 20 minutes but didn’t find, I waited and let all candidates to find their pair of shoes so that I could get them at the end but it was all in vain. Meanwhile, there was a fight between the college administration and the guardians who came to pick up their wards regarding the loss of time. At the end when the college got empty, I had to leave bare foot. It was the worst experience of writing an exam and then going back home bare foot. I think, after paying Rs.4000/- application fee, nobody expects this level of facility and service. This is a huge misconduct on the part of the CLAT committee of NUALS, Kochi as well as the administrative staff of the college which conducted the exam.
It's so disappointing! I hope the authorities agree for a retest.
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