Yes, only eight days after the exam was announced on 3 September, following three writ petitions and a partial stay on results in the Supreme Court yesterday, plus a whole lot of last minute tweaks and some technology Snafus, the National Law Aptitude Test (NLAT) of NLSIU Bangalore is actually happening.
Following on from our wildly popular liveblog of the NLAT proceedings for the last two days, welcome to our NLAT live blog covering the proceedings for the Big Day, Saturday 12 September.
The first exam slot is to start at 12:30, the second slot is at 2:15pm and the last one at 4:00pm. Candidates are expected to be available and ready, 30 minutes before each, respectively.
115 technical support staff to be available on helplines
11:36: To kick off, some updates that were received late yesterday from NLS and that we included in our scoop about the simulated mock test, which had been billed as a “Simulation Test of the exact NLAT examination process” but turned out to be an unmitigated disaster and a bad omen for today.
However, according to a statement received from NLSIU late last night, it has sort of half-acknowledged that there were actual issues, though it has not really explained the cause or why this won’t happen again today in the actual test:
The simulation test was not a mandatory test. All students were given a chance to attend at least one simulation test. In the case of some students where they received late emails about their simulation test, they were given another chance to take the simulation test at 8 pm on Friday.
The helpline was active throughout the day on Friday. However, to assure students who may have concerns about accessing the helpline, staff of more than 115 will be available to man the helplines for technical assistance on Saturday when the NLAT 2020 will be conducted.
With regard to facial recognition issues, candidates have to comply with the instructions given to them in the candidate guide regarding the format of the ID card to be produced during the test.
“The other advice I would give, is to make sure you have a robust customer service and troubleshooting support line and support system.”
NLS 'confident' no cheaters would make it
We have adopted robust technological measures and proctoring processes to maintain the integrity of the examination. We urge all candidates to take no risks with the proctoring and technological restrictions in place for the examination. Our integrity measures will come into full effect during and after the examination process as we review a comprehensive electronic record of the examination. While we cannot prevent a student’s attempt to circumvent these integrity measures, any evidence of examination malpractice will be taken extremely seriously and will result in disqualification.
We reassure all candidates appearing for NLAT 2020 to participate in the examination with full confidence. We are confident that no candidate who engages in examination malpractice will secure admission to the University.
FAQ updates today
Some mobile phone help desk numbers have been removed.
If the helpdesk number is busy, candidates can call the technical assistance number communicated to them during the verification process and in case of internet failure. You may login to the admissions.nls.ac.in portal to access this technical assistance number.
'Safe Assessment Browser (SAB) Tool' is no longer required
So far, so better (than yesterday) but not perfect
Mock test for CLAT for IDIA'ites
IDIA Trainees will be writing NLAT today as a Mock Test for CLAT 2020.
There is no way, one can ask them to take NLAT seriously and get stressed out for not receiving emails, passwords, simulation tests, Test centres etc.
Best of luck @IDIALaw team!
— Shishira (@shishirar) Sat, 12 Sep 2020, 09:17
Issues with exam continue flooding in
Today for Nlat examination I was alloted the first batch.
I couldn’t get verified I tried with both the password sent to me via mail and as well as on the official website but couldn’t get through.
I called them so many times and they couldn’t help me too.
I had NLAT today at 12:30.
In the starting after verification they told me -“ microphone not detected, check again” I switched off microphone and turned it on again . Then my test started. In the whole exam I was being notified “microphone not detected, check again” even everything was in place on my side. For reassurance I checked it again and a warning was issued to not go to any other window. So after that I just continuously received notification for microphone and was continuously interrupted by it during exam which definitely made me lose time. The simulation test conducted yesterday went well with no problems but today suddenly this problem happened. Such situations are out of control and no one knows what to do with it or what will NLSIU do now. This exam was about my career and the only opportunity for NLAT which somehow was lost due to such errors which were happening even after no problem at my end. This is really not acceptable and depressing. Please help and conduct this in a fair manner which is equal for all.
I called them on technical helpline but they said it’s your fault when the test was started after verifying and in between the test I had my microphone on. They ended my call without addressing my problem and now I am not able to do anything. This is so stressful for a student preparing for such exams for 1year. Nobody is helping and addressing the problem
I had second slot starting from 2:15 for nlat 2020 but i was not able to write the exam as i was not able to write the exam as I was not verified till 3:04 . I was been preparing to get into NLSIU from the past one year . I’m really disappointed . I dont know what to do. Please help me.
Third slot now over, still complaints keep coming in
I was slated to take the exam during the 2:15 p.m. - 3 p.m. slot. Reporting time was 1:45 p.m. I logged into the portal at 1:[45] p.m. sharp.
For the ID verification, I chose to upload a high resolution, crystal clear JPG scan of my Indian passport. After waiting for a total 8 long minutes, they REJECTED my verification because of my ID. I tried another 2-3 times. Again, crystal clear photo using a 1080p webcam and a crystal clear 4K passport scan with literally all important details legible. They rejected me again and again with each rejection coming at around 5-6 minutes after upload.
Dejected and panicked, at around 2:10 p.m. I called the NLS helpline. I was put into waiting for what essentially was eternity. After 4-5 minutes of trying to contact NLSIU, I got hold of another helpline (probably the test vendor helpline) and called it. A guy answered (thankfully). At first, he deflected responsibility to NLSIU, saying he was only a technical support. After a bit of back and forth, he said he would forward my issue to the NLS team. He also assured me that I would be given some extra time to finish the test, seeing that I was experiencing issues.
The test began at 2:30 p.m. after I used a photo of my Aadhaar shot with my webcam as ID proof. Throughout the test, there were incessant prompts from the system to keep my face in the “camera zone”. It was as though these folks don’t understand that to do calculations on paper for a math question, you need to look at it! However, the disturbing prompts were not the biggest problem.
At the [around 40] minute mark, in a 45 minute test, my paper automatically submitted!! I had not clicked or hit any key to submit my paper. I was busy working out the questions. I was literally robbed of [around five] full minutes of precious test time! I panicked and immediately wrote to the NLSIU email, asking for guidance and help. I don’t think I’ll be getting a response.
This whole experience was one huge failure. From the reporting time itself, I faced way too many technical issues, none of them from my end. I ran a 1080p camera, so they can’t complain about my picture quality being bad. I uploaded 4K scans of my passport, so they can’t complain about my ID not being legible. I have a 40 Mbps internet line, so they can’t complain about bandwidth. Things were literally all right on my end!
This whole experience was devastating, infuriating and deeply disturbing. They cannot treat candidates like this. If they were not prepared to hold this exam, they shouldn’t have announced it! I will literally not make it to NLSIU because I was forced to leave out 4-5 questions because of the test getting auto submitted. I cannot believe that India’s “number one law school” would treat exam candidates this way.
Please post this account on Legally India. I have already written to NLS Admissions. Please make sure the petitioners in the Prof. Venkat Rao case get to see this. They must show the SC what has transpired. This is simply not done.
Cheating confirmed very possible, even via Zoom
The NLAT is not finished: The PG sessions are starting soon
Mainstream media begins covering the debacle
The three UG NLAT 2020 slots are now complete. Overall attendance of over 94% was recorded. The CLAT 2019 UG exam recorded 90.92% attendance. We thank all students and parents for their faith and belief in NLAT 2020
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I also believe NLSIU students and alumni are complicit. Any criticism is token and mild.
In the starting after verification they told me -“ microphone not detected, check again” I switched off microphone and turned it on again . Then my test started. In the whole exam I was being notified “microphone not detected, check again” even everything was in place on my side. For reassurance I checked it again and a warning was issued to not go to any other window. So after that I just continuously received notification for microphone and was continuously interrupted by it during exam which definitely made me lose time. The simulation test conducted yesterday went well with no problems but today suddenly this problem happened. Such situations are out of control and no one knows what to do with it or what will NLSIU do now. This exam was about my career and the only opportunity for NLAT which somehow was lost due to such errors which were happening even after no problem at my end. This is really not acceptable and depressing. Please help and conduct this in a fair manner which is equal for all.
I called them on technical helpline but they said it’s your fault when the test was started after verifying and in between the test I had my microphone on. They ended my call without addressing my problem and now I am not able to do anything. This is so stressful for a student preparing for such exams for 1year. Nobody is helping and addressing the problem
Two pronged strategy will be needed:
1) Students or LI, CLAT, whoever - reach out with details and individual accounts to news channels. Run up the rhetoric on conduct of exam, future of aspirants etc.
2.a) Stick to by-laws in the SCI; 2.b) while noting the 'media reporting' for the bench. Obviously, (2.b) can only happen if (1) is successfully done.
These ungrateful alumni who don't feel grateful to the taxpayers who funded their infra need to be taught a lesson. Long live state of Karnataka and KSLU.
twitter.com/RamblerLama/status/1304774201090347008
Funny that both Sudhir and Sarasu skip signing something that is supposed to "shut down" all naysayers.
That unsigned note is like the unsigned addendum in the Bbari Masjid case or the recent PB contempt matter. Also like the govt telling us how despite record setting new infections everyday, we also have record-setting hospital discharge numbers.
Or how our testing capacities have grown manifold but not clarify how many of those are RT-PCR verified. That a major chunk is through unreliable RAT. And how for every infected case discovered in May 2020, we missed 80 others.
Students with grievances can email (preferably with screenshots) to so the details can be placed before the Supreme Court in the next hearing.
I would like to bring to your notice the inherent defect that lies in the Provisional Answer Key(UG) released by NLS today. They have just mentioned the correct options without mentioning the whole options per se.
I have sent an email to NLS that goes like this. We all are using this as a template to mass report this issue so that it comes to the notice of the NLS authorities. Kindly take a note of it. It goes like this:
To,
The concerned authorities,
I am an NLAT 2020 aspirant and was allotted the second slot for the examination today.
With regard to the Provisional Answer Key that has been published by NLSIU, I would like to point out that the document does not contain complete questions and answers. It only has the first few lines of the passage and question numbers and respective answer letters (a/b/c/d/e).
Having no reference to the exact questions and answer choices, it is neither possible for any candidate to gauge their performance nor challenge the answer key. This renders the exercise futile.
I would request you to either publish detailed answer keys, or mail personal responses to candidates individually for their reference, or take any other necessary action.
Thank You,
Yours Sincerely,
XYZ
Please look into it.
None of this was worth anything and it'll be the most embarrassing joke if other law schools manage to fill in seats and conduct first year properly.
I am sure current students and alumni are more disgruntled than they care to show. NLS's perception has taken a serious hit - for no real reason.
Having thrown their weight behind Sudhir (for appointment), their criticism of this move has been fairly muted. Even the alumni representation (which was for some reason not circulated to all in the end so that it doesn't get onto LI!) had more bonhomie than criticism....
All in all, what a shitshow.
On Sudhir taking you to a different place. Clearly ,he does seem to be taking you to a place where your ivory towers can be even higher, without poor people affecting your standards. WOW, such a big thing it will be for him to not have domicile status, watta achievement. Come on man, in terms of NLUs not having domicile status is hardly as great as organising the literally the worst law school entrance exam that has happened in years. Also what does having SCOPUS publications do anything with being able to administer a law school. His competence should be measured by the kind of feedback which his students give, and believe me when I say this, they [...]. Like a student wrote in an publication recently in a different context, there might be outliers.
Also on short-term adjustments, this is where the NLS elitism is clearly visible. The short-term adjustment that you speak of are literally people having to take up expensive loans when the "law school" made a promise on allowing them to study and pay it later. Calling them defaulters is not short-term adjustment but an attack on their very dignity. So please keep your tribalism and elitism to yourself. These kind of hot takes, are why NLS is going to fall in public than become a so-called INI. Your alumni groups are better for this kind of mutually gratuitous glorification.
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