Despite University Grants Commission (UGC) claims that the new entrance Exams will not give rise to coaching culture Like other standardized tests like JEE Main and NEET, most of the top-ranking coaching institutes have started offering mock test series and preparatory syllabus for centralized entrance exam for admission in top universities across India-CUET.
Even though the exam will be based on Class 12 studies, a new exam pattern and high stakes has left the students worried. With other top colleges like Delhi University, BHU, JMI, JNU admitting students through CUET, the competition is going to be high, which has made many students anxious to secure a seat. The stiff competition for limited seats is also prompting many to opt for the coaching route.
Crash Course on CUET has received a good response from students across the country. Most of the coaching institutes claim that it is the students from rural areas and the state-board aspirants who need the most support.
Many coaching centers, including FIITJEE, feel that the uncertainty surrounding the new exam has roped in students to help. “Students need support to get familiar with the exam pattern,” said Ramesh Butlish, an expert at FIITJEE Noida. To fill this gap the coaching institute has released a mock test and question bank series.
added pressure
Butlish said, “With the launch of CUET, there is additional pressure on the students due to multiple exams in less time. We have launched Mock Test Series and Question Bank to familiarize the students with the exam pattern.
Many academics believe that the timing of CUET was wrong and this has led to confusion and an increase in coaching culture among children. “A centralized examination makes sense for universities to address the lack of standardization across boards and the use of raw marks that cannot be compared. However, it is creating a lot of disruption at the wrong time for the students of the current batch. The timing could have been much better. Students not only have to deal with the anxiety of their ongoing board exams but now they are getting away from CUET while they were waiting for a break. “There is too much uncertainty to worry about,” said Dr Sunita Gandhi, teacher and founder of DEVI Institute, which runs several schools across India.
“Many students do not attend school already but prefer to join coaching for NEET and JEE. After this the preparation of CUET will take place. Every year we are already getting many requests for admission as ‘dummy’ students. Navigating through these changes will be difficult for many students. The most affected will be students from low-income families,” said Dr Gandhi.
bridging the gap
Contrary to the idea of making the exam more inclusive, it is students from state boards and students from low-income families who are finding the new entrance exam the most challenging.
Venkat Phanikiran, Chief Academic Officer, Xtramarks believes that with a new exam commencing with such high stakes, support is needed for almost all students. However, state board students will need more help to “bridge the gap between the syllabus of various boards and NCERT” as the CUET will be based on NCERT.
He said, “Students passing out of high school this year will be badly affected. Firstly, the current batch of students is already facing a lot of pressure due to the ongoing pandemic. Secondly, the sudden change in the exam pattern will be quite difficult for them. This batch is neither properly equipped nor has the necessary resources to prepare for CUET.”
Career Launcher started offering coaching programs for CUET even before the finalization of the exam for all central universities. After the CBSE Term 1 Board Exams, the batches started in online and offline mode in the coaching institute. The new offering from Career Launchers was needed because “CUET is a very competitive exam with lakhs of students taking it, one needs to start preparing early”, believes Amitendra Kumar, Product Head, CUET at Career Launcher Is.
Career Launchers’ Crash Course provides exam-specific strategies to help students crack CUET within 1.5 to 2 months. This is a different pattern from the board exam, claims the coaching center, and hence students need to try out different strategies to think and write in the college entrance exam. Kumar said that while not compromising on performance in board exams, class 12 marks will be considered in postgraduate admissions like IIMs etc.
Maninder Singh Bajwa is the CEO and Founder of iScuela, an ed-tech platform that does not provide coaching for CUET, but is looking at offering a test series for practicing aspirants.
“Such an exam will pose challenges mainly for the students from rural areas,” he said. “While there are many options available to prepare for such tests in metropolitan areas, students in rural areas do not have much access to modern learning tools. Be left with less support and more pressure. However, rural areas offer opportunities and resources. However, there is a gap that needs to be bridged.At the same time, the rural population finds it burdensome to spend money on their children’s education, and is now taking coaching and extra classes for exams in their careers. However, we are hoping that this entire CUET process becomes more streamlined and more easily accessible to all.”
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