Thursday, June 4, 2015

The great CLAT 2015 saga ... continued

A popular news channel had a 'debate' about the CLAT 2015 where the VC of the institute along with a couple of other institute heads were called.

The VC of the conducting institute went on record claiming only 1 typographical error in the paper.

What was interesting and noteworthy was the fact that there was no one on the show to question or counter the VC.

How about a show where the VC faces some real stake holders - students, parents and independent subject experts (and not 'experts' appointed by the institute)?

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

CLAT 2015

For Law Aspirants across India, the past couple of weeks have been nothing short of a soap opera. Of the tragic kind.

CLAT 2015; conducted by RMLNLU this year; had a number of changes as compared to the previous editions.

1. It was conducted online. What was hitherto; an OMR Sheet - pen/pencil based test; was to be attempted on a computer.

2. After court orders, the upper age limit (20 for general category candidates) was removed.

The removal of the age limit gave me a chance to appear for the test along with my students. (It's worth noting that I had completed my post-graduation by the time the CLAT was even introduced for the first time.)

Having appeared for both paper and computer based versions of different exams, I advised the students that their preparation for the exam would not drastically differ. However, to gain first hand experience of this exam, I registered for the same and gave the exam on the 10th of May, 2015.

In Ahmedabad (Gujarat), the exam was spread across three centers. Reports indicated that some centers had air conditioned facilities, while the one where I appeared did not. No worries there.

As the exam started (at 3:00 PM IST), I quickly went through all the questions before starting my attempts. A quick analysis revealed the following:

The English section had the standard Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary and Grammar based questions.

The Mathematics section had a few questions that seemed surprisingly tough (considering the average age of the students.)

The Reasoning section seemed to follow the usual pattern.

The GK section seemed standard; however one would have to read the questions to know more in detail.

The Legal 'Aptitude' section had few questions which were aptitude based and a lot of questions based on legal awareness. Alarm bells went off in my head. Although students were repeatedly told (during the time of preparation) that one should anticipate any googly in the paper, not many would have heeded my advice - and may panic on seeing fewer questions on aptitude and more on awareness. Well - let's start attempting the paper.

As per my game plan, I started with the General Knowledge section. A lot of questions on current affairs concentrated on the months of Jan-Feb-March of 2015. Students, who diligently prepared for this section,would find it easy. I, on the other hand, found it tough - not having actually 'prepared' for general knowledge. :)

After attempting the questions that I felt I knew the answers to, I shifted to the English section. A few questions seemed ambiguous in their wording, the answers to a few seemed suspicious. Normally, I would complete the entire section (except Reading Comprehension and Jumbled Passages). However, in this case, I purposely left those questions, I had to think about - and moved on to Mathematics.

Surprise Surprise! The questions were not of the level that students would expect. A lot of conceptual questions which one would normally expect in post graduate level entrance exams (especially the CAT) were asked. Under normal circumstances, I would crack the 20 questions in about 15 minutes and move ahead. I could hardly attempt 10 odd questions in about 15-20 minutes. Keeping my ego aside, I moved ahead with the reasoning section.

Questions based on coding, relations, directions and others were easily handled (although some of the questions were printed badly while one of the questions had the same answer repeated as options.) The puzzles were again of a difficulty level, totally unexpected in an exam of this nature.

I finally went through the legal aptitude section. The questions based on principles and facts were apparently 'copied' from commercially available entrance test preparation books and past year papers. Not a single question seemed new. The legal awareness questions tested me to the core. After attempting a couple of dozen questions, I finally paused to check my progress in the paper. I had just under an hour left and my number of attempts barely touched the 3 digit mark.

Now it was simply a game of Russian Roulette. I randomly jumped between sections and attempted questions which I could. There was no method to my madness.

After a lot of sweat and toil, I reached an attempt of 168. With 5 minutes to go, I lost my patience and stopped attempting any further.

Once the exam was over, I came out of the center and was mobbed by my students who had similar experience to mine. A lot of moans and curses were heard about the toughness of the Math and Reasoning section, the unexpected emergence of Legal awareness questions and the overall inability to attempt many questions.

My first prediction on that day was that the overall cutoffs would drastically plunge as compared to the previous editions of the exam.

This was just the tip of the iceberg.

Come 20th May. The results were announced. Students were sorely disappointed at their low scores. A common feeling across board was that, the score obtained was at least 30-35 marks lower than expected.

A common clamor for the question paper and answer key arose across the country. After a lot of delay, the committee mailed an 'answer key' and the student's key to each student. Fantastic. Except for the fact that the student had no clue which answer corresponded to what question. A key without the question paper is about as useful as an oar in the middle of the ocean without a boat.

A day before the publication of the first merit list, the committee released the question paper with marked answers.

Problems galore!

1. The question paper was not the same for all students. The students received questions in shuffled order during the exam. No problems there. Except - the published question paper gave no clue to the student as to which answer of his corresponded to which question. No way of tallying the answers.

2. There were numerous answers in the question paper which were apparently marked incorrectly. The wording in many questions were ambiguous. Students quickly identified these errors and brought them to the notice of the committee.

Current Status:

The committee has now put up this notice on the official website:

CLAT-15 first allotment list - delay regarding

On uploading of the question papers with answer keys on the
CLAT website, representations have been received from some
candidates wherein they have questioned accuracy of answers of
certain questions. Taking into cognisance these representations, an
expert committee has been constituted to look into the matter.
Publication of the proposed first indicative allotment list is,
therefore, withheld till a final view is taken on these
representations.
Candidates shall be informed about the next date of publication of
first indicative allotment list in due course.
Convener,
Implementation Committee

What will happen next?

Scenario 1: There is no change in the rankings of the student. In this case, how does the exam conducting agency justify the fact that students with the right answer got negative marks for the same question that a student who answered it incorrectly scored on.

Scenario 2: There is a change in the answer key and hence the overall results and rankings. In this case, how does the exam conducting agency justify the fact that students who previously scored high on the test and hence gave up other confirmed admissions might now lose out their dream college.

For example, let's say I scored in the top 50 ranks in CLAT and also cracked the AILET. Secure in the belief that a top 50 rank ensures a seat at NLSIU Bangalore, I gave up my seat at NLU-D. Now, in the rejig of the results, if my rank goes to 60, which puts NLSIU beyond my reach, I would now be forced to select some other institute which ordinarily I might not have. I would have secured admission at NLU-D if NLSIU was not available to me.

Scenario 3: The exam conducting agency decided to re-conduct the exam. This is a nightmare on so many different levels. Informing all students, preparing a new question paper (which frankly speaking, most students would refuse to believe is fair), administering the test, compiling the results and so on. The entire exercise would take another month - at the least. The admission processes at other (non CLAT) institutes would be over by them. Would students be ready to appear for the test once again?

There seems to be no win-win situation for the students in the foreseeable future. It's a nerve wrecking situation and only time will tell what will be the final outcome of the great CLAT 2015.

Friday, December 26, 2014

GK - Current Affairs (December 2015)

The Yash Chopra Memorial Award was conferred upon Amitabh Bachchan with C Vidyasagar Rao, the Governor of Maharashtra.

Union Ministry of Consumers Affairs announced to set up Grahak Suvidha Kendras. The Kendras will provide counseling to consumers in redressal of their grievances and assist them in registering their complaints in the appropriate consumer forums.

India won gold in World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad held in Hungary.

Union Government observed 25 December 2014 as Good Governance Day.

The Union Govermnet conferred the Bharat Ratna on Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.

Union Government set up Mathur committee to examine constitution of SIT on 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

South Indian filmmaker Kailasam Balachander died on 23 December 2014 following a heart attack.

India exported CGS Barracuda offshore patrol vessel (OPV) to Mauritius which is the first warship ordered by a foreign country from shipyard of India.

Section 309 Indian Penal Code (IPC) was in news recently as Union Home Ministry decided to remove 309 Section. According to the section, any person, who attempts suicide, will be treated as committing a criminal offence and any person charged with section 309 of IPC will face up to one year in prison and a fine.

Gujarat to host 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in January 2015.

Shiva Keshavan won Silver at 17th Asian Luge Championships

Sachin Tendulkar appointed as ambassador of Cricket World Cup 2015

Jyotsna Suri elected as the President of the FICCI

India observed National Mathematics Day on 22 December to commemorate birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Surat Municipal Corporation partnered with Microsoft to transform Surat into smart city.

The Indian men’s Kabaddi team and women’s Kabaddi team won Kabaddi World Cup title, by defeating Pakistan and New Zealand, respectively.

Pakistan became Associate Member Sate of CERN

Veteran Gandhian and freedom fighter Chunibhai Vaidya passed away on 19 December 2014 at Ahmedabad, Gujarat following brief illness.

Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) in Pakistan bailed to Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, one of the main accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The US Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognising Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai as symbol of peace.

Minorities Rights Day observed across the world on 18 December

Tashi and Nungshi became world’s 1st twins to climb the highest peaks on seven continents.

India’s heaviest GSLV Mark-III rocket and the human crew module successfully test-fired by ISRO.

Reverend Libby Lane was on 17 December 2014 appointed as the first female bishop of the Church of England. She will become the new Bishop of Stockport.

The Marathi film Kapus Kondyachi Goshta nominated in the best picture category of the 87th Academy Awards, Oscars.

Tehreek-e-Taliban militants attacked Army-run school of Peshawar, Pakistan and killed at least 141 people including 132 students.

Music composer A R Rahman nominated for Oscar Awards in Music Original Score Category. He was nominated for the films Million Dollar Arm, The Hundred-Foot Journey and Indian film Kochadaiiyaan.

Name of mascots of the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympics Games were revealed. They have been named as Vinicius and Tom.

Dineshwar Sharma, Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau, appointed as the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

Viswanathan Anand defeated British Grandmaster Michael Adams to win his maiden London Classic title.

Vivek Hallegere Murthy was on 15 December 2014 appointed as the 19th Surgeon General of America. He will be the first Indian-American to hold the post.

Indian film Jal nominated for Oscar contenders of 2014 in two categories. The two categories are Best Picture and Best Original Score.

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling became longest serving Chief Minister of India. He completed his 20 years in the office on 12 December 2014.

Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss crowned Miss World 2014 at the pageant's final in London. 2013 winner Megan Young of the Philippines crowned Strauss.

Germany won the 2014 Champions Trophy of Hockey after defeating Pakistan by 2-0 margin at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

Ruhi Singh of India won Miss Universal Peace & Humanity 2014 at Beirut, Lebanon.

Playback singer Asha Bhosle was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival held in Dubai.

Ebola fighters collectively were named as the TIME’s Person of the Year 2014 on 10 December 2014 by the TIME’s magazine for their tireless acts of courage and mercy..

Samsung appointed HyunChil Hong as President of Southwest Asia

Human Rights Day observed globally on 10 December

Richard Rahul Verma became first Indian-American to be appointed as US Ambassador to India

Samsung Electronics appointed Pranav Mistry as Global Vice President

India set Guinness Record for largest human formation of a national flag in world

Indian Blind Cricket team defeated Pakistan to win the fourth edition of the Blind Cricket World Cup (BCWC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

India observed Mahaparinirwan Diwas on 6 December 2014, death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.

UN declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on 5 December 2014 named as the Asian of the Year 2014 by Singapore’s leading newspaper The Straits Times

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Say Hi to Masterji... iQue's very own eGuru! 
Follow Masterji's posts on various tips and tricks for Entrance Test Preparations

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Age limit for Entrance Exams

Disclaimer: All views expressed here are in nature of an academic debate only

There is an upper age limit imposed by the exam committee of a certain national level entrance exam. Last year, this limit was challenged by a couple of students who had crossed the age limit. A court judgment was passed in favor of the students and they were allowed to appear for the exam. However, there have been media reports which claim that the judgment notwithstanding, the age limit rule might still be enforced this year.

This article aims to explore the need for such a rule. The contrary opinion has not been discussed here. Valid opinions against the one expressed here are welcome.

There are literally thousands of students who have just completed their school education and look forward to enter the education system in some of the premier institutions of this country. The average age of such aspirants would be in the 17-19 year range. Although there may be candidates who have completed 20 years of age, the numbers who would fall in this category would be minuscule.

Suppose the age limit is removed - what could happen? What is a large number of 20+ (age) candidates appear and crack the examination? With the merit-system in place, what if none (or a few) 12th pass outs get admissions? Wouldn't it be unfair for the younger aspirants?

In absence of an age limit (and no bar on number of attempts), what is to prevent a candidate from repeatedly trying his (her) luck till (s)he cracks the exam?

 While there may be legitimate reasons as to why an older candidate wishes to join the course, these must be taken on a case to case basis. Certain strict rules regarding the eligibility of candidates over a certain age can be added as exceptions to the age rule. One condition could be the number of attempts that such a candidate is allowed.

While no system is perfect, it is worth thinking about the rationale behind certain rules and how to deal with genuine cases where the rule reduces one's chances at a good future.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

GK - Current Affairs (21 November 2014)

Sanskrit Bharati - an RSS outfit - wants the HRD ministry to make teaching of Sanskrit compulsory in CBSE-affiliated schools till Class 12.

India pushes for entry into elite nuclear groups Click here to read entire article

Sixty one India fishermen on board 11 boats were arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency Click here to read entire article

Mullaperiyar water level touches 142 feet for first time in 35 years Click here to read entire article

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of Japan's parliament on Friday, paving the way for a general election next month. Click here to read entire article

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Public Prosecutor in 2G cases, Anand Grover, on Thursday said there was credibility in the allegations of the NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, accusing the CBI Director Ranjit Sinha of shielding the accused in the 2G spectrum investigation. Click here to read entire article

Pakistan and Russia on Thursday signed a military cooperation agreement to deepen their defence ties and vowed to translate their relationship in “tangible” terms during the first visit of a Russian Defence Minister in 45 years. Click here to read entire article

N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu and chairman of Kasturi and Sons, publishers of The Hindu, has been selected for the first N. Ramachandran Foundation Award. Click here to read entire article

Reading - for beginners

Some time back, on a public forum, a non-reader has asked for some good books to be recommended. In tune with my own tastes, I suggested a few authors. However, the person felt that the content of the books were - at times - explicit and hence, not suitable for young readers. Now, although I did not feel then, that Archer, Sheldon and Grisham were explicit authors, I understand the discomfiture that a person would feel in reading a 'single' line of 'such content' in a 500 page novel.

A few days back, one of the teachers at my organization recommended 'Enid Blyton' to some first time readers. And that switched on the light bulb in my head!

Of course! The count less hours of fun that I had (when I was 6-7 years old) with Malory Towers, The Famous Five and the Secret Seven was amazing. This was the right kind of content to be recommended to someone who was ultra-prudish about the 'morality' of the content of 'those English type books'.

What did I do next? Well, as anyone who knows me would predict, I logged on to my favorite e-commerce website (no free promos for them here) and ordered entire box sets of Malory Towers, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven and The Naughtiest Girl at School.

JFYI, I've been devouring these books at the rate of about 1.5 books per day!