This was the first year that the CBSE made online application compulsory for all
offline and online aspirants
The number of students opting for the computer-based All
India Engineering Entrance Exam (AIEEE) has jumped from a mere 4,900 students last
year to around 1.96 lakh this year, Mumbai. However, as part of the Central
Board of Secondary Educations (CBSE) move to encourage more students to opt for
the computer-based test this year, the education board did not have any centres
to administer the paper pen test in 22 major cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru
and Kolkata.
Several students who are not confident about the computer-based testing have now
opted for exam centres in smaller cities. AIEEE is one of the largest entrance tests
conducted across the country by the CBSE, with more than 10 lakh taking the test
every year. In 2011, around 11.13 lakh students applied for the exam, this year
the number of applications received by the board is around 13 lakh, almost a 16% rise. This was the first year that the CBSE made online application compulsory
for all offline and online aspirants. In the second year of implementation of the
computer-based exam, the total number of students taking the online exam has risen
from 4% last year to 15% in 2012.
CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma said, in 2011, there was no problem in the implementation
of the online exam. The test scores of AIEEE are accepted by several institutes
in the country and therefore the overall demand is also high. Several students are
worried about the online application process. Sharma, however, said that the information
uploaded is being processed and therefore it will take a while for students to get
a confirmation. Students have time till January 10 to make changes in their forms,
added Sharma.
However, not all students are confident about the computer-based test. According
to Aakash Chaudhry, director of Aakash Institute that manages coaching centres across
the country, said, several students in Delhi have opted for centres in neighboring
cities like Faridabad as they were not confident about the online test. Seeing the
experience of students in Common Admission Test for MBA aspirants in the first two
years, students are worried. Though the process will settle down in the next one
or two years, students are unwilling to risk their careers. One of the students
from Andheri said, when we were applying for the exam, we were told that for the
offline test, we would have to travel to Thane. So I have opted for the online exam.
Avnita Bir, principal of RN Podar School, said, many colleges prefer AIEEE scores.
Therefore the number of students appearing for the test is increasing.
Courtesy: Times of India
