meraMD's Doctor Community

Pune: In a move aimed at ensuring greater transparency, the state government has decided to release the model answer key for the MHT-CET 2009 within a few days of holding the combined entrance exam for engineering, pharmacy and health science courses.
   The move, which is a partial replication of the system followed by the Karnataka government in conducting the CET exam there, would enable students to make a fair assessment of how they performed in the exam even before the results were out.
   “We will release the answer key within days of the exam, on the official website of the Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER),” state secretary for medical education and research Bhushan Gagarani said on Wednesday. He, however, ruled out an outright replication of the Karnataka system.
   The DMER is the competent authority for the combined entrance exam that annually draws more than 2 lakh engineering, medical and pharmacy degree course aspirants from across Maharashtra and outside the state. Last year, 56,881 engineering seats while 3,785 medical and 3,935 pharmacy seats were up for grabs.
   In Karnataka, the CET candidates are allowed to carry a replica of the optical mark reader (OMR) answer sheet after writing their test. The facilitate this, OMR comprises two sheets. The top sheet is used for the purpose of marking correct answers and later scanning as well as evaluation, while the bottom sheet is returned to the candidate after completion of the test.
   The Karnataka Examination Authority posts the answer key within seven days of the exam to enable the candidates to cross-check their answer and make an assessment of how they have performed. In case of any objection raised by either the candidates, their parents or lecturers, the same are entertained within three days of releasing the answer key and an expert committee takes a final call on the issue.
   “The system leaves little scope for any complaint by candidates at a later stage,” said Kedar Takalkar, president of Vidya Samata Manch, a city-based academic group, which has been demanding the adoption of a similar system by the state. “We made representations to the then minister for medical education and research Dilip Walse-Patil as well as his successor, Rajesh Tope,” Takalkar said.
   Gagarani confirmed the government has received similar representations from various organisations. “We should not follow every step of other governments,” Gagarani said, adding, “Our own CET system is quite good and there have hardly been any major complaints in the past about errors or wrongdoing in evaluation of scores.”
  
The state government will release an answer key for the MHT-CET 2009 within a few days of holding the combined entrance exam for engineering, pharmacy and health science courses   

The move will enable students to make a fair assessment of how they performed in the exam even before the results were declared.

(Vishwas Kothari, The times of India, 22 Jan 2009)

• CET