The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2020 had rolled out its mock exams today to registered students and apparently it is still a work-in-progress that may take feedback of students’ on board.
One particular unwelcome surprise for students taking the mock may have been that, unlike a paper-based or other computer-based exams, the system prevented several standard exam-taking and optimisation techniques.
For one, the order of sections (English, current affairs, legal reasoning, logical reasoning and quantitative techniques) could not be changed, but sections had to be taken in only that order.
“This means that no student could chose his/her pattern as per his strengths or weakness,” commented Dr Shashank Singhal, who is an advocate of the Allahabad high court who has been teaching CLAT aspirants for 10 years. “The CLAT exam has fixed the order as English - GK- Legal - Logical - Quants. This means, that the individual preference of the student is diluted and the authorities are imposing a pattern on each student which would suit a section of students and maybe, none.”
Second, once a section has been completed (or not, if a candidate has left some answers blank hoping to get to them later), the current software explicitly warned students before moving onto the next section that “you cannot revisit and edit your responses upon submission”.
Singhal explained that this had two consequences, in particular. “Once we attempt the first section (English) and move on to the second section (GK), we cannot visit the first section again. Therefore, any number of questions, which are marked for review, can’t be reviewed by the students, which in itself fails the purpose of an online exam.”
“The second drawback is that a student who is taking the exam is expected to be good at the sections asked in the exam and not in astrology,” he added. “Herein, the authorities are expecting the student to predict the toughness of the subsequent sections and thereby decide the time given to a preceding section beforehand.
“This is balderdash, nonsensical and the most weird mode of online exam conducted ever by any examination authority.” “Consider a situation, if a student has 30 minutes left for the last two sections i.e. Logical Reasoning and Quants,” Singhal explained. “He decides to solve Logical first and then Quants in the last 15 minutes, and Quants turns out to be a very tough section, while on the other hand, some other student goes all out in Logical and gives less time to Quants, and Quants, being tough wouldn’t give him any marks. The latter student will be benefiting manifold. It is hugely unfair.”
CLAT may do iterative re-design
We contacted several members of the CLAT consortium, one of whom responded under condition of anonymity, saying: “This is precisely why we did the mocks. We will revise and redesign iteratively.”
“We have to balance anti cheating/integrity measures and convenience” the official added. “So review options and section order options will be based on feedback and evidence.”
The second CLAT mock exam is scheduled for 24 July.
“It is the most weird mock/paper pattern for online exams I have seen in the last ten years,” commented Singhal. “The new pattern is weird, nonsensical and above all, highly unfair.”
Comments
1. The fonts and formatting is terrible. Please refer to the sample online mocks rendered for CAT and other online entrance exam by NTA and other agencies. The mocks are available on the government websites for everyone to attempt. You will probably understand the mediocrity demonstrated by CLAT consortium.
2. Just because a wrong thing is same for everyone, does not make it a right thing for everyone. As public institutions claiming to be elite in their approach, they are accountable for every decision they take especially when it will affect the life of 40K people or more.
3. I understand my privilege to be something that puts others competing in CLAT at a disadvantage. You calling a properly formatted question paper to be privilege is incorrect. Asking for a properly formatted paper makes things better for everyone and ensures a level playing field. For instance this comment you are reading is comfortable to read because of the automatic formatting, imagine otherwise.
4. Please remember, we all lose when people are treated unfairly and not on their individual merit. For some people it is do or die situation. Some people have invested months and years preparing for it. [b]Think of the money and emotions invested[/b]. Least what can be done is make CLAT a comfortable experience for everyone taking it.
2. These universities aren't funded federally and the provincial funding is scant. This is one way for the institution's to make it possible that they remain working for you to join after clearing the damn exam.
3. The top 3/4 can give a return of 4000 application fee plus 5 years of investment by way of first years salary. If you don't want that chance, join an undergraduate degree and then go the LLB way. There are options there as well.
The entire purpose of conducting exams like these is not to give 'preference' to 'intelligent students' as you, so conviniently believe; it is rather to NOT give any 'preference' to anyone at all. Labelling students prematurely as 'intelligent' or 'not so intelligent' is despicable, and 'nonsensical', in my opinion. It should, in all sincerity, be fair to all students taking the exam. As an aspiring law student, I have assessed the mock released by the consortium and it in no way seems practical and fair to me.
Dr. Singhal's reasoning about knowing the toughness of the subsequent sections is also absolutely correct. A quick glance at the sections sometimes guides the pattern students attempt the paper in.
The consortium should not impose this, especially with just a month left for the exam.
Today when i gave mock i was troubling with time. I cannot able to switch to whichever i want . It should be allowed to aspirants to switchover whatever section they want .
Hoping for the best .
1. Online proctoring like NLUD and JGLS.
2. Have CLAT in Jan and make the batch of July 2020 a Feb 2021 batch. Make them graduate by December 2024 or even earlier, so that a year is not lost.