In the second week of January 2017, the Medical Council of India (MCI) proposed that all medical students should take a National Exit Test to get the ‘doctor’ title. Later, even the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) proposed that engineering students should take a similar test after completing their course. The exit test for graduating engineers will assess their employability and it will be conducted for students of all institutes across India, be it private or government engineering colleges.
PaGaLGuY spoke to candidates from various engineering colleges across the country to find out what they think about this exit test. A third year BTech (Bachelor of Technology) student from the Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal, Anurag Malik, said that I am absolutely clueless about this test.
Another BTech student who is in final year at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Saurabh Awatade, said, “I don’t know if the government is planning to make the exit test compulsory for engineering students.” He continued, “But then even if they do, I am not sure if it will be helpful. Many of us plan to go for non-core jobs, and such exams, even GATE for that matter, are based on core subjects / knowledge.”
This exit test will help various employers determine the employability of engineering graduates. According to Aspiring Minds National Employability Report – Engineers 2016, only a total of 19.91% engineers get employed. A test similar to the exit exam already takes place at IIT Kharagpur. Vyom Shrivastava, fourth year student at the institute, said, “It is called the ‘Grand Viva’, which is a mandatory viva for final year students, and for which we also get credits. In the viva, a panel of professors asks engineering concepts taught in the last four/five years.”
He continued, “Personally, I don’t think it is an absolute necessity, as we all are earning degrees by clearing certain credits. However, it could be a good practice to make lazy engineers revise the engineering course.”
It is proposed that AICTE will conduct the exit test, and the government will share students’ scores with prospective employers. Other than theoretical knowledge, engineering candidates will also be tested for skills, aptitude, and critical thinking. If a bunch of students from one college, or students from a particular region don’t score well in the exit test, it will also reflect the educational institute’s performance.
Read more about the exit test for graduating engineers
Proposed exit test for engineering graduates; but what does an exit test mean?
What alumni engineers have to say about an exit test for graduating engineers
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AICTE Chairman speaks about the exit test for graduating engineers