I took the exam at Aditya Institute of Management Studies and Research in Mumbai in the first slot. For people who are taking the exam at this centre, commuting by train would be the best bet as the centre is only about ten minutes away from Borivali railway station and rickshaws are easily available.
The centre was not difficult to spot, however finding a way to get inside took some time. While the institute is located on the main road, candidates taking the exam had to get in through another gate which was off the main road. Finding that ‘other’ gate was bit of an issue in the morning.
The registration process at the institute was a smooth affair. The turnout was pretty low (only 19 students) and the registration process did not take too much time. There was no change in the registration process and the security arrangements. Nothing was allowed inside the exam hall, not even a handkerchief!
After the biometric scanning process, all the candidates were sent to the exam hall by 9.30 am. The candidates were a usual ‘first-day’ mix comprising of coaching class teachers, and some serious and some ‘not-so’ serious MBA aspirants. While the officials were trying to upload the exam for the first couple of candidates, there was an error due to which the exam database could not be accessed. However, the problem lasted only 10 minutes and the exam was administered on time.
None of the problems witnessed last year, were experienced at the centre. The entire exam was a smooth, error-free affair. At the end of it though, a couple of test takers had a small argument with the authorities as they were not allowed to leave the exam lab even after the stipulated time was over. The authorities cited some silly reason that the papers were being submitted and nobody could leave the hall till 12.45 pm. However, better sense prevailed and the candidates were let out at 12.25 pm.
What are the candidates saying
Ankita Agarwal, who took her exam in Eastern Institute For Integrated Learning In Management, Kolkata found the paper to be of a moderate difficulty level. “The verbal section was easy, though tricky,” she said.
Similar views were echoed by Ronak Thakkar and Mahesh Nallamala, both working professionals, who took the exam in Mumbai. “The level of difficulty of the exam was higher than last year,” said Mahesh. Ronak saw an error message after he submitted the paper but it was resolved quickly. The Vikhroli centre saw a decent turnout of about 70 students.
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