As major examination reforms, the Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) has decided to conduct the Engineering, Agriculture, Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) 2016 online, provide 1+1 OMR sheets to candidates and introduce biometric system at all centres.
This is perhaps the first time that such academic reforms have been introduced for the EAMCET. A high-power committee comprising of officials from TSCHE, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Birla Institute of Technology Pilani, Hyderabad conveners of EAMCET, ICET, PGECET-2016 studied the introduction of new initiatives in the common entrance test. After having detailed discussions, the committee resolved to implement the reforms.
In the upcoming EAMCET exam scheduled to be held on May 2, students will have to enter their finger print before entering the examination hall. The finger print data will be verified at the time of certificate verification during web counseling for permitting the candidates for admission. The same data will also be used for fee reimbursement/release of scholarships etc.
Introduction of the online exam for EAMCET is also being welcomed by all the stakeholders. “The total number of applications for TS EAMCET (AM) stream are expected to be more than one lakh and with the available infrastructure it may be difficult to hold online examination for one lakh candidates in a single session. Hence the committee’s recommendation that both online and offline (OMR) tests be conducted this year,” said T Papi Reddy, chairman of TSCHE. A cap of 25,000 has been put on the online test.
Students will be allowed to take up the online mode on first-come-first-served basis. Once the upper limit is reached, the TSCHE will shift other candidates to the offline mode. Students can choose their options of online/offline mode while registering for the exam on the EAMCET website, said officials. Students can register for the exam without late fee till March 28.
There would only be two examination centres for the online mode – Hyderabad and Warangal. Besides the online examination centre, the TSCHE’s decision to give carbon copy of the OMR sheet to the students has also emerged as a welcome move. “If students are given a carbon copy of the OMR sheet, they won’t have complaints over evaluations,” opined Reddy.
So far, the TSCHE has received total 54,887 applications out of which 24,630 applications are for engineering, 29,689 for agriculture and medicine and 284 for both.