JOIN USIn a series of entrance tests that are scheduled next month, the clash of two examinations on the same day has baffled students. The Common Law Admission Test 2013 (CLAT) and the entrance test conducted by Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K), UGET 2013, fall on May 12.
Both organisations have ruled out any change. The Common Law Admission Test is an all-India entrance examination conducted for admissions to 14 national law universities of India. The COMED-K under-graduate entrance test is for admissions to engineering and medical courses in the COMED-K member institutions. The CLAT is the premier entrance test for students aspiring for a career in law. It increases opportunities of getting admission to professional courses in institutions in Karnataka, in addition to the state government’s Common Entrance Test. Stuck between the two important entrances, students are in a fix. The only option for them is to now pick one test, as officials have refused to change the schedule.
V Nagaraj Vice-Chancellor of National Law University, Odisha, and former registrar of National Law School, Bangalore, said it was too late now to change the time-table for CLAT.
“The date for CLAT never alters. Every year, we conduct the exam on the second Sunday of May. Even before CLAT came into existence, National Law School, Bangalore, conducted its entrance test on the same day. This practise is being followed from many years.”
A similar situation had occurred a few years ago and at that time too, the schedules of the tests were not altered, he added. To avoid situations like this in future, students had to give a representation during November or December, giving ample time to look into the issue. Since the dates for state entrance tests were decided afresh every year, officials had to take into account the dates that were already fixed, he opined.
COMED-K executive director A S Srikanth said the board had fixed the dates in advance and there was nothing that could be done now. “Students will have to make a choice between the two entrance exams and appear for one that they are keener on,” he said.
On the students’ part, it is not an easy choice for them. Both exams are considered equally prestigious, promising lucrative career opportunities. They want to keep their options open. “I had sent mail to the CLAT authorities but there was no response. I was hoping that the timings would be altered if not the date of the exam. At least, if there was considerable time between the exams, students could have juggled the schedule,” a concerned parent told Deccan Herald.
Students who have opted for COMED-K Medical and Dental exams or for both Medical and Dental along with engineering exams will have to sit for two sessions, one from 10 am to 1 pm and another from 2:30 pm to 4 pm.
Those who have opted only for engineering entrance test will write the exam in the morning session alone. The CLAT, law admission exam, will begin on the same day at 3 pm.