Aspiring MBA students angry over discrepancies in results
STUDENTS FAIL, SECURE LOW MARKS IN ENTRANCE TEST FOR MBA; NO RESPONSE FROM AICTE
Students who appeared for Common Management Admission Test (CMAT), an online entrance test for Master of Business Administration (MBA) have complained about discrepancies in the test results. Large number of students have scored low marks, students on one centre have got same high marks while all students of one particular centre have failed and have got zero marks.
In agitation, around 500 students who appeared for this test on January 20 have started a Facebook page CMAT 2018 SCAM. The results were announced on February 15 officially on the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) website which is the apex body that manages management colleges. But when the results were declared online students pointed out various errors.
Large number of students have secured very low marks. Kavya Phadke, a student said, "Many of us have secured very low marks. This is the first time students have got such low marks. We found it suspicious because never have such a large number of students got this low marks. In addition, all toppers are from the same centre. Students of a centre at Gurgaon have all got same marks in General Knowledge (GK). While students of another centre have all got zero.”
Students claimed there may be a technical error but the AICTE is not responding to them. Vignesh Pandit, a student said, "We have tried contacting the AICTE officials but there is no response. The officials have raised their hands stating the entire examination, correction and result declaration process is online so they cannot do anything about it."
When The Free Press Journal contacted the AICTE Mumbai office, the officials passed the buck to AICTE Delhi Headquarters. Amit Dutta, Regional officer of AICTE Mumbai, said, "The headquarters of AICTE is in Delhi and all the procedures are conducted from there. There is a helpline number and grievance email mentioned on the website and students can contact via this for any queries. The entire process is managed from Delhi so we cannot do anything about it from Mumbai."
Students claimed this means they will have to make a trip to Delhi just to check their results. Ayesha Agarwal, a student said, "So, does this mean all of us no matter in which state we live should travel all the way to Delhi to check our results? Why does the AICTE have an office in Mumbai when it cannot do anything or even guide students? Students from different states and rural areas of India appear for this examination and it is not a joke."
CMAT is an annual competitive entrance test for MBA programmes in various fields. It is a 400 marks multiple choice question (MCQ) test with negative marking. This examination helps students to apply and take admission for MBA in any part of India. Due to this discrepancy, large number of students of Maharashtra are forced to appear for Common Entrance Test (CET) for management programmes.