Mu’scomedyoferrorsgoeson: Bbistudentsgivenwrongpaper

75:25 format, instead of 60:40, baffles colleges, correct papers given out an hour later

MUMBAI: Three days after thirdyear students of Bachelor on Management Studies (BMS) were given a question paper based on the old syllabus, repeater students of Bachelor in Banking Insurance (BBI) were handed over the wrong question paper on Thursday.

The error was fixed almost an hour after the exam began, when the colleges brought it to the notice of the University of Mumbai (MU).

Students who fail in one or two subjects in a semester are put in the allowed to keep term (ATKT) category and get three years to clear the exam.

The question papers for the ATKT exams are supposed to be in the 60:40 pattern, but the ones given out initially were in the 75:25 format. Close to 500 students took the exam.

The colleges have to download question papers from their website, after checking the exam and the question paper code.

“When we logged on to the website, there was only one paper [in the 75:25 pattern] available. We called the university board line, and waited until the correct paper was uploaded,” said a principal of a

suburban college.

“Only a handful of our students took the exam. The exam which was scheduled to begin at 10:30am eventually started at 11:40am. We gave students extra time.”

“We were made to wait for an hour. The colleges and university should know better. Wasting time in an exam hall is not needed,” said a student who took the exam at St Andrew’s College.

Officials at the university,

however, said they were not aware of the complaints.

“The exam syllabus is the same for both the formats and the paper pattern, too, is similar. The total marks are different, but that can be taken care of, based on the performance of students,” said an official from MU, requesting anonymity.

“The university will make sure that students don’t suffer,” he said.

On Monday, third-year BMS students were given the Logis-

tics & Supply Chain Management paper meant for repeater candidates.

Until last year, the university used the electronic paper delivery system (EPDS), where the password for question papers was sent via SMS to the college principal and information technology (IT) coordinator one hour before the exam.

Colleges had to download the question papers, print and distribute the copies.

The new process allows col- leges to nominate four people from their examination or IT department, whose photo IDS will be shared with MU’S examination committee.

A question paper can be downloaded only once the webcam scan approves the identity of the person.

A one-time password (OTP) is submitted and the entire process is recorded via closed circuit television cameras set up within the dedicated exam room in every college.