The relatively easy questions eased the tension of hundreds of students who appeared for KEAM 2020, the entrance examination for admissions to engineering and pharmacy courses amidst the COVID-19 crisis here on Thursday.
The aspirants were welcomed by volunteers in PPE kits at the entrance of nearly 175 centres in Ernakulam. Their body temperature was recorded and hands sanitised before being permitted into the classrooms. Over 11,000 students appeared for the entrance test in the district.
Jackson Stephen, an aspirant, said that the maths paper held in the afternoon session was quite easy. “There was no difficulty as the majority of the questions were easy,” he said.
Aiswarya Anil, a student writing the exam for the second time, said that the maths paper was easy compared with the physics and chemistry questions. “But that does not mean that physics and chemistry questions were tough,” she said.
Students who appeared at various centres said that the care and safety measures seen in the morning were missing after the examination. “There was no social distancing among the aspirants as they were all permitted to come out of the classrooms all together after the exam was over. We were asked to leave our bags at a temporary facility and there was a scramble for collecting them back,” they said. Parents had also turned up in large numbers to collect their children after the exam.
