Stung by repeated instances of hi-tech malpractices being reported from high-profile entrance examinations, the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) has announced a slew of preventive measures to ensure the smooth conduct of its entrance test. The test for postgraduate (PG) courses in medical and dental streams will be held on Sunday for admissions to 12 medical and 19 dental colleges.
More applicants
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, A.S. Srikanth, Chief Executive of COMED-K, said the number of applicants had gone up this year by 11 per cent compared with last year. As many as 18,418 candidates (12,909 for medical and 5,509 for dental) would be attempting the test to be held in 27 centres in Bangalore.
Mr. Srikanth gave out an exhaustive list of steps that the consortium has taken to keep a tab on exam malpractices. At the centres, the block system of seating arrangement would be followed. According to this, there will be 24 candidates in each block and no candidates sitting side-by-side or one behind one another will get a question booklet of similar version. For every block, there will be one invigilator, and for every five invigilators, there will be a room superintendent. Also, for every test centre, there will be one chief and two deputy superintendents. Jammers and metal detectors will also be installed at the centres.
Among the activities that will be bracketed as malpractice are impersonation, failure to provide acceptable photo ID proof (driving licence, PAN card, voter ID, etc), using devices and materials such as pagers, cellphones, dictionaries, reference materials, whiteners, extra papers, chits, etc, and even leaving the centre before 5 p.m.
Candidates who are caught cheating run the risk of facing a ban, having their details published on college websites and being reported to the Medical Council of India (MCI) and have their registration certificate withdrawn or annulled. The exam will be held between 2.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. For details, one can visit www.comedk.org.
