CLAT Mock Test: Students complain of navigation problems, demand changes

NEW DELHI: The Consortium of National Law Universities (CNLU) has conducted a mock test for CLAT UG candidates on July 17 to familiarize the candidates with the online mode of conduct. Some other mock tests for both UG and PG candidates will also be conducted before the examination.

However, the online mode and the exam interface did not get the acceptance of the candidates as some started pointing out the issues they faced in the mock tests.

According to Dinesh, a CLAT aspirant, who is appearing in the CLAT UG, the online exam is good but the rules and instructions regarding the test should be changed as it does not allow you to navigate from one section to another.

There are many questions on the mind of the test takers, most of it related to safety precautions and technicalities of the online exam, like navigation. Some of the key concerns of the students are explained below.

• In the present interface, the CLAT mock test doesn't allow the students to navigate from one section to the other. For example, if a candidate wants to prioritise legal aptitude over English or Mathematics, he cannot do so. The students, who prefer prioritising the sections, would like a more flexible interface.

• The exam instruction clearly says that the questions marked for review will not be considered for evaluation. So, if a student leaves a question for review and wants to move to the next section assuming that he will be able to answer that question after answering the other questions, the present system doesn't allow it.

• Some students are asking for better fonts and a simplified outlook as reading the comprehension passages on the screen requires such a habit of reading online material. And, those who are facing the online examination for the first time (Which is very common in CLAT UG as most of the students have appeared in the school examination) may not adopt the present system so easily.

• In offline exams, the candidates are allowed to attempt any question from any section of the paper, but in the CLAT mock test, the candidates have been forced to answer each section separately in a given order.

CLAT responds

When contacted, the exam authorities came out with a response clarifying that the mock tests are an opportunity for the Consortium of NLUs to iterate and arrive upon a format and mechanism that assures a balance between the test integrity and a good candidate experience. It also informs that the Consortium will announce any changes in the mock test format before the next set of mock tests.

The final set of instructions for the actual CLAT 2020 examination will be announced well before the date of the examination.

Will CLAT exam centres be increased?

Last year, CLAT was conducted across 67 cities. However, this year, the COVID-19 situation has affected the ease of travel. Considering this, the consortium announced that CLAT 2020 will be conducted at 203 locations across the country.

However, the Consortium is open to increase the exam centres further if required. The objective of increasing the number of exam centres is to reduce the travel time for the candidates and reducing the rate of students per centre so that social distancing can be maintained.

Also Read:

Home-based online remote-proctored AILET 2020 vs Centre-based online CLAT 2020: A Comparison
CLAT 2020 online exam to be held at 203 locations, up from 67 locations announced earlier

Write to us at news@careers360.com