Swati Anand - Times News Network
Bangalore, Jun 24: Get set for another CET. This test is for PhD applicants! Tired of receiving inane dissertation papers and approving them simply because a candidate would have put in five or six years, and also faced with the dilemma of approving thousands of applicants for PhD, all state universities have decided to conduct an entrance test to screen applicants.
The move which will come into effect this academic year will, however, be university-specific. A candidate has to make a presentation about his project to a doctoral panel once in three months.
At its last meeting, the BU academic council meeting suggested that candidates be assessed on their performance in two papers of the CET.A merit list will be prepared by allotting 50% marks for entrance test and 50% for PG marks.
The CET format has been left to the discretion of each university. "This has been done since the generic aptitude and exposure of candidates vary in different parts of the state," university sources said.
Candidates, who have passed examinations like NET/SLET/GATE/JRF or M Phil or belonging to FIP/QIP programmes are exempted from the CET. Also, candidates selected to work under specialised-funded projects and government-sponsored foreign students can directly register for a PhD programme.
It is also mandatory that before applying for a PhD, a candidate has to have had at least two articles published in a recognised journal. The move has evoked mixed reactions from vice-chancellors.
"We used to conduct a CET a few years back, but there was not a single failure. So the test was redundant," said Mysore V-C Shashidhar Prasad. Mangalore V-C K M Cauveryappa feels it is not possible to judge the ability of a candidate of study by a generic test.
"Instead, it will be better if the guide interviews the candidate," he said. However, universities cannot escape the CET as it is an Inter-University Board decision. BU has suggested that candidates be tested on general aptitude and on techniques of research methodology.
"The aim of the CET should be to assess the aptitude of the candidate towards research and not just his knowledge," said former BU VC M S Thimmappa.