It is a technology driven world and new technologies are being introduced to the human life every day. Mankind now thrives on different kinds of tools and machineries. We can see that in every sector the technology has it impact, the education sector is no exception. The technical impact can see from the teaching aid to the evaluation process, from admission to the completion of the program the technology is widely using. The Online education is one of the newest education formats in our country, completely impelled by technology.  As the moves in a fast pace we see a lot of technical introduction in many practices in the education Industry. One such change is the CBT, Computer Based Test which now seems to replace the paper-pencil test.

As a student of this modern world you have to know about the CBT since most of the exams are for a change from the conventional paper-pencil to CBT or commonly online tests. The Online test hasn’t a long history in India. The Nation gave attention towards the CBT, when the IIMs declared that they are going to conduct the CAT 2009 in an online format.

In the examination scenario the decision taken by the IIMs is practically an experiment. But unfortunately the experiment taken together by IIMs and Prometric- a technology associate of US based ETS proved a failure in our country. The CAT 2009 created a lot of mess in our country and hence we don’t have any shortage for different flags a long agitation and concerns were carried across the country. The Government also forced to take care of the scenario and some leaders were suggested that India doesn’t need any more Online tests.

The IIMs stands for the premier management education so they have to act as a role model for the future business executives and CEOs. They have to be innovative and ready to take risks and challenges. In the next year IIMs and Prometric strongly come back with the online test by correcting all the limitation of the previous year.

The nation witnessed a new technological practice in India by the successful chronicle of CAT 2010. After that the popularity of the online test increased tremendously in our country and lakhs of exams were carried out in online format in India. Here are some points for the students which will help you to know about the online tests and will be helpful for you when taking such exams.

What is CBT ya Online tests????

The computer based tests are nothing but a way of conducting the exams electronically. There are different forms of online test available across the world and in the present time millions of tests were conducting in this mode. Initially the test was used by the IT firms for the purpose of the certificate exams and now it is widely used in the academic world also.

Here the students are provided with the computers and the questions were displayed on the screen by following the commands. Today’s world provides a positive response for the online exams. The candidates experience in taking such exams also increased substantially and the technological advancement replaced the monochrome and bulky systems to the light weight and flat desktops with high speed internet connections.

The technology enables conduct of sophisticated exams with multimedia rich content and more and more innovative problem types. Now the country is opened to many test centers which support the advance technological revolution. In India many entrance exams, recruiting tests and evaluation tests are carried out in the online mode which once carried out in the traditional format.

CBT: The Benefit for the Stake holders

CBT have many advantage over the paper-pencil based test for its stake holders, both the students and to the administrators.

The online test helps the provider to reduce the complexity in conducting an exam. Today the exams become more transparent and reduce the gap between the test and result. Also the CBT is an easy and safely way of carrying the exam since it have a less or no chance of malpractices and leakage.  The results are also made transparent that reduces the further issues over the outcome.

The candidates are enjoying the greatest benefit of the online exams. It provides the students a flexibility to set up the exams based on his/her interest. The system enables the candidate to fix a convenient date, time and location or can go with the on-demanding tests.

Some online test allows the students to register just a week before the exams and many CBT platforms also provide the mock test for the students. This will enable students access to exam from anywhere. Also the exams won’t keep the students in the heights of tension and anxiety by making them waiting longer for the results. The tests are so systematic that the result may available just after the test or published within a week.

Some Myths…

There are some misunderstanding related to the online exams are common in India. The major one is relating the special training for the test. There is a group of people who thinks that the candidates need a particular education to take the test. Only those who avail to the training can perform well in the examination. But the fact is that there is no such education is needed for the candidates. The only requirement is the basic working knowledge on computer. The students are not required to prepare in a completely different way for taking down the exams.

Another is related to the performance of the students. Some think that there is a significant difference in the student’s score while taking the CBT exams and that of the paper based tests. But the reality is there is no such difference will take place. The mode of the exam, whether it is a computer based one or paper-pencil, it won’t determine your score. It is your preparation and hard work show the color of the score. The significance difference lies in the individual not in the format of the examination.

The Computer based tests are used to reduce the challenges related to the exam development and delivery. It is for to make sure that the students are receiving a valid and reliable test. The students need to take care of the deadlines and instruction regarding each test format. It will be nice if they can take practice tests and familiar with the system. There is nothing wrong in practicing more and more so that you don’t have to face a time to complain about the test format or anything else!!!