What Exams During COVID 19 Times Will Look Like?

Coronavirus pandemic has stalled all examination activities for an uncertain amount of time. Candidates are eagerly waiting for exams to happen.
If you are one of the candidates, then you might have some questions about how exactly these exams will happen and what will be the guidelines which everyone has to follow to keep the virus at bay.

Here’s the latest information on how examination authorities are planning to conduct exams in the wake of COVID 19.

When and how exams will be conducted?

Examination authorities are now extending their hands and have provided notifications for the postponed exams. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced new dates for NEET and JEE entrance examinations.

NEET will be held on 13th September.

The JEE-Main entrance exam will be held from September 1 to 6, and the JEE Advanced exam will be conducted on September 27.

What precautions exam authorities will be taking to prevent the COVID-19?

Exam authorities will be consistent with the country’s COVID 19 guidelines to protect their staff, management, and students. They will definitely follow all the safety protocols laid by the Central Government, State Government, the MHRD, MHA, and WHO to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Some of the precautionary measures exam authorities will take are as follows:

• 5-Step safe and diligent frisking process with Hand Held Metal Detector (HHMDs).
• Providing personal hygiene items timely and duly to each candidate.
• The face-recognition biometric authentication system
• Keeping an eye on all the students with live CCTV surveillance to monitor social distancing.

Examination authorities will pay special attention to sanitization, social distancing, availability of PPE kits, face masks, and infrared thermometers while conducting examinations.

Here is a list of new exam guidelines and SOP issued by MHRD and MHA

1. In case there is a restriction on movements in certain areas, admit/ identity cards issued to the students should be treated as a pass for the movement of students. State governments should issue instructions to all local authorities to issue movement passes to invigilators and all personnel engaged in the conduct of the examination.
2. Entire examination center floors and walls, doors, gates, should be sprayed with disinfectant.
3. Fresh masks and gloves to be used by exam functionaries after staff verification is done.
4. Sanitizer bottles should be arranged at the entry gate, examination rooms, staff/observer room, etc., and should be replenished regularly.
5. All liquid hand wash bottles should be replenished in restrooms and entry gates whenever required
6. The candidate Seating Area should be thoroughly sanitized (desk and the chair) after every session.
7. All the washrooms should be cleaned and disinfected.
8. All door handles, staircase railing rift buttons, etc. should be disinfected.
9. Wheelchairs, if present at the examination centres, should be disinfected.
10. All the trash bins should be cleaned.
11. Staff verification and self-declaration as suggested below must be done as soon as they report at the Centre

• Exam functionaries must submit self-declaration about health status.
• An infrared thermometer check must be done at the staff entrance point
• If any examination functionary fails to meet the self-declaration criteria or thermo-gun check, he/she will be asked to leave the examination centre immediately
• Exam functionary needs to wear the mask and gloves at all time

Read: How India Is Using Technology To Pass The COVID 19 Exam?

12. Cleanliness and hygienic conditions as per the safety and health advisories of the concerned government departments are to be maintained at all places.
13. Proper signages, symbols, posters, etc. should be displayed at appropriate places to maintain social distancing.
14. Downloading of the ‘Arogya Setu’ App may be advised for every staff and student of the university and college.
15. Adequate arrangements of thermal scanners, sanitizers, facemasks, and hand gloves at all entry and exit points including the reception area. Wherever possible, students should be given fresh face masks by the Invigilators in the examination room itself.
16. Avoid crowding at entry and exit points.
17. Opening all the gates, of entry and exit, in case HEIs have more than one gate.
18. Senior staff should monitor the entry and exit. There should be proper markings with at least a 2-meter distance where students stand while waiting for the opening of the college gate. The exit of students should be permitted one by one only.
19. Thermal screening of students, wearing of face mask, sanitizing of hands, etc. be ensured.
20. The Invigilators, while on duty, should be continuously wearing masks, and proper hand gloves.
21. The students should be asked to sanitize their hands before and after signing the attendance Sheet.
22. Students having symptoms of fever, cough and cold should be either made to sit in a separate room or given a chance to appear on another day.
23. Hand washing stations with facilities of liquid soap should be made available so that every student can wash her/his hand frequently.
24. Keeping in view the physical distancing, institutions should have adequate room capacity to meet the proper seating arrangement for examination. The minimum distance between the two students should be 2 meters.
25. Adequate arrangements for safe drinking water be made on the campus.
26. An adequate supply of water in toilets and for hand washing be ensured.
27. At the end of the day-
28. Used gloves and masks should be disposed of only in a pedal push covered bin at the Examination Centre and outside the examination room/hall
29. Safely dispose of all used masks and gloves discarded at the examination centers or outside the examination centre in trash bin bags at a suitable place and as per standard guidelines issued by the health authority
30. Maintain a record of all exam functionaries
31. Records of all exam functionaries will be maintained in the system for future reference and traceability.
32. Invigilator records are maintained in the system through staff verification processes.

At Innovatiview, we believe that NTA will follow all the pointers mentioned above before restarting the examinations. And therefore, the long wait for major competitive exams is about to get over with a diligently active system in place.