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NDA exam: 10K aspirants appear at 40 centres in Chandigarh
The Chandigarh administration had issued directions that candidates appearing for the exam should not be stopped, even as the weekend lockdown was in force on Sunday
The National Defence Academy (NDA) and Naval Academy (NA) exam, organised by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), was conducted smoothly at around 40 centres in Chandigarh on Sunday. Around 10,000 candidates from neighbouring states like Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh appeared at exam centres in the city.
To facilitate the students, the UT administration had issued directions that candidates appearing for the exam should not be stopped, even as the weekend lockdown was in force on Sunday. Candidates confirmed that they were not inconvenienced in any way while they were on their way to appear for the exam.
Taking measures to ensure Covid norms are followed, thermal screening was conducted at the entrance gates, entry without masks wasn’t allowed and social distancing was maintained. Lines were formed before the exam started at 10am.
Most candidates were happy that the exam wasn’t delayed even as the CBSE examinations for Class-12 students has been postponed. Harjot Singh, a resident of Patiala said, “ I am glad that this exam wasn’t cancelled, as it would have made students restless, as there’s only so much one can revise.” Other students also aired similar sentiments.
However, students from many centres said that attendance in their class was around 50% of the total class strength. Saying that low attendance could be attributed to this exam being held twice in a year and the second Covid wave , Kunal Singh, who runs a coaching centre in Sector 34 said, “While attendance stayed on the lower side this year, the cut-off is still likely to go high. The mathematics portion was easier than previous years and the second exam was also NCERT based.”
The exam was to be conducted in two shifts, with a mathematics exam between 10am to 12pm and a general ability test between 2pm and 4pm.
However, confusion broke out at Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 32, as the authorities wouldn’t let students leave the centre in between the two exams. However, it wasn’t mentioned in the exam notification that students aren’t allowed to go out in between shifts.
