Candidates appearing for the state joint entrance examination on Sunday will be allowed to carry home a copy of their Optical Mark Recorder (OMR) answer sheet.
The state JEE board said 1,20,856 candidates are expected to take the test for admission to BTech courses in engineering colleges across Bengal. Examinees will be provided with “2-ply OMR sheets containing two carbonless copies”.
Ply means something that is made of distinct layers or threads. Of the two copies, one will be for the board and the other for the candidate.
“After the examination, candidates will have to submit the board’s copy of the OMR sheet to the invigilator while retaining their own copy,” the board said.
The JEE board uploads the model and final answer keys before the publication of results, and the OMR sheets are evaluated on the basis of these keys.
Candidates can challenge the model answer keys before the board releases the final “frozen” answers.
“This year, we have gone a step further by allowing candidates to retain a copy of the OMR sheet to ensure transparency. Once the scanned images of the OMR sheets and the model answer keys are uploaded, candidates can tally their responses with the hard copy in their possession. This will boost their confidence,” a JEE board official said.
The state JEE exams will be conducted at 267 centres in two sessions — maths
from 11am to 1pm, and physics and chemistry from 2pm to 4pm.
Candidates have been asked to report to their exam centres at least one-and-a-half hours before the commencement of the exams.
Of the 267 venues, 264 are in Bengal. Two venues are in Tripura and one in Assam.
The board will frisk candidates before they enter exam centres with hand-held metal detectors. The board said it would deploy roving observers equipped with Radio Frequency Detectors to prevent malpractice involving electronic devices. Mobile phones will not be allowed inside exam halls.
Candidates will be allowed to carry only transparent water bottles inside the hall.