Parents waiting outside the AIEE examination centre in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 2: Parents and guardians who had accompanied their wards to the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) on Sunday were left high and dry after it was delayed by over three hours following reports of question paper leak.

There were reports of leak of the AIEEE question papers in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday night, which had led to the rescheduling of the test across the country by a few hours. Thousands of students reached the various examination centres in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela only to find that it had been postponed.

The AIEEE is held in two parts. While the first paper is for Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) aspirants, the second paper is for candidates willing to pursue Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.). The first exam, slated for 9.30am, began at 12 noon. The second paper, scheduled to start at 2pm, started at 4pm.

Students were visibly anxious and upset at the confusion and commotion created at the exam centres. “We had just began writing the test when the invigilator took away our answer sheets. We were very disappointed when we were told the reasons. We had spent sleepless nights to prepare for this exam and had gone to the centre with a focussed frame of mind. The confusion and commotion affected our performance. I made silly mistakes,” said Swati Mishra, an engineering aspirant.

Another student Vedanta Kanungo, who had come from Cuttack to appear for the test at one of the centres in the capital, had to wait for nearly two and half hours in the sun.

“We were asked to leave the examination hall and wait outside. They made no arrangements for us to sit or to provide water,” Vedanta said.

Some students, who had planned to take the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) examination in late afternoon after the AIEEE test, could not appear for the AFMC examination as various centres were common for both the tests, said Aditya, another student.

“Those who could not write the test this time can take it on May 8. These students will have to attempt a different set of question paper. However the all-India ranking list would be the same for all the candidates. This would be unfair,” he said.

Parents who had left their wards at the respective examination centres also suffered. “The centre authorities said the examination has been rescheduled to 12pm but many news channels reported it would be held at 12.30pm. Some of them even said the test has been cancelled,” said Namita Ray, a parent.

As the daytime temperature soared, parents could be seen standing under the shades of trees and walking outside the centres impatiently. “There was utter confusion and chaos. Some people told us that the examination has been postponed to May 8 and we were not sure whether to stay back or leave for the day. It was equally disturbing for the students,” said Pradeep Majhi, a parent. The turn of events was even more disturbing for candidates who had come from far-off places.

Ajay Jena, who had come with his son all the way from Puri, was spotted waiting outside the BJEM School examination centre. Blaming the organisers for their inefficient way of handling the exam schedule, Jena said: “It was very upsetting. It was so confusing that I had to book a lodge so that we could make ourselves available at the examination centre anytime,”

However, the test was conducted peacefully. Police were deployed at various centres to maintain law and order.