BENGALURU: With the Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) Prelims 2020 clashing on Sunday, many preferred to take the former over the Central competitive examinations.
As there were only two centres — Bengaluru and Dharwad — for the UPSC prelims, most candidates who had registered for both the competitive exams preferred taking the TET, mainly because of uncertainties over when the next TET will be held.
The UPSC Prelims are conducted annually, but was delayed until October 4 this year due to the pandemic.
As many as 2,04,441 students attempted the TET, recording 84 per cent attendance. The figures for UPSC Prelims attendance across the state (mainly in Bengaluru and Dharwad) are still being compiled, but officials admitted that it was thin.
TET more accessible for candidates than UPSC
The TET, which was held at 886 centres across the state, was more accessible for the candidates than the UPSC Prelims, although an option to change the centre was provided for the candidates on a first-come-first-served basis. Aspirants for civil services under UPSC had pinned their hopes on the competitive exams being postponed after some of them had petitioned the Supreme Court. However the top court, on Wedensday last, refused to postpone the UPSC examination, leaving students with little choice.
“I chose to write the TET over UPSC, as one does not know when the next TET will be held and posts called for. The UPSC exams, on the other hand, are held annually,” said an aspirant in Bengaluru. “Some students had even written to the UPSC in September to postpone the examination scheduled for October 4, when the TET examination dates were announced, and the dates were clashing. However students had got no response from the commission until the apex court’s decision,” he added.
TET Paper-1, which was attempted by Diploma in Education (DEd) holders, was easier for the candidates than Paper-2 attempted by BEd graduates as well as DEd holders. Paper-1 was attempted by 74,976 candidates while 1,47,307 wrote Paper-2. Covid-19-positive candidates were allowed to write both the papers, and each district was mandated to have one Covid Care Centre for those infected to write the examination. UPSC aspirants taking the prelims exams had to wear masks, carry a santizer bottle and maintain social distance.