One of recent news which paved the way to the dilemma about the quality of education is the writ petition regarding home-based online CMA examination. During January to February 2021 CMA examination the software vendor failed to ensure transparency and integrity. The National law admission test which was about to happen in September 2020 was also canceled by Supreme Court. The technical concerns dragged the eight days CMA examination to 24 days. The software tutorial, desktop requirement and frequent screen checking by the invigilators are essential to ensure the quality of the home-based online examination. Is the professional course CMA is up to the standard that companies expect these days? So, many academicians prefer to conduct the exam through a center-based online examination. This blog brings out the advantages and disadvantages of center-based online CMA examination.
What are the three options for CMA students in 2021?
ICMAI had combined the two sets of students such as intermediate level students and final level students and announced the online examination in December 2020. As the students face difficulty in attending the examination due to rising cases of corona virus the institute offered three options. The three options to the CMA students are opt-out, home-based online CMA examination, and center-based online CMA examination. In the case of online examination security of login credentials and transparency of the student performance, both are essential. To encourage the online platform, the institute conducted a mock test with guidelines and tutorials. Online examination becomes problematic due to technical issues and the level of transparency from the student side. If these two concerns are overruled then online examination becomes successful.
Guidelines for home-based online examination
- In the case of home-based online CMA examination, the students are not allowed to use mobile phones, electronic gadgets, and headphones.
- As phone numbers and e-mail ids are given for creating online credentials for the student he receives the time-to-time information with the help of the same credentials.
- Apart from login credentials the government address proof such as Aadhaar, Driving license, voter card, passport, or admit card issued by the institute need to be uploaded before the examination.
- The system configuration is mentioned by the ICMAI institute on their website.
- Change of place and change of device during the examination cause tracking problems. So, the student needs to maintain the same device and same place for the three hours of the examination.
- The schedule of the examination remains the same and it is not possible to re-schedule the examination without proper reason.
- Technical problems and leakage of login credentials are not engaged by the institute. So, it is essential to maintain privacy and use the network which provides faster networks.
Guidelines for center-based examination
- In the case of center-based online training, the SOPs need to be implemented.
- Sanitization of seating places, staircases, and door handle takes place before the CMA examination.
- The arrangement of the seats is as per the social distancing norms.
- The thermal scanning arrangements are organized in the entrance for all the functionaries.
- Before personal identification student should remove the mask.
- Hand sanitizer is available in the exam hall for the usage of the students and staff. It is good to sanitize for every one hour.
- Candidates must maintain social distancing with the staff and peers.
- The candidate must maintain promptness with the reporting time.
- The candidate should park the vehicles outside the exam center.
Bottom line
Punishment for the malpractice during CMA online examination is to ensure the quality. It is crucial to maintain the guidelines prescribed by the Institute for center-based CMA examination. If it comes to the notice of the institute about the unfair means of writing examination then the student is debarred from the examination for the next five terms or permanently. ICMAI circular date 21st December 2020 with reference number G/128/12/2020/1 states this treatment.
NARIC a regulatory body from the UK stated that CMA intermediate is equivalent to RFQ level six and CMA final is with the standard quality of RFQ level seven. Level six is equivalent to graduation. Level seven is equivalent to post-graduation. So, the value of the CMA course starts from global standards and it thrusts the domestic educational regulatory bodies to conduct the online examination with high standards. As the 2021 year is filled with high production and the high income it is essential to groom the skills of a cost accountant for efficient management of cost.
