Online
Testing
When I wanted to go abroad for higher education long ago, I had to
appear for a test. While the test itself was tough, what was tougher
still was the fact that there were no suitable timings available for me
to take the test in. For instance, most of the test days were scheduled
during weekdays, when I was more often than not in college. And on the
rare day when I was free to appear for the test, so were scores of
other students. What this meant was that there was an interminable wait
to one take the test and two to clear it before proceeding to apply for
higher education. That I managed to appear for the test and to pass it
at all is something that I look forward to with fondness!
Recently, I managed to come in touch with this kind of testing again.
But to my great joy, I discovered that it had become online testing!
Now while it may seem like a normal and natural transition, only
someone like me who has gone through the rigors of offline testing can
tell you how convenient online testing is. Online testing eliminates
most of the inconveniences of conventional offline testing. For one
thing, you no longer need to spend hours and days waiting for slots to
become free. You can register online, schedule a convenient time, and
appear for the online testing, assured that your slot will be available
for you. Secondly, if there needs to be some change of schedule, it can
be done almost instantaneously. I still remember how may trips I had to
make to the testing office in order to reschedule my testing hours due
to some or the other problem that kept cropping up. But this is not at
all the case with something like online testing.
Nowadays, nearly all the kinds of tests have migrated to the online
testing format. The best example is the TOEFL, GRE and GMAT tests that
scores of foreign students take in order to come and study in American
Universities. But why are online testing services so popular, or even
necessary. Simply put, online testing is a convenient way to evaluate
who is worthy of admission. By attracting the greatest number of
applicants and evaluating them in a non-controversial and unbiased
manner, online testing enables the separation of the wheat from the
chaff.
Online testing also has a social purpose. By enabling students from all
over the world, no matter what their status or social standing to get
access to the testing opportunity, it gives them the chance to better
their prospects. If they had to rely on testing opportunities other
than online testing, they might not even be able to dream of getting to
some of the finest universities in the world. It would not be far out
to say that a majority of the students and professionals who have
graduated from the world’s finest universities owe their
success to the wonder of online testing.
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