The Client
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, known as The Chartered Accountants Act,1949. ICAI provides comprehensive education, practical training, and ongoing professional development to ensure the profession stays abreast of global advancements. It aims to cultivate skilled professionals capable of serving clients both domestically and internationally. The ICAI Talent Search Exam recognizes and rewards high-achieving students, inspiring them to excel in the Commerce domain.
BOS, Advance ITT, Concurrent Audit Computer Based Exams
The Challenges
ICAI used a computer-based method to conduct examinations. However, it faced several challenges, the greatest of which was the large-scale exam execution with no operational issues and a good evaluation experience. Other issues were:
- Finding well equipped test centers with excellent infrastructure in 73 cities was a unique challenge.
- Inavailability of trained resources for exam conduct at the various centers.
- Over 1,11,000 candidates were to be assessed and it was difficult to manage efficiently within the limited timeframe.
Solutions
Administered 185 BOS & Advance ITT large-scale exams, 11021 Concurrent Audit Exams spanning across 73 Indian cities and overseas areas since 2018.
- Student registration and hall ticket generation were exclusively managed by the Think Exam.
- To address the challenge of excellent infrastructure, Think Exam provided 60% of its own test centers in 73 cities within 5 kilometers of their respective branches, and 40% of the exams were hosted on the client’s premises.
- Think Exam facilitated overseas examination centers for BOS & Advance ITT exams. Moreover, regional invigilators were arranged to oversee the examinations for accessibility for international candidates.
- To prevent exam malpractice, the question paper sets were designed, cross-checked, and validated by the client team on the same day of exam delivery to maintain test security.
- With the help of 1000+ well-qualified invigilators in the ratio of 1 per 30 candidates, Think Exam conducted the BOS & Advance ITT exams in 185 shifts.
- Think Exam successfully executed the exams in 500+ quality test centers in 73 locations.
- Assessed over 11000+ candidates for Concurrent Audit Exam across 25 centers during the year 2018-2019.
- Center reports, Event Summary reports and Admit card Logs and 7+ reports to analyze test results, providing deep insights and data-driven guidance for informed decision-making.
- 11021 passing certificates were awarded to all the candidates enrolled for the Concurrent Audit Exam.
BOS Remote Proctored Exams
The Challenges
The board encountered significant challenges when seeking to conduct examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as on-premises computer-based methods were infeasible.
Solutions
Conducted 75 remote proctored examinations, evaluating a total of 20,000 candidates.
- To address the challenge of exam integrity, AI-powered facial recognition and biometric authentication was enabled.
- Proctors were assigned, enabling them to monitor exams online from any location, view assessment screens and candidate videos, and issue warnings or terminate in case of any use of Unfair Means.
- Activity logs of all activities performed by candidates and proctors during the examination, along with test scores and images of the candidates, were recorded for complete exam security.
Talent Search Internet Based Exams
The Challenges
- Ensuring reliable software platforms to prevent disruptions during the exam was the potential challenge.
- The challenge of ensuring compatibility across browsers for pre-testing posed a significant obstacle.
- Overcoming potential issues with software compatibility and system requirements.
Solutions
- The exam paper was designed, cross-checked, and validated by the client on the Think Exam server.
- Pre-testing on different browsers and versions to identify and resolve any compatibility issues for smooth exam conduct for 100000+ candidates.
- Think Exam conducted a Level-I exam in 2020-2022 for 1,70,000 participants to evaluate cognitive talents and aptitude.
- Think Exam successfully conducted the exam for each standard in 5 consecutive shifts without any issues every year.
- In 2023, Think Exam administered Level-I online exams, followed by Level- II assessments evaluating 4000 proctored examinations per shift for shortlisting purposes.
- 3,40,000 participants were awarded with participation certificates from 2020 to 2023.
Results
Think Exam team successfully administered and delivered exams on time, irrespective of the COVID-19 pandemic. The process was closely watched to prevent any unexpected delays. The client was well-informed throughout the exam process.
- Candidates had a positive testing experience at quality test centers,as well as with remotely administered exams. Any issues faced during the assessment process were promptly resolved by the Think Exam team.
- By providing its own centers in 73 cities within close proximity to their respective branches, Think Exam prioritized candidates' convenience.
- Exam papers were generated dynamically and validated by the client through multiple quality checks.
- E-certificates were generated for candidates who met the passing criteria.