National Testing Service
Encyclopedia
National Testing Service (NTS) is an Organization in Pakistan
that conducts academic performance evaluation tests. It is similar to Educational Testing Service
(ETS
) in the US. NTS offers two main types of tests, the National Admission Test (NAT) and the Graduate Assessment Test (GAT). NAT is aimed at students seeking admission to colleges and universities. GAT is aimed at graduates seeking admission to postgraduate education
. NTS exams are also used to determine qualifications of students seeking advanced study abroad.
NTS is a Member of the International Association for Educational Assessment, USA (IAEA). It is recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). The NTS was developed to ensure quality educational standards in Pakistan and to "provide a national scale for comparative grading between institutes", consolidating examination boards under one administrating body. According to Shahid Siddiqui, director of The Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences at the Lahore School of Economics, tests implemented prior to the development of the NTS were criticized as not accommodating socio-cultural differences, resulting in a need for "an indigenous testing service that should design and develop testing materials within an indigenous context". Prominent Pakistani institutions like Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU)
and Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering (CASE) have made it compulsory for students seeking admission to have cleared tests conducted by NTS.
, Governor of Punjab
, with regards to admission to universities and later set aside by the government unless the laws regarding university admission were amended. Criticism included allegations that the services were inconvenient to access and prohibitively expensive to economically challenged students. Maqbool called for input from the vice-chancellors of Punjab's public universities on 4 June. That year, each university department was permitted to set its own entrance requirements, with six of 64 departments at Punjab University
electing to utilize tests from NTS. In October 2007, the vice-chancellor of Punjab University, Muhammad Arif Butt, endorsed the use of NTS testing in all departments of the university. NTS director Dr. Haroon Rasheed said that no tuition centres are associated with the service and NTS exams will not be out of course.
but at the same time as a organization cannot and has not catered to the regionally diverse Pakistani nation. NTS resources are geographically restricted and both quantitatively and qualitatively limited. As stated by interface - an educational consultancy. Accessed Mar 16, 2010. Its contention as an independent NGO can also be challenged as it is affiliated with numerous regular testing centers of Comsats (as semi-Government body or inter-Governmental organization) & Public / Governmental education Institutions for their entrance / admission exams.
A recent controversy of regular operational error has also arisen for Phd. assessment tests. The credibility / irresponsibility on the part of NTS officials has disqualified the candidates from applying in MPhil/PhD programs at public and private sector institutes because under HEC rules, they do not have any proof of clearing the test.
The overall process lacks credibility & transparency due to the un-disclosed nature of alternative processes for any participants, when they do not fall in the norms of the operating procedure (i.e. errors / loop holes) due to complexities that arise from multifarious of socioeconomic nature of challenges in present day environment of Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the NTS management have even been caught and identified as plagiarizing test questions and are indirectly controlled by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC).
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
that conducts academic performance evaluation tests. It is similar to Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service , founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization...
(ETS
ETS
ETS is an abbreviation of:* Expiration, term of service, US Army* Euro Truck Simulator video game* The Elements of Typographic Style, a book on typography* Enterprise test software, software used by electronics manufacturers for product testing...
) in the US. NTS offers two main types of tests, the National Admission Test (NAT) and the Graduate Assessment Test (GAT). NAT is aimed at students seeking admission to colleges and universities. GAT is aimed at graduates seeking admission to postgraduate education
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
. NTS exams are also used to determine qualifications of students seeking advanced study abroad.
NTS is a Member of the International Association for Educational Assessment, USA (IAEA). It is recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC). The NTS was developed to ensure quality educational standards in Pakistan and to "provide a national scale for comparative grading between institutes", consolidating examination boards under one administrating body. According to Shahid Siddiqui, director of The Centre for Humanities and Social Sciences at the Lahore School of Economics, tests implemented prior to the development of the NTS were criticized as not accommodating socio-cultural differences, resulting in a need for "an indigenous testing service that should design and develop testing materials within an indigenous context". Prominent Pakistani institutions like Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU)
Bahauddin Zakariya University
Bahauddin Zakariya University is located in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the Largest university of South Punjab. Bahauddin Zakariya University was formerly known as Multan University. It was renamed in honor of Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya...
and Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering (CASE) have made it compulsory for students seeking admission to have cleared tests conducted by NTS.
History
Controversy erupted in 2007 following the mandating of NTS testing, first announced by Khalid MaqboolKhalid Maqbool
Lieutenant General Khalid Maqbool Vohra, , , is a career Pakistan Army officer was the longest serving Governor of Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan, under the General Pervez Musharraf government...
, Governor of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, with regards to admission to universities and later set aside by the government unless the laws regarding university admission were amended. Criticism included allegations that the services were inconvenient to access and prohibitively expensive to economically challenged students. Maqbool called for input from the vice-chancellors of Punjab's public universities on 4 June. That year, each university department was permitted to set its own entrance requirements, with six of 64 departments at Punjab University
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
electing to utilize tests from NTS. In October 2007, the vice-chancellor of Punjab University, Muhammad Arif Butt, endorsed the use of NTS testing in all departments of the university. NTS director Dr. Haroon Rasheed said that no tuition centres are associated with the service and NTS exams will not be out of course.
Criticism
NTS has sought to establish a national educational standard for PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
but at the same time as a organization cannot and has not catered to the regionally diverse Pakistani nation. NTS resources are geographically restricted and both quantitatively and qualitatively limited. As stated by interface - an educational consultancy. Accessed Mar 16, 2010. Its contention as an independent NGO can also be challenged as it is affiliated with numerous regular testing centers of Comsats (as semi-Government body or inter-Governmental organization) & Public / Governmental education Institutions for their entrance / admission exams.
A recent controversy of regular operational error has also arisen for Phd. assessment tests. The credibility / irresponsibility on the part of NTS officials has disqualified the candidates from applying in MPhil/PhD programs at public and private sector institutes because under HEC rules, they do not have any proof of clearing the test.
The overall process lacks credibility & transparency due to the un-disclosed nature of alternative processes for any participants, when they do not fall in the norms of the operating procedure (i.e. errors / loop holes) due to complexities that arise from multifarious of socioeconomic nature of challenges in present day environment of Pakistan.
Unfortunately, the NTS management have even been caught and identified as plagiarizing test questions and are indirectly controlled by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC).
External links
- Official Web Page www.nts.org.pk
- COMSATS Institute of Technology http://www.ciit-atd.edu.pk/Services/NTS/NTS.htm