Almost a month has gone by after the alleged question paper leak at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Common Admission Test (LCAT), but nothing substantial has yet been found by the committee probing the case.
LUMS Vice Chancellor Dr Adil Najam, talking to The Express Tribune on Tuesday, said that the investigation will continue until new evidence was found. However, he said, the university administration was confident that the alleged leak did not affect the admission process.
Dr Najam said that so far no proof of leak has been established. Some students, however, did use certain tactics to “steal” questions from the LCAT, he added.
He said that certain students sat in the LCAT, later shared the test question with some test preparatory centres. He said some preparatory centres also gave a false impression of having “associations” and “linkages” with the LUMS administration to encourage more students to attend their test sessions.
Allegations of the leak surfaced after one of the preparatory centres gave its students a practice test which contained questions in the actual LCAT that next day on February 12.
A student who sat the LCAT claimed that the practice test at the centre had some 80 questions that were in the LCAT. Some other students claimed that some of the questions were a part of the practice tests given at some coaching academies.
Mahmood Akram of the Leads Academy, whose name has been associated with the practice test, denied benefiting from a leak. He put the ‘overlap’ down to LUMS and the academies using similar test books to compile their tests.
Dr Najam said the ‘overlap’ happened because the centres used previous years’ LCAT papers. He said the practice was “illegal” and “immoral”.
“All questions that appear in the LCAT are property of LUMS,” he said.
Arif Jalil Piracha, founder of the Smart Prep academy, sent letters to the prime minister, the chief minister, the Higher Education Commission secretary, the federal education secretary and Syed Babar Ali, pro-chancellor and one of the LUMS founding members, on February 18, seeking “appropriate action” and “arrest of the culprits”. Piracha regretted that he had not received any response from any of the parties he had sent the letter to.
“We sent the letters on the insistence of some parents, whose children took the LCAT this year,” he said.
Similar letters, calling for action, were sent to nine leading schools across Lahore.
“We are hurt and shocked at the situation. With a premier institution like LUMS, we expected swift action by the stakeholders,” he said.
LUMS administration has assured its students and parents that the integrity of their system was not compromised. However, Dr Najam said, “LUMS has learnt to be more vigilant.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2012.
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I myself gave the LCAT this year and I can assure you plenty of the paper was from past years LCATs. I saw the paper after the exam(imagine my disappointment) as many students had them in their cars. I think its probably best if I dont go into details of exactly what was repeated. However I think Lums themselves are to be blamed more than anyone else; they should not be recycling question on such a large scale, because some questions are bound to get out. All of this started with one teacher(I'l protect his identity) who started making loads of cash from 'leaked' papers to only very select students, then eventually leads and all the other riffraff academies managed to smuggle them from his academy and commercialized them causing the whole thing to blow out of control year.
*The LCAT doesnt really borrow from the SAT(despite having an almost identical pattern), trust me I've given both.
It is very much possible to re-write over 65% of an admission test with the help of a few smart brains who took that test. Those who say it's impossible to re-write the test should take a trip to any leading test prep institute right after the LUMS test and witness the art themselves.
As for the VC calling out to the test prep guys to not use illegal/immoral means, i would say that it's difficult to reign these guys in. They'll keep doing what they do best as it's money not morality which feeds them. A lot easier for LUMS is to create new questions rather than using those used in previous tests or given in SAT or other books.
For people hinting malafide in the process or on a part of any of the LUMS personal, I would say that, being a LUMS alumnus, I am dead sure that it is an absolute impossibility that the guy "leaking" the test might have "links" with LUMS administration guys.
Plain and simple, it a case of re-writing the test AFTER it was conducted by LUMS and then publishing it on internet to prove that the paper was "leaked".
I have given the paper myself... so only the persons who have given the paper can clearify the problem.... i am a witness of this leaked paper and my friends had them before the paper... think about it there has to be something fishy otherwise thie delima would have been stopped once and for all.... we need justice.
The thing is no person in the world would or could memorise each question of the lcat test as there are lots of them… the time is just enough to solve the paper so this statement by Sir Mehmood is absurd.. secondly no news paper publish the facts without investigation …. I am a witness of the fact that 80 percent of the maths question and english sections were told to the students of leed as I saw the paper from my friend…. If Lums doesnot do anything about it lots of deserving students will be neglected… so i pledge the lums faculty to do something.
they only need this proof http://lumsleak.wordpress.com/
@Silas: If you see old Islamic Art "a corner", "a half star" or "a resemblance" of the David Star is enough for a Davidian to tell another about his presence there. Arabic & Moorish carvings, drawings, knitting pattern, carpentry joints, fabric patterns, and popular Islamic logos are loaded with it. It's so common that if you want to remove it you will have to endeavor a project that will cost billions & billions of dollars. It include the design and shape of everything from a simple "Samosa" to that of famous historical architecture like the Pyramids of Egypt. That's the power of the oldest but smartest and sadly most misunderstood people the human civilization has seen. So in the end, there is no harm done to humanity just by a logo or design. Without them no fine work of any art is complete. One way or another they are behind everything we believe in. Nations and heroes have destroyed themselves in the quest to destroy them.
@Haq B.: Where is the Star of David Mr Zaid Hamid?
Very very happy that LUMS has taken action on this and that LUMS administration are taking steps to make sure this will not unfairly impact any student. That is all we expect from Pakistan's top University.
Unrelated to the topic of this article, it make me wonder how the "David Star" found it's way into the University Logo. Maybe from the time of Muslim Spain or Moor Era when the "Davidians" were part of our classical success story there__ every step of the way.
Above seems to be true. LCaT is made from old SAT books as its beyond capability of an ordinary prof. However as of now its the only university which is not working for profit and provides best teaching facilities to students. There are few in private sector where students do not have access to hi speed internet, computers are old, intl journels are not available, furniture is of low quality / old, Phd in engg teaches management - CASE islamabad is one of them which mint money. LUMS is in expansion phase and has huge deficit. As a Pakistani, not a student/ emp of LUMS, I will request u all to donate so that poor/ middle class can study here too
I am very glad to see LUMS has acted responsibly and are going to make sure the final results are not effected by this. Most important thing is they are doing something to make sure no one gets any undue advantage because of this. LUMS is one one Pakistan's proud institutions and I have confidence that they will make the right steps.