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Now driving licence test at the touch of a screen
The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) head office at Werahera will from next week, provide ‘Touch Screens’ (TS) to applicants sitting for the written exam to obtain their Driving Licences (DL). The DMT has set aside 143 TSs for this purpose, in what will be the first step towards expanding the new examination method throughout the country. Total cost of the project is Rs 39 million.
Under the previous system, where applicants had to sit for a paper-based written exam, the new system will enable applicants answer a multiple choice exam using TS technology. The DMT receives about 3,000 applications a day for the exam. However, under the previous system, only about 350 applicants could sit for the exam each day, with only a maximum of 3 tests, given time constraints. “However, with this system, which is much faster, we can hold the exam up to 5 times a day, or more, which means we’ll be able to accommodate many more applicants,” said DMT Commissioner (Information Technology), Thushara Suraweera.
A registered applicant will be granted entry into the examination hall by placing his/her finger on a TS Mr Suraweera revealed. They will then be issued with a bar code and the computer will randomly select a set of questions from the system’s ‘question bank’, and issue it to the candidate. This ensures that no 2 candidates get the same set of questions, ruling out an applicant copying another’s answers. The TS will also count down the time the candidate has, to answer his/her question set, once they commence the exam.
Once a candidate finishes answering their question set and submits it, the questions will be assessed by the system and the results made available instantly. If a candidate has passed the exam, they will be issued their temporary DL that day itself. A candidate who fails will also be able to immediately reschedule a fresh date for another exam.
Mr Suraweera said the new system would help minimise incidents of cheating at exams. It will also put a stop to accusations of bias on the part of examiners, he added.
While the facility will only be available at the Werahera office for now, the DMT hopes to expand the facility to its 24 Regional offices by 2019, to ensure that applicants islandwide, will be able to make use of it.