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MMD is GOING ON-LINE FOR MERCHANT NAVY MASTER(FG) EXAMINATION

While I was very happy when they told me that I need to apply for assesment online, it was only start of all the confusion, trouble and extra rounds which we needed to make to MMD.

The previous experience for the online assessment (to remove a little confusion) was just one of them. At Kol MMD they needed the printout b4 the end of a particular date. That date was even before the completion of ASM and SMS course. So as told before, we skipped the ASM and SMS details. Took the print out and submitted. Later waited for almost 10-15 days to get the application rejected.
Initially we were told that the processing will be done by Mumbai MMD. Later when the month end approached and nothing happened, all the Merchant Navy Master candidates complained about the delay and we found that Kol MMD only rejecting our Forms online. I will write few more problems,including this which we faced and hope it helps others during their application procedure :

[1] While Merchant Navy Master aspirants(FG) were able to apply online for assessment without the ASM and SMS just to take a printout, the submitted form can only be re-applied or any other application for booking can only be done, once the previous assessment form is either accepted or rejected online. This is the normal procedure but for us it took them really long to process our forms.
[2] We were told initially at MMD Kol that MMD Mumbai will process the form but later found MMD Kol authorised to do the processing of the submitted form.
[3] I personally thought that the system would be made in such a way that the system will check the eligibility and avoid any chances of human error. Well this is certainly not the case!!
One of my batchmate did not do SMS and applied only for Writtens. His form was rejected telling he need to complete the SMS course. No need to say that he had to run 2 days to MMD and then got his form accepted. This simply means that there is "someone" still deciding whether some course needed to be done prior written/oral booking. I also observed the same confusion between different MMDs that is that "Someone" at Mumbai MMD saying something and accepting/rejecting accordingly while the other "Someone" at Kol MMD saying something else and doing accordingly. I am not in touch with any candidate of Chennai so no idea what so ever about Chennai MMD.
[4] It is only when your assessment form is accepted online then can you apply for Writtens, Orals and Eye test.
[5] Eye test was told to us to be completed before writtens. Later again it was informed to us that Merchant Navy Master candidates can appear for writtens without eye test. Most of us did not took chance and had already done eye test.
[6] Those who paid in different challan for eyetest,orals and written found it difficult to get the print out of the admit card. One candidate was not getting the printout of the writtens Admit card from the system and had to go to MMD an extra day for it.
[7] Even when the application got accepted the links might be broken or not working sometimes. One candidate waited till the last day for printing his admit card for writtens. 2-3 hrs prior exams he found that the link was not working and had to rush to MMD. Admit card was given personally in the non-online format after confirming the authenticity of the candidate.
[8] Even though the applications were done online but still the payment needs to be done in the MMD Bank only. Not only that you need to personally submit that Challan to MMD. This simply means that you need to personally go to MMD for any booking, just to submit the Challan.
[9] The link is too hard to remember and the webpage works only on Internet Explorer.

Having said that it is not all bad news. To me it seems a new start and a welcome initiative by MMD, though with initial hiccups. The bright side of the picture which I could see is:
[1] While presently the payment is only off-line mode but the system is so developed that online payment can easily, and probably will be, intigrated in near future.
[2] The seatime calculation is done by the system and human error is avoided. No confusion in this regards now.
[3] The seatime requirements can easily be checked while applying for assessment.
[4] Probably the system might be upgraded to remove lot of above mentioned problems and other problems which other Merchant Navy Master aspirants experienced.

Well though I have never been known to be an optimist but I have to end this note saying that this effort of DG Shipping and MMD is a much awaited requirement of the time. Sure few bugs and problems will need to be borne by initial batches like us but with our feedback (read problems) and with time system can only improve and future batches will be better-off than us.