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After a flurry of court orders, shifting timelines, and adapting new policies, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced the Class 12 Board examination results on May 28th, 2017, after a delay of about a week. Following the release of the much-anticipated results, the Board opened the application for verification of marks and subsequent re-evaluation procedure. Every year, this procedure commences to ensure that all queries with regards to the distribution of marks are satisfactorily met. This year, the Board has been flooded with an unprecedented number of applications for the same.

Cases of students who had applied for this process and had their marks substantially increased are making the rounds. According to The Times of India, one student who managed to score 42 in her Mathematics exam received a 90 after undergoing the verification procedure. Similar boosts were also witnessed in other cases, as a student jumped from 68 to 95 marks. Another student who was shown to secure 9 marks cleared the exam after the marks were revised to 45. Last year, a student had received 85 in the answer sheet, which were increased to 98 marks after the re-evaluation procedure.

A CBSE official admitted the shortcomings in this year’s evaluation procedure. The errors can be attributed to a range of reasons; including the supplementary sheets getting detached, incorrect transfer of marks to the first page by the examiner, incorrect tallying of marks by the Board. The number of applications have thus, seen an unprecedented rise.

Currently, the Board only allows students to pursue verification of marks. For further re-evaluation, a student must approach the Court for the Board to consider his/her grievances. Such a cumbersome process often discourages students from undertaking the elaborate steps, thus, they conform to their erroneous marks even when they deserved more.

Moreover, the Class 12th marks are an integral component for applications under the University of Delhi. The verification of marks procedure often takes weeks before the student is informed of a change in marks. The registration process for the merit-based courses under the University of Delhi closed on June 13th, 2017, until which many candidates had not received the re-evaluation results of their Board scores. Such a disparity in time also often discourages the students from committing to the verification procedure.

A DU-aspirant who recently passed her 12th exams says, “It is extremely troublesome how the Board refuses to accept the answer books for re-evaluation, when there exists a blatant error in evaluation of marks. In my Economics paper, the examiner has marked three 6 marker questions wrong, out of which 2 are numericals. According to the answer key, these three questions are absolutely correct, considering there is no scope of doubt when it comes to the evaluation of numericals. Now they refuse to award me 18 marks which I clearly deserve. The undertaking we have signed prohibits us from pursuing this issue any further.”

“I have scored fairly good marks in all other subjects, but the marks in this paper will hamper my admission into a decent DU college”, she said.

Such drastic revisions hint towards a flaw in the functioning of the academic setup, with many claiming this to be a major bungle on CBSE’s part. Students are compelled to question the credibility of the marks awarded by one of the largest academic Board of the country. The underestimation of marks also negatively affects students’ morale and future college selection prospects.

 

Feature Image Credits: Hindustan Times

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

The Class 12th Board Results have been declared by the Central Board of Secondary Education on May 28th, 2017 in the forenoon. The examinations were conducted between March 9 and April 29 of this year. The results can be checked on the Board’s online portal (www.cbseresults.nic.in). The CBSE announced the results of more than 11 lakh students today.

Steps to check your result:

1. Log in here

2. Add your Board roll number, school code, and centre code

3. Result will be displayed on the screen

4. Take a printout or a screenshot for future use

This year the results have been embroiled in chaos due to the Board’s decision to scrap off the marks moderation policy, which invited a contending ruling by the Delhi High Court on May 23rd. The MHRD, after consultation with the Board, declared that the policy would be upheld and implemented on May 26th. However, there would be no spiking of marks, and the five-point policy would be followed.

The Board results are decisive for candidates aspiring to enroll in the University of Delhi, as the Best of Four percentage is used as the foundational criteria to check the cut-off applicability for various college and courses.

The varsity commenced the registration process of its merit-based courses from May 22nd, which are slated to close on June 12th. Applicants can register themselves at https://ug.du.ac.in/app/ and proceed to submit their applications after filling in all the sections.

The schedule for admissions can be viewed on our portal here, and the guide to the varsity’s process can be viewed here.

You can view the Best of Four calculation guide here, the ECA Quota categories here, and the Sports Quota categories here.

We wish all the applicants good luck for the new journey which awaits them eagerly.

 

Feature Image Credits: AglaSem Admission

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

After the uncertainty, which stemmed from the Delhi High Court’s ruling regarding the marks moderation policy, the Class XII Board Results will be announced on Sunday, May 28th in the forenoon by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Previously, the results were scheduled to be declared on May 24th. However, in lieu of the divisive ruling of the High Court on Tuesday which directed the Board to continue with the marking policy, the CBSE results were inevitably delayed.

After a meeting called by the Human Resource Development Minister, the Board discussed and deliberated on the legal aspects of the High Court’s ruling. It has decided to adhere to the five-point moderation policy for this year, without spiking the marks and following the resolution undertaken in the April 24th meeting. “Results will be declared on Sunday. We will follow the moderation policy as enshrined in Rule number 59 of examination bylaws of CBSE,” said RK Chaturvedi, the chairman of CBSE.

Post the announcement of the results, the process of marks verification will be intimated on the website, allowing students to appeal for the re-evaluation of marks. Conforming to the decision taken in the meeting, a dip in the scores is anticipated. However, an official said, “This also depends on the performance of the students too. In case they have performed well, it might not dip as such.”

The candidates can check their scores on www.cbseresults.nic.in on May 28th.

 

 

Feature Image Credits: Central Board of Secondary Education

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

The Central Board of Secondary Education, which was anticipated to declare the Class XII Board results on May 24th, has announced that the results will not be released today. However, the results are not likely to be delayed indefinitely.

The Delhi High Court ruling by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Judge Pratibha M. Singh on May 23rd, 2017 was passed on a PIL filed by a parent and a lawyer, directing the CBSE to restore the marks moderation policy for this examination cycle. The petition sought to contend the decision on the grounds that the alteration in marking policy was executed through a notification by the CBSE only after the culmination of exams. The decision would have a “drastic effect on the students.”

Until now, ‘moderation’ has been a common practice undertaken by school boards to maintain uniformity in the evaluation procedure. This is done considering the variances in difficulty level and other factors.

The Board sources have confirmed that the results will not be declared today. “The results are not likely to be delayed. Even if we have to apply the moderation policy, it will not cause a lot of delay because everything is done scientifically,” a source said.

A meeting has been called by the Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar, to deliberate and act upon the High Court ruling. The meeting is expected to witness the presence of the CBSE Chairman, Rakesh Kumar Chaturvedi, and the Department of School Education and Literacy Secretary, Anil Swarup, amongst other officials.

 

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education to continue awarding grace marks to students to maintain parity in the evaluation process. The CBSE Board exam results which were scheduled to be announced tomorrow, i.e. May 24th, 2017, are now likely to be postponed considering the order.

A PIL was filed by a parent and a lawyer challenging the change in marking policy which was to be implemented by the board this cycle onwards. The interim order was passed by Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Pratibha M Singh on May 23rd, 2017. The scrapping of moderation policy was deliberated and brought to a consensus in a meeting held in April, which witnessed the presence of 32 school boards. The petition sought to contend the decision on the grounds that the alteration in marking policy was executed through a notification by the CBSE after the culmination of exams. Hence, it would have a severe impact on students.

Until now, ‘moderation’ has been a common practice undertaken by school boards to maintain uniformity in the evaluation procedure. This is done considering the variances in difficulty level and other factors. However, its erroneous usage has also been cited as the foundational reason for the percentage spike, leading to cut-offs of 100% for a few courses by various colleges in the varsity since the last few years.

Last week, the CBSE appealed to the University of Delhi’s Vice Chancellor to grant appropriate weightage to the CBSE students for the undergraduate admissions, as it removed the moderation policy and anticipated a drop in scores. The students might face a disadvantage due to the practice still being adhered to by the other state boards. DU, however, rejected this plea.

The Delhi High Court regarded CBSE’s decision as “unfair and irresponsible,” and questioned the implementation of the change in policy from this year onwards, considering the results for the academic session 2016-17 are to be announced soon. The decision is said to have a “drastic effect on the students.”

Kirti Wadhwa, a recent pass-out, comments, “Moderation or no moderation, CBSE students continue to be the potential victims of flawed policies. Sadly, the ones at the highest disadvantage are the ones most deserving. Moderation means getting but not deserving, hence a hike in the competition. No moderation only in CBSE means no Delhites in the University of Delhi.”

“It would have been better had we been informed earlier about the alteration in the marking policy. Undoubtedly, the students are at an evident loss here,” says Aditya Subramaniam, a DU aspirant aiming to gain admission in the varsity.

Due to the order, the Board results are likely to be affected and delayed. The University of Delhi’s online undergraduate admissions portal became operational yesterday, with the last date for registration decided as June 12th, 2017.

 

Image Credits: The Financial Express

 

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

The tale of the dreaded day begins with a sleepless night. Tossing and turning, with momentary lapses of sleep, a recent school pass-out wakes up in the morning to realise the nuanced importance of the day.

The early arrival of the day which has been etched in the pages of history as the origin of happiness and dejection has left the internet inspired in a chaos of woes. The Bollywood-influenced memes, the rhetoric of future detachment from these scores, the brimming anxiety, and the inhabitants of the community who pester you with good wishes and unreasonable expectations – a recent pass-out is subjected to a spectrum of emotions in the hours preceding D-Day. Regardless of the significance of these marks, the fact that almost everyone is affected, positively or negatively, by the outcome of the result cannot be conveniently ignored. You might try to reason with yourself and endeavour to overcome the fear that grips the reins of your heart tonight; yet, it sustains and thrives. While no array of advice can prove to be advantageous in placating your worries, the idea of knowing what to expect tomorrow can temporarily soothe your vexed heart.

Fantasising multiple scenarios: As you lead up to the hours before you shall login to the CBSE website, the insecurities in your head and heart will probe you to predict the possible scores. All efforts shall be involved in calculating your Best of Four with these hypothetical cases, based on a presumptive knowledge of how well your paper went two months ago. While optimism is a human strength and necessity, try to keep the hopes on an average scale. You shall get more than what you anticipated, or you shall receive a score which was the nightmare of your dreams. Scores have been known to increase through re-evaluation, so don’t let your confidence fool you. Anything and everything can happen.

The familial conundrum: They are the Tom Hanks to your Leonardo DiCaprio; you can’t outrun them. All the jests conceptualised from the anecdotes of your dur ke relatives are known to resonate with reality. Your parents’ phone shall be the ground base of the familial expectations, and all those family groups which have been muted for one year would blast with messages preceding and succeeding the event. How do you tackle this unsought hassle? Ask your parents to maintain the concrete barrier between the questions of the relatives and your state.

Technical glitches and moment of truth: Fables of the technical issues pervading the realms of the CBSE website must have been made known to you through the grapevine. These are real, and extremely perturbing. Try to remember that thousands of applicants will be trying to gain access to their results, so patience is the key. Avoid being in public at the time when the results are expected to come; the delay in opening the website and the chaotic environment might enhance the maelstrom of dilemma in your mind. Also, CBSE is not known to be punctual. The results can come either before the estimated time or after. When it does, your heartbeats will fasten when you see this screen:

cbse-class-12th-results-2017
Image Credits: CBSE

The aftermath: The bomb has been dropped and your mind is in a state of frenzy. Science, Commerce, Humanities – these areas of study are now being perceived by you in a completely different way. You might be ecstatic with that triple digit score, you might be overjoyed with the 95+ marks in the majority of subjects, or you might be overwhelmed with attaining the score you’ve always dreamt of. Scenario 2: you might be dejected, you might be devastated. An idea in your conscience which reiterated everyday that you deserved to attain the highest possible marks for your hard work has now been defeated. For the former set, heartiest congratulations on this feat. For the latter, congratulations on displaying the best of your efforts, and finally being relieved of this bower. It might not have been what you expected, it might have been the reality of your worst nightmare – and we’re here to tell you that it’s okay.

Your dejection and disappointment might linger for hours, days, and weeks. Your capabilities might be put into question by the voices in your head. Remember, as important as it is to let your guard down and feel low for a while, don’t succumb to that vulnerability. The road after this milestone stretches miles and miles further, and you have yet to accomplish great feats. Apply for re-evaluation after discussing with your teachers if you feel you deserve more, look for prospective colleges and courses based on this outcome, apply for ECA to increase your chances, and muster the courage to look beyond this trough.

You will find yourself returning to the question of the significance of these marks. Does a sheet of paper deserve to decide your future? Indubitably not. Will that sheet of paper decide your future? Not necessarily. Not if you choose to accept the result for what it is and decide to undertake the next challenge. Not if you harbour the courage to negate your wallowing with newer ambitions. Not if you realise that where the road ends and where the next ‘chapter’ of your lives begin, it’s going to be okay.

All the best!

 

Feature Image Credits: SarkariLife

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

The Central Board of Secondary Education has appealed to the University of Delhi’s Vice-Chancellor, Yogesh Tyagi, to grant appropriate weightage to CBSE students for the undergraduate admissions. The board has done away with the practice of marks moderation and expects to witness a dip in the scores. Consequently, the students might face a disadvantage due to the practice still being adhered to by other boards. However, this plea has been rejected by the varsity.

Last month, in a meeting organised by the CBSE, 32 school boards had undertaken a resolution to scrap off the system of marks moderation, which would inevitably result in a percentage drop. Until now, ‘moderation’ has been a common practice undertaken by school boards to maintain uniformity in the evaluation process. This is done considering the variances in difficulty level and other factors. However, its erroneous usage has also been cited as the foundational reason for the percentage spike every year, leading to cut-offs of 100% for a few courses by various colleges in the varsity since the last few years.

The aforementioned resolution is being implemented by the CBSE from this year onwards. However, considering that certain boards would put this idea into practice from the next cycle, the CBSE students are being put at a disadvantage as opposed to students of other state boards who might receive the inflation in marks. The CBSE chairman, R.K. Chaturvedi, wrote a letter to the DU Vice-Chancellor on May 9th, 2017, alluding to this discrepancy as worrisome:

“CBSE, being a national board, intends to adopt the consensus developed in the (April 24) meeting to do away with moderation of marks in senior secondary examination from the current year examination i.e. 2017 itself, so as to set the trend for other state secondary examination to adopt it on priority.”

“However, different state secondary boards may do away with moderation for the next year as they are in the midst of result preparation during the current year. Therefore, this would place CBSE students at a disadvantage during the admission process in the University of Delhi for the session 2017-18.”

“In view of the above, I would request the University of Delhi to consider awarding appropriate weightage to the students of CBSE applying for admission in Delhi University during the academic year 2017-18 to promote awarding of factual marks by other state secondary boards and do away with unfair practice of upward inflation of marks.”

The request for extra weightage and concession to CBSE students has been rebuffed by the University of Delhi, citing that the “varsity will not offer any special treatment to the UG aspirants from the board.” A senior official in a conversation with a popular national daily stated that “There have been issues with the boards from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, or Andhra Pradesh among others on inflating marks. But they are not exceptions as even CBSE had been ‘inflating’ marks in the past.”

The CBSE board results are expected to be announced by May 25th, 2017. The policy change introduced last month has led to a change of pattern. The Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 12 results witnessed a dip of 14% in the overall pass percentage as compared to last year. The Karnataka Board Class 10 results witnessed a drop of 7.24% in the pass percentage.

The admission cycle for the University of Delhi shall commence from May 22nd for undergraduate admissions this year. The varsity has also announced that the Open Days will be conducted from May 22nd to May 31st to clarify all queries with regards to the admissions process.

 

With inputs from The Indian Express

Feature Image Credits: University of Delhi

Saumya Kalia
[email protected]

In a meeting organised by the Central Board of Secondary Education on April 25th, 2017, thirty two school boards reached a consensus to scrap off the “marks moderation” policy from this year onwards. The pivotal reason behind this decision was to put a cap on the soaring Class XII results witnessed over the past few years.

The marks moderation method, first undertaken in 1992, leads to a spike in the marks scored in the Board examinations and was followed to bring about uniformity for an equitable distribution of marks. The policy constituted a marginal tweaking in scores to allow it to compensate the evaluation parameters of different examiners, the parity of pass percentage, and the difficulty of the question paper. Under this, the examinee can be awarded upto 15% extra marks if the question paper is deemed difficult. However, taking into account the high-scoring performance by students in the last few years, the CBSE has agreed to undertake measures to avoid an inflation of scores this year onwards.

It has adopted a policy of full disclosure with regards to awarding of grace marks. These marks will be disclosed on the mark sheet of student, and this policy shall be immediately implemented in the academic circle.

In addition to this, the CBSE will discontinue the practice of setting varied question papers for different boards, and set up a common question paper for all CBSE-affiliated schools. Previously, there was a discrepancy seen with regards to the level of the paper in the Delhi region and ?hat of the rest of the country and abroad. A safeguard measure complementing this change is also proposed by the Centre wherein the school boards grade a students’ performance in extra-curricular activities, in addition to the conventional academic module. Such an evaluation is sought to bring about a holistic result of the student.

The School Education Secretary, Anil Swarup, on speaking to a popular national daily commented that CBSE will lead by example by not artificially “spiking” marks scored by Class XII students in Board results expected next month. He also tweeted, “In the meeting held with State and Central Education Boards, consensus arrived at doing away with “spiking” of marks through moderation.” The implementation of such a strategy will have a direct effect on the Board results of this year, with an anticipated decrease in academic performance. This is expected to also lead to a reduction in the soaring cut-offs of the college admissions, a trend which has been the reason of anxiety and stress on students appearing for undergraduate admissions.

The meeting saw the attendance of the representatives of the ICSE Boards, NIOS, states of Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh. The Boards also agreed to adopt the NCERT curriculum for core subjects. To execute these policies and resolve issues concerning their implementation, a working group headed by the CBSE chairman and with other members from the ICSE Board and other states was set up by the Centre. The decision to implement these changes in evaluation is set to affect the curriculum from this year onwards.

With inputs from The Indian Express

Image Credits: Zee News

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

Sleepless nights, daily bouts of anxiety, and a fearful anticipation of what is to come: remember what the month of March meant back in your 12th grade?

If I were a time lord from Gallifrey and possessed the ability to cross the barriers of space and time, in no universe would I choose to relive the daunting experience the Central Board of Secondary Education nefariously termed as the Board examinations (assuming other worlds had this system). All students undergo the privilege of viewing these examinations in precisely three lenses: the early stages of 12th grade where the idea of taking the ‘most important’ examinations in one’s life is spiced up in all shades of worry, undergoing the boards in real time, and reflecting back on the turbulent period with retrospection.

The beginning of the last year of high school sets the anticipation for the next twelve months, structured with incessant study warnings and cycles of mock tests. As months’ pass, the degree of nostalgia and affinity harboured towards the school premises begins to grow, for the latter has been the platform of a million memories. This fusion of fond remembrances and anxious forebodings forms the crux of the second half of the academic session. Enter phase two, when the month of March brings with itself an endearing spring and a haunting set of examinations. This period may be looked in different ways; for some may approach the Boards with a sense of stoicism and ‘come what may happen’ attitude, and some may enter the halls with trepidation and uneasiness. A trend which has been observed by batches alike is the relative directness in the way questions are framed in Boards. Our preparation often conditions us to try diverse questions to become accustomed to handling a variety, so the real question paper might not seem all that difficult. Five/six examinations and innumerable panic attacks later, there comes a brief period of relief before the college hunt begins (days of relaxation and nothingness must wait!) where their culmination would be absorbed, and a final farewell to the portals of the school must be bid. School farewell and scribble days are two pillars which sustain one’s sanity amidst the chaos, don’t they?

Months and semester later, when we’re engulfed in a life of SGPAs, attendance issues, society frolic, and celebrating with friends new and old, the events of our respective Board years are fresh in our memories as another batch prepares to take the exams this week. All the anxious fears of the heart which believed that a month would define their futures now stand in question; for the results, do have a slight bearing on where one goes to college. But what one chooses to make out of the opportunities is individually-tailored. After receiving abundant advice on the dos and don’t(s) for this season, here’s a reality check for the soon to be pass outs: There must be a feeling which is spilling across your body, mind, and soul right now. I remember the waves of anxiety and incessant worry cycles which shall overturn you till the very end of this examination cycle. I remember the restlessness, the expectations, and the fear of failing. Days and hours later, you shall be beginning the journey you have been preparing for the past year. Wrapped up in a veil of terror and overhyped anticipation, the reality is far less scary. This month will end before you know, and each examination will be a success story if you don’t let the fear grip your heart.

Be prepared, be brave, and be ready!

Image Credits: Outlook India

Saumya Kalia

[email protected]

Soon after the declaration of class XII board results, DU has again found a place in news. Only this time, it’s about a new course structure, amidst expectations of a rising cut off.

Let’s have a glance at this year’s results. About 7231 students crossed the barrier of 95%. While high percentage surely would have come as relief to both parents and students, how good would be the chances a student who has scored, say, 93%, would only become clear once the cut offs are declared.

Since the 95%+ club has been inundated with students, specially Science students, an average of about 3-4 % rise seems inevitable in the cut offs of science courses, as is also evident from the fact  that 754 students have scored 98% and above in physics and 426 people got merit in biology.

Altogether 44,676 students have scored 90% and higher in the Class XII CBSE boards, and their best-of-four aggregate for undergraduate admissions is likely to be even higher as 701 students have scored 100 in Maths and 1,498 have scored 96% and above in English. A spiralling rise was seen in Accountancy were 403 students earned merit in comparison to 223 in last year and in Business Studies it is 901. It is expected that increase in cut off for commerce course will range from 0.75%-1%. With SRCC, last year, announcing an unbelievable 100% cut off (for non-commerce students), it will be very interesting to see how this year’s increase takes shape. St Stephens which announced 98% as economics honours cut off is now expected to announce cut off around 98.75% – 99%. Humanities courses are also expected to see a rise of about 1%- 2%.

(For entire Admissions 2013 coverage click here)

However, not all subjects have witnessed an increase in marks scored. In Core English, the merit certificates have gone down from 1,782 to 1,498 this year, a decrease of about 19%. In Elective English, the decrease has been around 2-3%. CATE has been scrapped and the University will be admitting students on the basis of marks after many years.

The other reason spotted for rise in this year’s cut off might be the risk of over-admitting students. Earlier, there was rampant over-admission in spite of high cut-offs. But with the increase in the number of available seats under the four-year undergraduate program, there are contradictory views that this might get balanced out too.

Moreover, it’s a new system and colleges might be very cautious and conservative, especially for the first cut-off list, but in subsequent lists, cut offs are expected to normalize. Overall, there are a number of factors to be considered—the four-year undergraduate program that will increase the total strength of Delhi University’s undergraduate classes by about a third, redistribution of seats that formerly belonged to ‘Program’ courses, removal of entrance tests in several courses and, finally, the Class XII CBSE results. The abolishing of the BA, BCom and BSc program courses has added seats to many of the honours courses and the impact this has on cut-offs, will depend largely on how many seats have been redistributed and among how many subjects.

This year it’s going to be very tricky.

Update: The cut-off for St. Stephen’s College was declared on June 21st. Check the details here.

Image credits: Surbhi Bhatia