Concept of having 4 question papers faulty

Updated on: Monday, October 12, 2009

Many of the engineering students of colleges affiliated to JNTUs in Andhra Pradesh face a peculiar ‘Catch-22’ situation when it comes to question papers, be it in the first year annual examination or the subsequent semesters in the later years.

They feel that one group of students is having an uphill task while answering the question papers and for the rest it is cakewalk.

They demand that the question paper pattern should be changed to facilitate a level playing field among all. To understand their lament, it is important to comprehend the question paper pattern.
Paper pattern

Former Vice-Chancellor of JNTU (before trifurcation) Y. Venkataram Reddy initiated the four sets question paper concept to stem out the menace of mass copying and leakage of question papers.

The concept was designed to publish four sets of question papers for each batch so that it differs from one student to another in the seating arrangement at the examination centres.

An expert panel comprising senior professors from various JNTU affiliated engineering colleges were called on to build a question bank to facilitate the setting of the four sets.

The questions were earmarked to be simple, moderate and tough. And the four sets of question papers were supposed to contain a mix of simple, moderate and tough questions. Many of the students complain that the questions papers are not being set in tune with the prescribed mix.

They say that at least one set is being loaded with tough questions, while the others are a mix or packed with easy questions.

And most importantly, the students who to tend to get the tough set in the first subject in an examination, become the victim of getting the tough set for all the subjects.

Supporting this opinion, a few professors add that the question bank has not been updated since last five years and the setting of the papers is being done hastily.

Clearing the air, Prof. Prasad Raju, Controller of Examination and Director Academic Audit, JNTU-Kakinada, says, “Such discrepancies cannot occur.

The questions are picked up from the preset question bank by a confidential committee and fed into a computerised programme.

The programme is designed to set the papers as per the strength of the questions and intended to dish out a homogenous mix for all the sets comprising an equal proportion of tough, simple and moderate questions.”

He also adds that a normalisation factor is used at the time of evaluation, which the students and a few of the professors claim that is not being implemented as per norms.

During evaluation, the normalisation factor is used to compare set to set and a percentage is worked out by taking into consideration the average high marks for a easy question and a tough question to equalise the marks.
New question bank

Accepting that the question bank needs to be updated the Vice-Chancellor of JNTU- Kakinada Allam Appa Rao informs that an expert panel has been set up to prepare a new question bank and it is likely to be implemented for the first semester examination in 2010. “We are also trying to give a new look to the question pattern. We intend to shift the focus to a more concept oriented pattern. The question paper would test the skills of the students and it would be more case study oriented.

The idea is to make the students have a good grip over the subjects.

The examinations will allow the students to apply what they have learnt.

And as far as the complaint from one section of the students that one set is being loaded with tough questions, I would quote that the ‘Grass is always green on the other side’ for the dissatisfied,” says Dr. Allam Appa Rao.

Concept of having 4 question papers faulty

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