Office of the Controller of Examinations

Examination Policy

                Sri Kaliswari College, an autonomous Institution, adopts the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) to enhance the learning experiences of its students. Examinations serve as a crucial tool in assessing the knowledge and skills students acquire through their course. The college conducts continuous assessments of students through both Formative and Summative Assessments. This policy outlines the college’s examination practices, aiming to ensure an equitable examination process across all programs, to uphold the Institution’s commitment to academic integrity.

Objectives: 

  • To efficiently administer autonomous examinations and implement examination reforms periodically.
  • To facilitate and guarantee the effective evaluation and assessment of course outcomes.

Conduct of Examinations:

The Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) Tests are to be administered by the Exam Wing, while other components of the CIA, including Quizzes, Assignments, Seminars, and Oral examinations, are to be conducted by the respective Course Teacher. Following the completion of these assessments, the consolidated marks obtained by students in the Formative Assessment, which must be signed by the Student, Course Teacher, Head of the Department, and the Principal, should be submitted to the Office of the Controller of Examinations before the commencement of the Summative Examinations to facilitate further processing.

The Controller of Examinations is responsible for the conduct of Summative Examinations; Publication of Results; Issue of Mark Statements and Awarding Provisional and Degree Certificates received from the Affiliated University. Further, to ensure the authenticity of the Mark Statement the College shall incorporate seven security features.

The COE is also responsible for appointing Exam Invigilators and Flying Squad members for the Summative Examinations. The schedule for these appointments should be communicated to them well in advance.

During both Internal Tests and Summative Examinations, all participants, including students, Exam Invigilators and Flying Squad members are required to adhere to the rules of conduct as prescribed by the Controller of Examinations.

Designing of Question Paper Pattern; Distribution of Internal Marks and External Marks:

In order to facilitate effective assessment, the Curriculum Design and Development Cell is responsible for designing the question paper pattern for both Formative and Summative Examinations, as well as determining the distribution of Internal and External Marks during syllabi revision. This cell is also responsible for obtaining approval for these from the Board of Studies and the Academic Council. Once approved, the question paper pattern and the Internal-External Mark distribution are submitted to the Office of the Controller of Examinations (COE) for further implementation. The COE is then entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that all examinations adhere to the approved question paper pattern and mark distribution.

Announcement of Examination Schedule:

CIA Tests should be conducted in accordance with the Academic Calendar. The detailed schedule for these tests should be communicated to the students at least two weeks in advance. The schedule for other CIA components should be announced to the students by the respective Course Teacher at least five days prior.

The schedule for Summative Examinations should be disseminated to the students through their respective departments at least three weeks in advance.

Appointment of External Examiners:

The appointment of External Examiners for tasks such as setting Question Papers, conducting External Practicals and Project Viva, as well as Valuing Answer Scripts, is the responsibility of the Controller of Examinations, in consultation with the Principal. The list of external examiners should be updated periodically.

To qualify for setting Question Papers, an examiner should possess at least five years of teaching experience. For conducting Practicals, Project Viva, and Paper Valuation, an examiner should have a minimum of three years of teaching experience.

Attendance Criteria for Qualifying to Take Examinations:

  1. a) A candidate shall be permitted to appear for the Summative Examinations of any semester (including both theory and practical) provided if he/she has achieved a minimum of 75% attendance (equivalent to 68 working days) during the semester.
  2. b) A candidate with an attendance record of 65% (59 days) or more, but less than 75%, shall be permitted to appear for the Summative Examinations of any semester. This is subject to the Head of the Institution’s recommendation to condone the attendance shortfall, and the candidate’s payment of the prescribed fee to the college.
  3. c) A candidate with an attendance record of 50% (equivalent to 45 days) or more, but less than 65%, will not be allowed to appear in the examinations for the current semester. Instead, He/ She will be required to take the Summative Examinations in the following semester. If the candidate fulfills the attendance requirement in the subsequent semester, he/she will be granted permission to take the examinations for both semesters concurrently, provided the payment of prescribed fee to the college.
  4. d) A candidate with less than 50% attendance (equivalent to 45 days) in any semester will not be allowed to appear for the Summative Examinations for that specific semester. Furthermore, He/ She will not be permitted to take the courses of that semester in any subsequent semesters. A candidate, whose attendance falls below 50% in a given semester, is required to re-register for that semester. However, this can only be done after they have successfully completed all the semesters that were initially assigned to them. This re-enrollment is contingent upon the payment of the prescribed fee to the college. Please note that under no circumstances is a student allowed to re-enroll in more than one semester.

Issue of Hall Tickets:

The Principal / Chief Superintendent is responsible for ensuring that hall tickets are issued to students at least three days before the commencement of the Summative Examinations. The Hall tickets should be distributed through the respective departments after thorough verification of the details. In case of any discrepancies in the hall tickets, it should be immediately reported to the Controller of Examinations (COE).

Handling of Malpractice:

Any form of malpractice in both the Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) and Summative Examinations will be treated with utmost seriousness. Students found engaging in malpractice will be referred to a committee comprising the Principal, Controller of Examinations (COE), Hall Invigilator, and one or more senior faculty members nominated by the Principal. If a student is found guilty of malpractice for the first time, they will be penalized by receiving a zero mark in the respective course. A second instance of malpractice will result in the student being barred from the forthcoming Summative Examinations for a period of three years.

Provision of Scribe:

Candidates with benchmark disabilities (PwBD), specifically those with blindness or locomotor disabilities are entitled to the provision of a scribe, if they submit the PwBD Certificate and request for a scribe. The scribe can be from any academic discipline. Candidates who opt for a scribe are also eligible for compensatory time during the examination, specifically an extra 20 minutes for each hour of the examination, or as otherwise recommended. In case, if the Candidates with disability did not avail the facility of scribe shall be allowed compensatory time of minimum of one hour for examination of three hours duration.

Evaluation of Answer Scripts:

The answer scripts for the Continuous Internal Assessment (CIA) tests should be evaluated by the respective course teacher. Following the evaluation, the marks must be submitted to the Head of the Department within the stipulated timeframe.

The Central Valuation method shall be employed for the evaluation of answer scripts for Summative Examinations. Examiners will be notified about the commencement of the valuation process at least one week in advance. The distribution of answer scripts to the examiners will be as per the allotment: a maximum of 40 papers for an Undergraduate (UG) program and 25 papers for a Postgraduate (PG) program per session.

Passing Minimum:

For Formative Assessments, there is no minimum passing requirement. For Undergraduate (UG) Program courses, the passing minimum is set at 35% for Summative Examinations and an overall aggregate of 40%. For Postgraduate (PG) Program courses, the passing minimum is 45% for Summative Examinations and an overall aggregate of 50%.

Provision of Moderation:

Students who fall short by two marks from the passing minimum, either in the Summative Examinations or in the overall aggregate, are eligible for moderation.  The Moderation Process shall be carried out prior to the announcement of the results.

Publication of Results:

The Awards Committee will be established in accordance with the guidelines provided by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the affiliated University. The results of the Summative Examinations are to be announced within twenty days from the date of the final examination. The Principal is responsible for convening the Awards Committee Meeting to approve and declare the results. The minutes of the meeting will be documented and acknowledgements will be obtained from the members immediately after the end of the meeting.

Provision of Re-totalling/Revaluation/Answer Scripts Transparency:

Students who have grievances in the valuation of answer scripts can apply for revaluation, re-totalling, or request transparency of their answer scripts for one or more courses. This must be done within one week from the date the results are published. In such instances, the student is required to register with the Office of the Controller of Examinations (COE) using the appropriate application form. This form should include the details of the fee paid for the service, and it must be duly authorized by the concerned Head of the Department. The COE will then arrange for the re-totalling, revaluation, or transparency of the answer scripts and the results will be made available within seven working days.

Conduct of Supplementary Examinations:

Final year students who fail to meet the criteria to pass all their courses for degree completion are required to apply for Supplementary Examinations. Undergraduate (UG) students who have failed more than six courses not only in the final semester but also in  any of semesters and Postgraduate (PG) students who have failed more than four courses not only in the final semester but also in any of semesters are not eligible to sit for Supplementary Examinations. Students who are eligible must register for the examination, paying fee, within ten days from the date the results are published. The Controller of Examinations (COE) is responsible for ensuring that the results of the Supplementary Examinations are published within twenty-five days from the date of the regular examinations’ result publication.

Issue of Mark Statements, Provisional Certificates, Degree Certificates:

After the declaration of revaluation results, Mark Statements shall be distributed to students within three weeks from the date the results are published. If necessary, a Course Completion Certificate will be provided along with the Transfer Certificate at the end of the program, through the Principal’s office. In the event that a student misplaces/ loses their Mark Statements and requires a duplicate, they should submit a written request to the Office of the Controller of Examinations, accompanied by the payment of the prescribed fee. The duplicate Mark Statement will be issued within a three-week period. Upon successful completion of the program, students will be issued a Provisional Certificate and Degree Certificate. These documents will be distributed after they have been received from the affiliated university.

Preservation of Exam Papers Post-Result Publication:       

After the publication of results, the Summative Examination answer scripts will be stored in the Office of the Controller of Examinations for a duration of three years. This allows for retrieval if necessary. After this period, the scripts will be responsibly disposed of by the Office of the Controller of Examinations. Similarly, the answer scripts for Formative Assessments will be kept in the relevant department for a period of one year. Following this, they will be disposed of by the College Office. This process ensures the secure and organized management of examination materials.

Perceived Outcomes:

Implementation of short-term, mid-term and long-term measures recommended in the policy shall result in an effective assessment of teaching-learning process. It will help identify areas that may need increased attention from both students and faculty members. This approach promotes transparency and aids in realizing the College’s vision.