Pokhara University

Examination System:
Effectiveness, Challenges and
Solutions
Prof. Dr. Hari Krishna Shrestha
Principal
Nepal Engineering College
Changunarayan VDC-9, Bhaktapur
July 26, 2012
email: hari@nec.edu.np
Mobile: 9851006010
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Fundamental (Macro) Factors
Political Factors: Government of Nepals unclear and
unreliable policy on involvement of private parties in
education, including Higher Education
Political interference: Symbiotic relationship between
national level political leaders and student/ teacher/
staff leaders. Unless this relationship is broken all
attempts to improve the situation will fail.
Social Factors: Attending class for parents
Equity in access to higher education, not quota
Educational Factors: Accreditation, not affiliation
Monitoring of Quality Assurance, including curriculum
relevance, mismatch between curriculum and final
exam question, and skill level certification
The Blame Game Factors
1. Class disruption
Students (strikes, pad-locking, class bunk, non submission of assignments,
sports and similar other activities)
Teachers/Staff (pen-down, not showing up in time, coming to class not
fully prepared, leaving college in mid-semester)
Regional/National events (strikes, chakka-jam)
2. Internal Evaluation disruption Teachers cannot submit internal marks
in time Colleges cannot submit internal marks to Pokhara
University in time
3. Final Exam disruption (schedule not published in time, unacceptable
schedule for the students, memory testing type of questions, course not
completed, internal evaluation not completed)
4. Result publication disruption: university not distributing answer sheets in
time, teachers not returning answer sheets in time, staff not entering and
checking data in time, exam committee not convening in time.
Two Stages of Student Evaluation
Internal Evaluation
(50% in undergraduate, 60% in graduate)
External (Final, Board, Semester End)
Evaluation
I- F result, everyone seems confused. The I
result becomes F only if students cannot
complete the requirement by the following
semester.
Steps in Conduction of Semester End
Examination (at each college)
Distribute, collect and check (as per course
structure) Course Registration Form at the
beginning of semester. But this step is becoming
redundant due to universitys requirement to fill all
regular courses every semester.
Conduct Internal Evaluation (theory and practical)
Distribute, collect and check (as per course structure
and exam rules) Examination Form at the end of
semester
Prepare triplicate and submit the triplicates, Course
Registration forms and Exam Forms to the
University
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
Preparation and distribution of Exam Form
Exam Routine Preparation
Question Setting (Multiple sets per subject)
Question Moderation (single or multiple sets)
Question Typing, Printing, checking,
Question counting & packaging for each exam center as per Exam form
Question package sealing
Question packages, seal breaking and sealing form, delivery to exam
centers
Conduct Exam
Collect Answer Sheet Package
Distribute Answer Sheet to Checkers and Collect checked answer sheets
Scrutiny of checked answer sheets
Data entry, checking, converting to letter grade (relative/absolute)
Exam Committee Approval
Result Publication
Grade sheet preparation, checking and distribution to colleges


(at University Office)
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(at Exam Center)
Pre-exam preparations: (details in Universitys Directions to the Superintendent)

Logistical preparation (exam hall, furniture, communication, human resources,
water, glass, jugs, toilet, emergency medicine, food, fan, wax seal, blank
papers, paper envelope, cloth sack, polythene bag, glue, stapler, scissor,
needle/thread, graph papers, log-graph, bode graph, many types of charts,
tables and codes, photocopy, fax, email, candle, lighter, etc.)
Security (internal and external)
Answer sheets (first copy and additional copy), Seal breaking form, Answer
copy seal form, examinee attendance form, staff attendance form, etc.
collection
Collect exam routine, number of examinees in each subject, ERN of examinees,
colleges associated with subject and examinees, contact person and contact
number of each college
Contact person and contact number of universitys exam officials
Seat Plan preparation for each day
Invigilator plan and support staff plan for each day
Inform and get consent from assigned invigilators, support staff
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(at Exam Center-Exam Conduction)
Check number of seats in each exam hall/room
Seat planning as per triplicate/received Exam Forms/ and
marking seat number in each desk
Question package opening in front of University Observers
Question paper counting and separating as per seat plan and
room plan
Orientation and Question paper distribution to invigilators
Letting examinees enter exam hall a few minutes before
commencement of exam
Exam form checking, verifying examinee, verifying examinees
seated as per seat plan
Answer sheet (first copy) distribution to examinees
Announcements and question corrections, if any (as per
University instructions)
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(at Exam Center-Exam Conduction)
Question paper distribution to examinees and mark
starting time of exam and let examinees know starting
time.
Get attendance of examinees, check exam form, ERN,
first copy number, signature
Invigilate exam, ensuring proper exam environment
Keep record of temporary leave from exam hall
Periodically check environment in & around exam
center, including boundary & toilets.
Collect question paper if any examinee leave exam hall
before one hour from the start of exam
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(at Exam Center-Exam Conduction)
Stitch additional answer sheets a few minutes before end of exam
time. Check number of additional answer sheets with record of
additional answer sheet number on the first answer sheet.
Collect answer sheets and arrange numerically as per ERN, and
match with attendance record, and sign on each answer sheet
Collect attendance of invigilators and support staff
Package the answer sheets and seal in presence of University
Observers, along with attendance sheets. Record exam center,
subject, date, number of answer sheets, number of seals on
answer sheet packages
Safely deliver the sealed answer sheet packages to University,
along with Attendance records of examinees, staff/invigilators
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(at University)
Collect sealed answer sheet packages and examinee and staff
attendance sheets from exam centers, keep record of receipt.
Collect Expelled examinees copies and keep record.
From the roster of copy checkers, for each subject, decide on
answer sheet checker (checkers, if number of answer sheets is
very large), prepare appointment letter, contact answer sheet
checker, deliver or provide answer sheet packages to the checker,
keep record of the delivery of answer sheet packages
Follow up on checking progress to ensure timely completion of
answer sheet checking
Collect checked answer sheets along with filled Mark Foils. Check
number of answer sheets match with record in examinee
attendance sheets.
Steps in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(at University)
Verify numerical and alphabetic record in Mark Foils
For each subject, decide on Scrutiny Board Members (SBM),
prepare appointment letter, contact SBM, call SBM at University,
provide answer sheets, record recommendations of the SBM.
Enter Marks Secured in computer, check data entry manually,
based on Marks Foil and SBM recommendations, and in some
specific cases Subject Committee recommendations/PU
Examination Committee decisions.
Using statistical distribution of the marks, convert the marks into
grades, adopting relative and/or absolute letter grading system
(less than 30 examinees absolute, generally, not necessarily)
If difference between internal and external marks consistently
differ by more than 25%, apply down scaling and re-grade.
Practical Problems in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(Question content)
Questions testing memory rather than problem solving skill
Questions not balanced as per syllabus
Questions out of syllabus or from old syllabus or new syllabus
Question depth normally unexpected
Questions too long to solve in time
Questions repeated in same paper
Questions matching recent internal evaluation exam question
of a particular college
Question needing specific atypical assumptions, specific
atypical steps to solve in time
Unnecessarily tricky questions
Long question but low mark (for a particular question)
Required data, data table, equations, not provided or unclear,
needing appropriate assumptions by the examinees
Practical Problems in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(Question typing/printing)
Too many typos in questions
Figures missing
Wrong figures
Arrows and symbols incorrect, mis-oriented, missing
Dimensions unclear and/or missing
Equations unclear
Data missing in figures
Data in text and figures mismatch
Total mark more or less than full mark
Same question printed on both side, hence number of question
papers inadequate
Inadequate number of questions
Graph paper, charts, code, missing
Practical Problems in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(At Exam Center)
Question transportation from University to Exam Center
without protection/security
Monetary incentive to invigilators and support staff too low
Hot-line not working
No facilities (photocopy, graph papers, codes) etc.
unavailable at Exam Center, especially on public holidays
Security situations at Exam Center
Examinees challenging decisions of Authorized persons
inside Exam Hall
Question corrections almost till the end of exam duration
Chocking and/or breaking of toilet fittings at Exam Center
Answer sheet missing at the end. Everyone submits answer
sheets in the last few minutes.
Practical Problems in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(Result Publication)
Delay in answer sheet distribution, distribute in Pokhara or in
Kathmandu?
concerned subject teachers not available in time, low monetary
incentive
Low HR at university to follow up with answer sheet checkers
Delay in answer sheet returning by specific checker (cannot
convert into relative grading)
Checkers not oriented properly, some apparently considering 60
as first division, no score for process, too little time given for
checking
One person checking too many copies
Lack of generally agreed evaluation method
Scrutiny Board Members not available in time
Delay in data entry
Error in data entry
Practical Problems in Conduction of Semester End Examination
(Result Publication)
Internal Marks from colleges not sent in time or sent in piece-
meal
Repeated requests from colleges to correct submitted internal
marks
Delay in decisions/recommendations by Subject Committee in
disputed subjects
Complexity added due to mistakes in questions
Exam Committee Meeting infrequent
Result publication takes 60 days, and contains mistakes.
10 days to apply for rechecking/retotaling (effectively 9 days)
Answer sheets in Pokhara and Kathmandu so long time spent on
finding the requested copies for rechecking/retotaling
Decision on HR for rechecking, person actually coming to
university to re-check takes 15 days. Result becomes final only
after 95 days (if everything goes smoothly)
Students Complaints
Curriculum out of date or not related to their specialization area. The design of
curriculum are decades old. Delivery of curriculum focused on knowledge
transfer only, not useful to get job
Teachers not trained in teaching methods or qualified to teach
Teachers biased against particular student, particular organization, particular
college
No uniformity across different colleges in depth and width of coverage, teaching
methodology, teaching style, internal evaluation method. Our college is too
strict, while other colleges give marks very liberally.
Relative grading system not clear.
One particular college has dominance
Teachers close to university officials has more say
Teachers or University officials leak questions
Even the question setter cannot solve all the questions in time. Questions
expect students to memorize long formulas, data and equations.
Answer sheet checking not done properly, no evaluation of solution process.
Sudden change in question format, without any pre-warning.
Students Complaints
Exam Officer carelessness, absent students pass, exam
attendees absent, correctly solved all questions but F or D
in result
Retotaling / Rechecking not really done
Exam Routine not properly prepared; No gap for difficult subjects
PU Registration Number not provided in time
Difference between result in web and grade sheet
Course registration not possible without result (including result of
retotaling/rechecking) publication before beginning of semester
Exam registration not possible without result publication in time
Assessment or unit test/term test question of a particular
college in final question.
Colleges Complaints
Result not published in time so cannot schedule classes of retake
subjects, course registration not possible
Rules change frequently, often at the pressure of student
organizations
No coordination with colleges, when changing rules, and does not
inform colleges after changing rules
University money minded, reduced examinee: invigilator ratio from
10:1 to 16:1, increases risk of answer sheet disappearance, reduces
control of exam hall discipline, invigilator cannot go out even for
toilet break, or additional answer sheet collection (class room
designed for 8 x 3 = 24 students can be used only for 8 x 2 = 16
examinees when conducting exam).
Letters/submitted internal evaluation data disappear, University
asks for same data many times
University asks for immediate submission of data through email,
but later responds that no data sent through regular mail in hard
copy

Exam Controller Offices Complaints
Internal Marks submitted very late, and/or submitted with
mistakes, and repeated requests for corrections
Colleges do not check forms properly before submitting to
the University
Exam Center careless in packaging answer sheet, copy of
more than one subject in same package, mismatch in
package content with declaration
Question paper not well prepared, not balanced as per
syllabus, college officials do not orient concerned teachers
Question paper moderator not serious
Answer sheet checkers do not return answer sheets in
time
Biased or not-well-oriented answer sheet checkers,
miser checkers
Main Problems
Internal Mark collection, checking and
submission in time
Question Problem
Result Publication (including re-totaling and
rechecking) in time
Root causes of the problems
Curriculum outdated and unavailable
Some parts of the curriculum updated but not made available, not
circulated in time to all concerned colleges
No detailed (Micro) syllabus, education should be broad, but
testing undergraduate students performance should not be broad
Lack of inter-college and college-university coordination
Teachers changing very frequently
Different level teachers in different colleges (from recent graduates
to Doctorate degree holders with many years to experience)
Full time versus part time
Teachers ego; no requirement of pedagogic training
Evaluators not properly oriented (Mentality of 32 as pass mark, 60
as first division)
Confusion on relative and absolute letter grading systems
Potential Solutions (Schedule)
The Semester End Examination (sometimes also referred as Final
Examination) should start and end as per the Academic Schedule of
the Pokhara University.

The Examination Routine should be published before the beginning
of semester classes so that the students know which
courses/subjects to register. Alternatively, a fixed examination
routine can be published. However, the fixed examination routine
may need to be changed periodically as the subjects offered may
change with time, or when new programs are offered.

To prepare the examination routine before the beginning of the
semester classes, each college under the University has to provide
the list of subjects the colleges are offering in that particular
semester as regular subjects well before the commencement of the
regular classes. Unless this step is implemented, the existing
redundancy of filling Course Registration Form and Examination
Form simultaneously will remain.
Potential Solutions (Question)
The steps of question preparation are:
preparation of the Terms of Reference (TOR) of question setter and question
paper moderator (one time only)
determination of the subjects in which the University has to prepare question:
this step requires coordination with all the affiliated and constituent colleges
identification of potential question setters and/or question moderator for each
subject; including background check of potential question setters
clear practical guidelines for setting question papers, including format and depth
coverage
latest updated detailed curriculum, in coordination with the decisions of the
concerned Subject Committee
contact identified question setters, with the Terms of Reference, requesting
them to prepare multiple sets of question papers, with fixed deadline, following
the format and depth coverage, as per latest approved curriculum detail
collection of the prepared question
initial checking of the prepared question: format and depth coverage balance
(based on weightage (proportion) of question from each chapter as per
weightage of chapter in latest approved course detail)
Contact the question setter if any problem found in the format and/or
weightage balance of the question, and resolve any problem found.
Potential Solutions (Question)
Contact the identified question paper moderator, with the TOR, requesting to prepare at
least two sets of questions based on the submitted sets of questions, including expected
time required by the examinees to solve/answer the question.
Type and print all sets of questions prepared by the moderator and let the moderator
check the printed version of the questions and sign on the printed versions of the
questions. Extra care should be taken in questions involving figures, tables, graphs,
symbols, and equations. Sometimes the font becomes too small and the numbers 3 and 8
can look alike. Due to mismatch between the computer and printer, the lines, arrows,
text boxes etc. in the figure can move from one location to a different location when
printed. When the soft copy of the question includes lines or fonts in different colors,
some of the colors may not be printed or printed very lightly in black and white printing.
Examination Committee decide on the specific question set to be used in each subject.
Print the selected question set for each subject and verify with the signed (by the
moderator) printed question set
Seal the printed questions for later use. Optionally, include one copy of question with the
moderator's signature distorted/over written, in each pack of the question. There should
be at least one such question for each subject at each examination center.
Most of the steps mentioned above are already in practice at the Pokhara University.
Some of the steps mentioned above but are yet to be put in practice needs to be
discussed and implemented if deemed appropriate.
Potential Solutions (Exam Conduction)
ERN to be changed every semester, ERN not to be related to particular
college
University to deliver sealed question packages to the Exam Centers an
hour before the exam begins. Current practice of college principals
carrying questions from university to exam centers is very risky.
Increase security of exam centers, using police force, if necessary. Security
personnel to check Admit Card before examinees enter Exam center.
Police force to be used if examinees start disrupting exam conduction.

University to collect sealed answer sheets from Exam Center to University.
University to deliver answer sheets to answer sheet checkers, and collect
from them after completion of checking. Current practice of concerned
answer sheet checkers collecting answer sheets from university and
returning them is very risky.
Not more than 200 answer sheets to any answer sheet checkers; Checked
answer sheets to be collected within 10 days maximum. 2 days to enter
data, results to be out within 15 days, before beginning of next semester
classes.
Potential Solutions (Copy Checking)
The copy checking includes the following steps:

preparation of the guidelines and ToR for the copy checking
identify the potential copy checkers, including necessary back ground check. Make
decision on the copy checkers for each subject. This step should be completed well
before the beginning of the examination so that the copies can be dispatched on the
same day or next day of the examination.
contact the identified copy checker and make arrangement to deliver the copy (answer
sheets). There is a danger of losing the answer sheets on the road when individual copy
checker has to take the answer sheets to his/her home on their own, especially if they
are using public transportation.
Ask the copy checker to provide a break-down of the guideline as to the basis of
assigning marks in each question.
Contact the copy checker on timely basis to complete the copy checking in time.
Collect the copy from the copy checker.
Set up a scrutiny board of experts in the subjects and request them to scrutinize the
checked answer sheets for (a) consistency in checking, (b) bias for or against a
particular type of answer, (c) bias for or against answer sheets from a particular
examination center, and (d) excessively loose or excessively strict copy checking.
Make appropriate corrections in the copy checking by the Scrutiny Board of Pokhara
University
Potential Solutions (Result Publication)
The following is the steps in result publication.
The university system compiles the marks of each subject and enters
and checks the score in the computer system.
Tentative letter grades are assigned as per the university system. As per
the current system, the result of the examinees scoring less than 45%
(for graduate programs it is 60%) is separated, and relative grading
system is applied on those securing 45% (for graduate programs it is
60%) or more, if the number of examinees in a particular subject is
more than 29. Else, an absolute grading system is applied (normally).
The Examination Board convenes and makes appropriate decisions on
the results and uploads the results on the internet, and prints and sends
the printed result to concerned colleges.
Before publishing the results, a checking mechanism should be
established to make sure that there are no inadvertent mistakes in the
results.
The result of the semester end examination should be published before
the commencement of the next semester regular classes if the spirit of
the semester system is to be honored.
Potential Solutions (Maintenance of Secrecy)
The university should main the secrecy of the name of the people (or
institution) involved in different stages of conduction of the examination. If this
secrecy is breached it will be difficult to attract qualified persons in the
centralized examination system. To maintain secrecy, persons not concerned
with a particular phase of the examination should have no access to that phase
of examination. If possible, code system needs to be developed, rather than
the name of the persons involved.

In the recent changed socio-political context of Nepal and the penetration of
national politics in the grass-root level of education system in Nepal, the
conduction of centralized examination has become highly sensitive. Any
inadvertent human mistake quickly becomes a disproportionately big issue. For
example, mistakes in questions, if not corrected immediately (within 5 to 10
minutes) after the commencement of an examination, can lead to disorderly
act by the examinees. Question papers that are considered to be too long or
too difficult or out of syllabus can also lead to disorderly acts by the
examinees. The University authorities and the persons involved in examination
system needs to make sure that the evaluation of the examinees is fair.
Everyone concerned needs to be extra careful in discharge of their duties for
smooth and reliable centralized examination system.