Unfair Evaluation Scheme

[turbopowerdmaxsteel 0]

After days & nights of hard work, I gave our semester ending Module Test #3. The syllabus comprised of two books of C# .NET which covered Console & GUI based application development. I must say that I was very well prepared, expecting to get the perfect 100 that has always eluded me in the past. All our exams are online based where the questions comprise of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). Results are generated as soon as the exam ends. As always, I waited for the remaining time to slump to zero (It is my belief that doing so gets you better marks. Moreover because, the first exam I gave at NIIT was completed in less than 15 mins out of the 70 alloted. I got a poor 76% in that exam considering that the module comprised of just Computer fundamentals.)Awaiting on the other side of the END TEST button was something that stunned the sh*t out of me. After doing loops and loops of re-checking and logical thinking, I came up with my answers. I believed that 80 was the minimum I could have got. Thats too when all the questions I was not 100% sure of, would go wrong. But all I was given (I say given, 'cause I can never believe that I deserved what I got), was a mere 64%. I am not trying to exuberate vanity, but we got to be able to atleast predict our own marks (Especially in an exam that should be one of the most transparent ones. Considering that no human was involved in the evaluation), aren't we?Out of the 7 students, only 2 were able to secure the pass marks of 50% and those two were arguably the best amongst the group. (Again, I am not trying to act proud. If one were to see the stastics, where I got the highest in most of the exams, my reaction would be justified.) And it wasn't just about the two of us. The rest who failed as well, got proportional marks and were probably there or there abouts in the expected ranking. Putting all these facts together, I believe there's some sort of threshold implemented in the evaluation scheme, that wouldn't allow people to score more than the set amount. In this case, I believe 70%. I have other strong reasons to back me as well. But I just can't imagine, why they would do such a thing. Neither can I accpet the marks I was cursed with.Frustrated as I am, I have decided to take the matter to the authorities and ask for the wrong and correct answers to be shown. Something that has surprisingly, never been done before. NIIT has loads of techinques which are claimed to serve as improving our technicality. Yet, the answers of the exams are never shown. I can't possibly imagine, what's up their sleeves. But, I guess what I can do, is ask for the justification and a bit of transparency in the process.This geek was always into Computer Science and computers are the only thing I am good at. Being in places barraged with countless other worthless subjects, never allowed me to shine and show my calibre. Imagine my plight, when all the effort I put in and that too in an area that I am the best at, turn into such miserable results.Should I go ahead and challenge the results?

[saneax 0]

It does happen. If you think your evaluation has been wrong, and that from a measured thought rather than pride, I think then you should challenge the authorities. However, the road here is dark ahead. I too once had the unfortunate chance to challenge my authority, which resulted in cold relationship with my teacher. However, You should make your protest known.Good Luck.

[wutske 0]

You should, it's your right (at least here in Belgium) to challenge your results if you have doubts about them. I don't think they can refuse to give you your results, so go ask for them.

but we got to be able to atleast predict our own marks

but that doesn't mean your prediction will be correct . I last predicted to have 10/20 for a test about network protocols, yet I managed to get a 14/20 .

[turbopowerdmaxsteel 0]

However, the road here is dark ahead. I too once had the unfortunate chance to challenge my authority, which resulted in cold relationship with my teacher. However, You should make your protest known.

For the very fear of ruining the relations, I tried to play it safe & insisted that I didn't doubt the evaluation scheme. Instead I kept on emphasizing that it were my mistakes that I was trying to determine. Anyone could have noticed the lack of reason on their part, but yet, they tried to force it upon me. I kept my cool through the discussion and even left with a thank you, for I believe teachers are to be respected, no matter what happens.

Lemme just quote some of the conversation extracts.

Faculty 2: You must have rushed the exams and made mistakes. Some of the options are pretty close to each other.
Me: I agree that the options were tricky. That's why I took the entire 80 minutes in an exam that should've been completed much earlier. I reviewed every answer time & again after I did logical elimination on the tricky ones.

Faculty 2: Study harder and appear for the re-exam.
Me: I am sorry sir, even if I were to devote 10 years from now on to learning C#, I would have banked on the same answers. For, I believe there were no mistakes on my part.

Me: Afterall, an exam is meant for testing our skills and learning from our mistakes, isn't it? But, how am I supposed to learn from the mistakes, when I can't even find them out.
Faculty 2: Did you get a printout of the marksheet? Use it to assess where you made mistakes.

Me: We can only see the sections we lost out on, over there. I need to be able to review the wrong answers.
Faculty 2: Try to remeber the questions and discuss them with your faculty.

Me: How can I remember the case studies which were more than a page long?
Faculty 2: I can't show you the answers. Were you shown your answers in the board exam?

Me: No Sir, but now-a-days, we can obtain the entire evaluated papers on paying some nominal charges.

Faculty 2: If I show you the answers, others would come asking for the answers as well.
Me: I am not asking for a hardcopy of the paper. Just pointing the mistakes out would be enough.

Faculty 2: I can't do that. That would be against the policy.

Faculty 1: Didn't I tell you, that the answers can't be shown.
Me: Yes you did sir, but I can't come to terms with the result.

Faculty 1: If it were possible, I would surely show you.
Friend: Could there've been some problem with the evaluation system? Something that mismatched the answers.

Faculty 1: Appear for the re-exam. I'll oversee your answers this time and oversee your answers. If thing's go wrong again, their might be a problem with the system.
Me: Alright then, Sir. I am on it.

I complied to their terms at that time. But what if I picked the same answers and got more marks this time? They would simply say that I made mistakes the last time around. While an improvement in the marks would surely be good, it would still be mentioned as a supplimentary result.

Right now, another friend has voiced his support and he insists we follow the procedures - drop a complaint letter, if it still doesn't serve the job, we should approach the higher authority.

but that doesn't mean your prediction will be correct. I last predicted to have 10/20 for a test about network protocols, yet I managed to get a 14/20 .

True, fluctuations can certainly be there, but within a bounded limit and that limit gets narrower with the amount of grasp you have on the paper. Besides there's more to prediction than just counting the ones you think are correct and calculating the marks accordingly. First you count the ones you are absolutely sure of, that way you determine the lower limit. You score close to this lower limit when the exam goes really bad and getting marks below that is certainly not feasible - as long as the prediction was not flawed in itself.