Information About Exams

Mode of Assessment:

The mode of assessment of the performance of students in UG, PG and MPhil Programmes shall be both on the basis of Continuous Assessment (Internal) and End-of-Semester Examination.

• The ratio of Continuous Assessment (Internal) to the End-of-Semester Examination (Final) is 50:50 in all theory papers of all UG, PG and MPhil courses unless otherwise specifically exempted by the Academic Council
• In case of practicals / lab courses / field study/self-study projects, research projects in both UG and PG programmes, the Continuous Assessment shall be 100% unless otherwise specific modification(s) are proposed by concerned Board of Studies and approved by the Academic Council.
• In case of dissertations and research projects in MPhil programmes the ratio between Continuous and End-of-Semester Assessments shall be 50:50.
• For all courses falling under the category of Co-curricular activities, the ratio between Continuous and End-of-Semester Assessments shall be 50:50. This applies to both theory and practical courses.

Continuous Assessment:

There shall be different methods of Continuous Assessment like Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Viva-Voce exams and other innovative methods as found suitable and prescribed by the Boards of Studies and approved by the Academic Council from time to time. However, following are the rules in force.

• In all the theory courses in the Undergraduate programmes there shall be two objective tests / quizzes of 20 minutes duration with 10 maximum marks each and two written tests of 1 hour 30 minutes duration with 30 maximum marks each. 10 marks shall be awarded to assignments. The ratio between the Objective Tests, Written Tests and Assignments shall be 20:60:20. The practice of giving term paper as a Continuous Assessment tool shall continue for Value Education Courses and the ratio between Term Paper and Tests shall be 40:60.
• Generally for all the theory papers in PG programmes and M.Phil programmes, the Continuous Assessment shall be made by conducting two Assignments / Seminars, two Quizzes / Seminars and two Written Tests. The ratio between these components shall be 20:20:60. Any specific change in the pattern shall be recommended by respective Boards of Studies and specific approval obtained from the Academic Council.
• In case of Internal Assessment for Laboratory/ Field Study Courses, Project Work etc 75% marks should be awarded for Continuous Assessment and 25% for the Terminal / Summative evaluation. To have an external examiner for the summative evaluation is optional. Appearance in the Terminal/ Summative evaluation in the above regard is mandatory. In the event a student is not appearing for the Terminal/Summative evaluation he/she is treated as having failed in the course. An explicitly written protocol clearly indicating the criteria of evaluation, marks allotted to each criterion, the nature of records to be maintained in that regard, its publicness, and transparency etc. shall be placed before the respective Boards of Studies and approved by the Academic Council. In the event of Viva Voce exam conducted for the evaluation of laboratory courses etc. indicated above, the nature of constitution of Viva Voce panel shall be indicated.
• The marks in every (internal) test, assignment, quiz, viva voce or seminar, objective test, etc. or any other approved assessment point shall be counted towards the total continuous (internal) assessment for that semester.
• There shall be no minimum marks prescribed in Continuous Assessment(internal) for passing a course except in the case of laboratory/practical/field study courses where 100% Continuous Assessment is relied upon.

Re-assessment under Continuous Assessment:

Students are required to take every test/assignment/quiz/seminar/objective test/viva voce exam under the Continuous Assessment without fail. Re-assessment under Continuous Assessment will not be entertained in normal circumstances.

• Absence from any Continuous Assessment (Written tests, Objective tests, Quizzes, Seminars, Viva Voce exams, Assignments and Seminars) on medical grounds, participation in sports and games, NCC, Inter collegiate competitions etc. and any other authorized student activity, and other contingencies like death and marriage in the family shall be judged on the basis of individual merit of the case, before re-assessment opportunity is given.
• Student seeking re-assessment of Continuous Assessment shall apply to the Controller of Examinations in the prescribed form. Re-test/ re-assessment shall be permitted by the Controller of Examinations only on the recommendation of the Course Teacher and with due endorsement and approval by the Head of the Department after careful consideration of evidence and the merit of the claim. In the event of serious dispute, the final decision shall be taken by the Controller of Examinations in consultation with the Principal.
• For re-assessment, a different set of questions must be prepared with the pattern changed if necessary.
• For every continuous assessment missed by a student only one re-assessment opportunity will be permitted.
• Re-assessment shall be completed as soon as possible or before the end of the semester. If for any extraordinary reason, re-assessment could not be completed before the commencement of the End-of-Semester Examination the written permission of the Principal is needed. The Principal shall give such permission only in the rarest of rare cases.
• The department shall after every re-assessment retain the answer scripts and the permission letter for at least one year from the date of re-assessment. The re-assessment given shall be subject to random scrutiny by the appropriate authority including the Head of the Department.

Conduct of the Continuous Assessment:

All the Written Tests, Quizzes, Assignments, Seminars, Objective Tests etc. pertaining to the Continuous Assessment shall be conducted within the stipulated time period as per the officially announced schedule in the college calendar.

• The Objective Tests and Written Tests which form the components of the Continuous Assessment for the Undergraduate Courses shall be centrally organized and conducted by the COE by issuing specific schedule indicating time and venue for each under graduate course.
• Individual course teachers shall prepare question papers well in advance for the above centrally conducted tests and hand them over to the COE’s office for printing and administering the tests. Once the first draft is prepared, the course teachers shall without fail do the proof reading and gives the final approval for printing. The individual Course Teachers shall without fail invigilate the respective tests centrally conducted.
• In the case of both PG and MPhil programmes, the practice of administering the Continuous Assessment in the respective departments shall be continued. However, the departments shall strictly adhere to the official schedule announced in the Calendar.
• The Course Teachers shall value the answer scripts after the conduct of each test/assignment/quiz under the Continuous Assessment within a week and return the scripts/papers to the students after making entries in appropriate forms (CAR I & II) and display them in the department notice board.
• The Course Teacher shall make appropriate entries in CAR I & II (Continuous Assessment Record I & II ) and submit the same to the COE within 10 days of the conclusion of the respective Continuous Assessment period through the Head of the Department. Heads of Department shall ensure the timely submission of the CAR to COE by the faculty in the department.
• The consolidated and final CAR shall be displayed in the Department notice board well before the closure of the college for study leave so as to provide opportunities for the students to make any appeal if there were any discrepancies or omissions in the entries.

End-of-Semester Examination:

There shall be an End-of-Semester Examination for testing the cumulative and comprehensive understanding of a subject. Except in case of laboratory / field-study courses, all the theory courses shall be cumulatively tested through written examination of conventional type.

• A student will be permitted to take an End-of-Semester (final) Examination in any course if he/she has put in at least 75% of attendance in that course in a semester. If the attendance is 65% or above but below 75% he/she shall be allowed to sit for the examination after the payment of the condonation fees. If the attendance is 50% or above but below 65%, he/she shall be allowed to sit for the exam only during the next odd or even semester. If the attendance is below 50% he/she shall repeat the course by freshly enrolling for the course for another semester.
• The end-of-semester examination for each course shall be normally of three hours duration for courses of four or more hours/week of contact hours. The BOS however shall prescribe examination of lesser duration for courses with fewer hours/week.

M.Phil Programmes and Special Rules Governing Dissertation:

All the rules provided for under this ‘Rules and Regulations Governing Examinations’ shall generally apply to all MPhil Programmes unless otherwise provided for. Clauses 1(c), 2(b), 4(c), 7(c) and 7(e) are thus specially provided for. In addition to this, the following rules shall govern the submission and evaluation of MPhil Dissertation.

• Every department where MPhil programme is conducted there shall be a Research Committee chaired by the Postgraduate Head of the Department that would include all the eligible guides who actively guide MPhil dissertation, during that academic year.
• The Research Committee which shall function under the aegis of the M.Phil Board of Studies and be operationally responsible for maintaining the standard and quality of the M.Phil programme by generally monitoring, screening and evaluating the research work done by the students.
• On approval from the official guide, the student shall make a presentation before the Research Committee his proposal for dissertation clearly defining/ problemetising the research problem, the purpose and scope of such research, the proposed design and methodology and the time frame indicating the important stages. The committee shall evaluate such a proposal and advise the candidate on the feasibility, methodological nuances and the standards expected. The committee in its discretion can reject a proposal if it is not upto its expectation and direct the candidate to resubmit the proposal only after 15 days. Approval of proposals for dissertation shall be completed normally before 3, September every year.
• The guide shall otherwise be responsible for the monitoring and progress of the work. Close to the end of the second semester, if the candidate has sufficiently progressed and is ready to complete the work, he/she shall with the approval of the guide go before the Research Committee for final screening with the first draft. At this point, the committee shall evaluate the quality of work done, of the bona fides, and originality and the meeting of other research protocol. The committee if for valid reasons is not satisfied with the quality of work done, shall ask the candidate to revise the work and postpone submission.
• Once the screening is over by the Research Committee, the Viva Voce date shall be fixed by the Head of the Department in consultation with the candidate and the guide.
• The candidate shall submit 5 typed copies of his/her dissertation to the PG Head of the Department after duly certified by the Guide.
• The evaluation of the MPhil dissertation shall be for a total of 200 marks. This shall be on the basis of Continuous Assessment and End-of-Semester Evaluation on a 50:50 basis.
• The Continuous Assessment of the dissertation shall be as follows: The guide shall assess the work for 50 marks on the basis of i) Consistency and continuity of effort(10). ii) Availability and quality of consultation(10). iii) Total effort(10) iv) Originality of Contribution (20). The Research Committee which does the final screening shall award 50 marks on the basis of i) Working Knowledge in the area of specialization as observed during prosecutions(10), ii) Conceptual Clarity and focus(10), iii) Methodology/ designing of experiments(10). iv) Originality of contribution(20)
• The End-of-Semester Evaluation of the dissertation shall be done by constituting the Viva Voce panel chaired by the Head of the Department and the guide and one external member appointed for the purpose. The external member who received the dissertation well in advance shall award 60 marks independent of viva voce. The remaining 40 marks shall be awarded for the viva voce performance of the candidate.
• The candidate shall submit his dissertation not before 30th April of the academic year in which he/she is enrolled and not later than 30th June of the year. The second submission shall be not later than 30th November every year. The viva voce examination shall be finished within a month of submission. The result shall be announced on the same day of viva voce examination.
• In case of detection of plagiarism, the Head of the Department shall report it to the Evaluation Monitoring Cell which shall appoint a special committee to investigate and recommend final action.

Passing Minimum and Award of Classes:

The passing minimum in a course and award of class in a programme of study shall be in accordance with the recommendation of the Boards of Studies and as approved by the Academic Council.

a. There is no passing minimum in any Continuous Assessment of courses except in those laboratory / field study courses where it is specifically provided for, and approved by the Academic Council.

b. For all the UG courses, the passing minimum shall be 40% in aggregate putting together the Continuous Assessment (internal) and the End-of-semester Examination (final), with 40% independent minimum in the End-of-Semester Examination.

c. For all the PG and MPhil courses the passing minimum shall be 50% in aggregate putting together the Continuous Assessment (internal) and the End-of-Semester Examination(final), with 50% independent minimum in the End-of-Semester Examination.

d. For all the UG programmes of study, classes will be awarded as follows:

(i) Classes will be awarded separately in part I Language, Part II English and Part III Major. There is no separate award of class for part IV (NSS, NCC & Physical Education)

(ii) A student shall be declared to have passed in First Class with Distinction for a part if he/she secures, in aggregate for that part, 75% or more; in the First Class if he/she secures 60% or more but less than 75%; in second class if he/she secures 50% or more but less than 60%; in Third class if he/she secures 35% or more but less than 50%.

(iii) These classes will be awarded on the basis of marks in the aggregate for all courses in a part as prescribed by the respective Board of Studies.

(iv) Repeat attempts will not block the award of these classes.

e. For the award of class in all the PG and MPhil programmes of study 6 d(i) and 6d(ii) above shall not apply. A student shall be declared to have passed in the First Class with Distinction if he/she secures 75% or above; in the First Class if he secures 60% or more but less than 75%; in the Second Class if he/she secures 50% or more but less than 60%. Clause 6d (iii) and 6d (iv) shall also apply.

f. A student must not only pass all the courses specified by the Board of Studies and approved by the Academic Council but also must acquire the required number of credits recommended by these bodies for the award of the degree.

Right to Appeal:

In the event, the student is not satisfied with a Continuous Assessment or an End-of-Semester examination, the student has the right to appeal.

• In case of dissatisfaction with the Continuous Assessment, a student can first seek clarification either orally or in writing, from the course teacher. If he/she is not still satisfied, he/she can appeal to the Head of the Department in writing. If he/she is not still satisfied, he can ask for a Review Committee by writing to the Dean for Policies and Administration. The Review Committee shall be chaired by the Dean (P&A) with the Head of the Department and another senior faculty of the department as members. In the event the Head of Department or the senior member happens to be the Course Teacher appealed against, he/she shall be replaced by two other senior members. The decision of the Review Committee shall be final.
• In case of dissatisfaction with an End-of-Semester Examination (final), a student can ask the COE, in writing, for a revaluation on payment of a fee of Rs.225/- per paper. The COE, in consultation with the Head of the Department, will constitute a panel of two or three examiners of whom atleast one will be an external member for evaluation. The decision of the panel shall be final. Under no circumstance the COE orders another valuation on re-valuation. If a re-valuation shows a serious anomaly by extreme differences in the award of marks, it shall be referred to the Evaluation Monitoring Cell for final decision. It is mandatory that COE separately furnishes a comparative statement of marks on all cases of revaluation for scrutiny.

Re appearance in End-of-Semester Examination:

A candidate who fails in an End-of-Semester Examination can re-appear for the same examination in order to qualify for a degree subject to the following condition.

• In ordinary circumstances a candidate failing in an End-of-Semester Examination or Examinations shall be permitted to re-appear for the same examination or examinations at any time when such End-of-Semester Examination is held for fresh candidates enrolled for the course. Thus, in normal circumstances, odd semester courses can be repeated during End-of-Semester Examinations in November and even semester courses during End-of-Semester examinations in April.
• The practice of conducting June repeat examination shall be continued where ‘June Repeat’ is a special opportunity made available to students to clear the arrears of failed course(s) if any, at the end of the course of study. This means that the ‘June Repeat’ opportunity is available to a UG student, to a PG student and to an MPhil student. There is no maximum number of courses allowed to be cleared in June repeat examination.
• Repeat examination for courses dropped from the curriculum for any reason is restricted to four consecutive chances only. In the event a candidate has exhausted four such attempts, he/she can repeat the exam in an equivalent course recommended by the concerned department. If an equivalent course is not available, then the candidate is permitted to repeat the examination on the original course by paying a fee of Rs 1000/- in addition to the examination fee.

• Students of courses offered by UG English, Tamil, Hindi, French Departments are permitted to take their final examination on the originally prescribed textbooks for four consecutive times only. Thereafter, students who have arrears will follow the current textbooks in use for the final examination.