Zero Marks to Succeed: The Alarming Decline in Entrance Exam Standards

Introduction

“Padho Bhai”, is a statement made by the Chief Justice of India, Justice Chandrachud. The Chief Justice was responding to a petition pleading for a reduction in the pass marks for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE). The Bar Council of India conducts the AIBE to award certificates of practice for candidates to practice law in Indian courts.

The Issue with Lowering Pass Marks

AIBE Examination Standards

Current Standards: The AIBE cut-off 2024 was set at 45% for the general category and 40% for SC, ST, and PWD candidates.
Chief Justice’s Concern: Justice Chandrachud questioned the ability of a lawyer who couldn’t meet these standards, responding to the petition to lower the cut-off to 40% and 35%.
Justice Chandrachud’s Statement: “What kind of lawyer will the person be if they cannot score this much? You are asking it to be lowered to 40% and 35%.”

The Crisis of Lowering Standards Across Professions

National Law Universities

The Shift in Admission Criteria

Previous Standard: National Law Universities in India had a fixed minimum standard for admission.
Current Practice: A 2022 circular by the Consortium of National Law Universities allows calling approximately five times the number of seats in each category by invitation, effectively removing minimum marks requirements.
Impact: In 2023, a student with a rank of 40,000+, translating to about 10% marks (15-17 out of 150), could gain admission through the NRI quota. The NLU cut-off in 2023 for one of the NLU seats was a rank of 40,000 approx.

Medical Examinations

NEET UG Examination

Total Seats and Applicants: In 2022, there were 93,470 seats with 13.66 lakh(approx) students appearing.
Qualifying Marks Reduction: The qualifying mark of 147 out of 720 (20.4%) was reduced to 113 to fill dental seats.

Further Reductions

2021 Data: The Aush Council reduced the qualifying marks for ayurvedic, Unani, and homeopathy seats from 138 to 122 out of 720. This brought the cut-off from 19.2% to 17%.

NEET PG Examination

Total Seats and Applicants: In 2023, there were 47,526 seats with 2,00,517 students appearing.
Qualifying Marks Reduction: Qualifying marks dropped from 302 (38%) in 2021 to 247 in 2022, and further to zero in 2023 during special rounds of counselling. Initially set at 291, the qualifying score was progressively reduced until it reached zero.

NEET Super Speciality Examination

Total Seats and Applicants: 4,243 seats with close to 20,000 applications.
Qualification Score Changes: Initially, 50 percentile in round one, reduced to 20 percentile in round two, and finally to zero percentile in a special round. Despite these reductions, they struggled to fill all the seats.

NEET MDS Examination

Total Seats and Applicants: 23,847 students for 6,937 seats.
Qualification Score Reductions: From 259 in 2021 to 185, and further to 174 in 2022, and finally to 168 in 2023 (17.5% of 960). This reduction highlights the ongoing trend of lowering standards to fill seats.

Engineering Examinations

IIT JEE Qualification Standards

HRD Ministry’s Order: In 2018, the Ministry ordered the Joint Admission Board of IITs to reduce qualification marks.
Impact: Qualifying marks dropped from 35% to 25%, increasing the pool of eligible candidates significantly. This move ensured that at least twice the number of candidates for the available seats were qualified to sit in the counselling process. This increase the total number of students in JOSSA counselling to 31,980 from 18,138 candidates.

The Long-Term Consequences

Lowering the bar in entrance exams might seem like a quick fix for unfilled seats, but it compromises the quality of professionals. This trend has spread across various professions, including law, medicine, and engineering.

Education System Impact: Lowering standards in entrance exams undermines the quality of future doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals. This affects the competence and credibility of professionals who shape society.
Call for Re-evaluation: It’s imperative to re-evaluate entrance exams and minimum standards to maintain the quality of professionals who shape our society.

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