NTA sought to do away with negative marking system in competitive exams

Observing that there is no scientific proof in support of negative marking system that it helps to choose best candidates in competitive examination, the Madras High Court on Friday sought the National Testing Agency (NTA), Department of Higher Education, to do away with the system of negative marking.

Passing a detailed order in this regard, Justice R Mahadevan said, “In the considered opinion of this court, the study materials of various countries will support the view that negative marking will not help a student to think rationally.”

“By awarding negative marks, the intuition of a student is crippled. Everyone comes across a situation in life where decisions are taken purely out of intuition. It may work or may not, but an element of boldness comes along, while deciding through intuition. The threat of negative marks will never allow intuition to grow in a student,” he added.

Justice Mahadevan was passing orders on a plea moved by an engineering aspirant seeking to revalue his Physics and Mathematics of JEE (Main) 2013. Though CBSE had informed that there was no provision for revaluation, the answer sheet of the student was sought for. It was then found that he had failed to qualify owing to the negative marking system.

However, with the plea becoming infructuous, the judge recorded the submissions of the petitioner’s counsel about negative marking and how even most advanced countries like the UK, Canada, Australia and Russia have stopped the process of negative marking and even in India, the CMC. Vellore, one of the best colleges in the field of medicine, does not award negative marks in their entrance examinations.