This news may give some relief to medical aspirants.
A committee set up by the Medical Council of India has recommended that there should be a percentile score and no negative marking to determine the merit of applicants in the proposed National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to MBBS courses for 2012.
The suggestion of not having negative marking was rooted in concerns of low scores by applicants in the entrance exam.
Till now students would lose one mark for every wrong answer and not losing marks instead of scoring became their priority. As a result, students sometimes ended up not answering questions.
Dr Ranjani Iyer, who has taught first year medical students, feels that this move will ease a lot of pressure on students and make them confident enough to attempt all questions.
“Negative marking takes away from a student’s performance as he is scared of losing marks. As the percentile marking has been successful in other competitive exams, its implementation here will ensure that students are able to sit for the exam more confidently,” she says.
Seconds engineering student Ankush Thakur, “It surprises me that the MCI is yet to introduce the percentile system, which has worked successfully for CAT exams. If the paper is tough, everyone scores low, but the toppers will still have more than 90 percentile.”
However, others like Rachit Kinger, an IIM Lucknow passout, feel that negative marking ensures that the student is absolutely sure about his answer, which is a good thing. But it can also backfire as negative marking is a deterrent for those who just love to guess.
“I cannot think of any reason why negative marking could be bad for tests which are more logical in nature. Negative marking forces the student to be strategic in his answers. And if you are guessing you probably have 20 per cent chance of getting something right and 80 per cent of getting it wrong. For every five guesses chances are that he will get one right, so it increases his overall marks but that is not what education is all about,” explains Rachit.
Solving a problem in the exam not only asks for theoretical knowledge but it also tests students for systematic thinking and logical reasoning which is a prerequisite for any profession.
“In the absence of negative marking, problem-solving ability of students will be deeply affected,” feels medical student Varun Ghoreta.
Where is Bebo’s date with her statue
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor’s wax statue at Madame Tussauds will be unveiled on October 27 in Blackpool, UK. Bebo’s statue was scheduled to be unveiled earlier this month, but the date got postponed after the demise of beau Saif Ali Khan’s father, cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
She cancelled her public appearances that were scheduled in the first week of the month as she wanted to be there with Saif and his family. Also, Kareena will be missing the Toronto premiere of her much awaited film Ra.One, as it falls on the same day.
Who is the lovely new Dragon Queen
“While she’s young, she’s warm and kind in heart and character.” This is how the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck describes his ‘commoner’ wife, Jetsun Pema, 21. This Thimpu-born, strikingly pretty queen has a strong India connect. She studied at the Lawrence School, Sanawar for two years and completed her plus two in 2008 from there.
She also went to St. Joseph’s Convent in Kalimpong, West Bengal. Could this India connection be the reason why the couple chose to visit India within ten days of their marriage? Well, India is set to roll out the red carpet for the royals, who are due to arrive on October 23 and have planned a special trip to Rajasthan.
When York celebrates the ghost festival
York might be famed for its historic centre, but it is also associated with metaphysical occurrences and ghostly goings-on. Starting from tomorrow till October 31, York Ghost Festival invites courageous souls to engage with the “other side” as it delves into the city’s supernatural past.
The festival includes ghost walks, seances and psychic nights to intrigue believers, skeptics and the undecided. The events provide an opportunity for serious debate on the existence of unknown forces.
For more information visit: www.yorkghostfestival.co.uk
What could make Diwali celebrations high on fun and low on pollution?
Beny Gill (26), professional:
With the changing times, why can’t we come up with innovative ways of celebrating our festivals, especially Diwali? We can just put an end to both noise and air pollution by using interesting lightings instead of burning noisy crackers.
Rayshita Sachdev (22), student:
Even as students we understand the value of money as we often take up part-time jobs to meet our expenses. I believe burning crackers is the most wasteful thing one can do. We can buy food, sweets and clothes with that money and share it with the poor and needy and make their Diwali special. That is sure to make it great fun for one and all.
