Exam Result Season
Every May/June (summer in India), we are gripped by “exam results fever” - that is when results for annual examination season are announced. There are a dizzying array of exam-conducting authorities, everything from the 10th and 12th grade “public” exams, and entrance exams to various engineering, medical, dental and what-not colleges. Each state has multiple examination authorities, and then you have independent examination authorities like those conducted by the IIT system.
In my state of Tamil Nadu, as in many other states in India, we take our exams very seriously. The “toppers” are royalty, at least during the result season. You will find them interviewing in newspapers, TV stations and so on. Here is a sampling of press articles that give you the flavor. The kids profiled are all the toppers of the “Plus Two” (i.e 12th grade) public exams conducted in March/April 2005. There are something like 400,000 students taking this exam, so the competition in intense. And the by now established tradition is that girls always walk away with most top ranks.
The number of articles in each newspaper on results day tells you how important this is.
http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/19/stories/2005051914590400.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/19/stories/2005051914600400.htm
Here is a quote from the third URL mentioned above:
| Quote: |
| CHENNAI: G Sathya, a student of Kurinji Higher Secondary School at Kavettipatty in Namakkal, topped the State Board Plus Two Examinations 2005, scoring 1185 out of 1200 marks.
The overall pass percentage in the exams improved by 0.5 percent compared to last year. Girls continued to maintain the trend of outperforming the boys. Students from Chennai and the districts shared the top ranks in two different categories. Sathya also scored 196 in the Tamil paper, the highest in the state. She came state third in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics, scoring centum in all. The second place was bagged by M Asha Benazir of Rosemary Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Palayamkottai, who scored 1183 marks. S A Ayisha of S V Mandir Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Uthangarai, in Krishnagiri district and R Srinath of SRV Boys Higher Secondary School, Rasipuram, shared the third rank scoring 1181 marks. |