Errors in tabulation, delays in announcing results and loss of answer scripts are some of the common problems that institutes and students face after board exams.
Testing and assessment firm MeritTrac Services has introduced a service that will help avoid such errors.
TracMarks, the on-screen marking system, allows evaluators to correct answer sheets online (after they are scanned and put online), thus eliminating errors of manual evaluation and chances of loss of answer sheets.
It also allows easy retrieval in case of loss of the original answer script and helps correct totalling errors.
The company has piloted a project with the Central Board of Secondary Education to evaluate 500 answer sheets and will work with a larger pool — of about one lakh answer scripts — during the July-August examination season, said Mr S. Muralidhar, Co-founder and chief executive, MeritTrac Services.
According to estimates, 10-15 per cent of answer sheets come up for re-evaluation in any board examination. In a university with about two lakh students who take five papers every semester, about one lakh requests come up for re-evaluation. “About 50 per cent of these become cases of totalling errors which are eliminated through on-screen marking with an in built totalling system,” Mr Muralidhar said.
Another benefit of a digitised evaluation system is the ease with which two teachers can share answer sheets as multiple evaluation is mandatory in most universities. This also makes it easier for students to access answer sheets. TracMarks also enables real-time monitoring of evaluators.
MeritTrac Services has tied up with UK-based RM Assessment to bring the technology to India. RM has conducted online marking projects for over 45 lakh Cambridge University examinatios, the International Baccalaureate Organisation, school boards in Australia and New Zealand and Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a global accounting body.