This post is a response to several queries on the normalization of CET scores. After the announcement of the CET result, most of the slot 1 students realized that they had scored on the lower side compared to students from the other slots. As always, we gathered some data through a google form, and here is the analysis. Please note that this analysis is based on a sample that may not be entirely representative of the entire CET population.

From the data that we gathered, we had 36 respondents above 99 percentile.

4/36 = 11% from day 1
9/36 = 25% from day 2 morning
7/36 = 20% from day 2 afternoon
12/36 = 33% from day 3 morning
4/36 = 11% from day 3 afternoon

There is a chance that we don’t have enough representation from each of the slots in our respondent pool. We also looked at the topper score from our respondent base:

Day 1 topper – 99.74
Day 2 morning topper – 99.99
Day 2 afternoon topper – 99.96
Day 3 morning topper – 99.89
Day 3 afternoon topper – 99.84

Note that all these scores have been validated through the actual scorecards.

Edit: This is the updated table:

Let me list down the problems with this whole thing:

1. CET slots have different difficulty levels. Now, this would not have been a problem if they had normalized the scores because normalization, fundamentally, is a process to straighten out any differences in difficulty.

2. The difficulty levels are different because of two reasons – (a) they don’t have the same distribution of questions from individual areas (QA, VA, LR, AR). (b) they are possibly drawing questions from question banks that have not been quality checked.

3. If they had normalized the scores, we would have seen near equal representation from all the slots in terms of 99.9+ percentilers

4. They have not reported the scaled scores of the students used to calculate the percentile. Nothing on the number of students in each slot has been reported so far.

If we look at CAT, we can see why it’s highly fair towards candidates and why CET is the opposite. CAT releases the test paper and the answer key. The students can calculate their raw scores. They report the scaled scores on the scorecard and the percentile obtained by the student. CET cell does none of this and reports percentile. Without raw and scaled scores, the entire result mechanism is a black box.

We can only wait for the final result PDF to understand the extent of the damage done to students’ hopes because of differential difficulty and lack of normalization. The CET cell needs to get its processes sorted. The indifference towards the plight of students and the conduct of this test is damaging the test’s overall perception.

Some aspirants have resorted to the legal route in the past, and the outcomes have been futile. So, my suggestion to the students is to refrain from it because it delays the admission process. Instead, focus on the next thing for you. If you have scored on the lower side, try for some of the b-schools offering PGDM programs and check if they are accepting candidates. If you can wait another year, consider taking NMAT and SNAP this year. Depending only on CET is not a good strategy – it’s sure a gateway to one of the best b-schools in India, but the presence of external variables in this equation leaves room for uncertainty.

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Wish you guys all the best for the CAP rounds. Do comment with your thoughts, share with friends, and don’t forget to subscribe.