June is a time of jubilation for lakhs of students across the country as the months of suspense come to an end with the declaration of the Class X board exam results. But as many revel in the satisfaction of a job well done, there are many more who grapple with the fact that their marks are disappointingly low or simply not good enough to secure them admission into a college of their choice.
While most make their peace with their results and begin the process of college admissions, there are some who are not content to just accept their low scores. It is for these students that the examination boards for both Class X and XII have instituted the following methods in which they can take recourse:
Re-totaling
Often confused with the 'revaluation' of a paper, re-totaling only means the checking of marks already given for an answer and not the re-assessment of each answer.
Re-totaling rarely results in a major change in total marks scored, but it is worth a try. You will need to pick up an 'application for verification of marks' form from your school and follow the guidelines mentioned therein. Every paper submitted carries a nominal charge (from Rs 20 to Rs 50) depending on the state you are in and the examination board you are applying to (whether State, ICSE or CBSE).
Revaluation
Sometimes this can mean the difference between being a topper and just another high-scorer, as it did in the case of Kavya Sarath. A student of the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board, Kavya took the SSLC examination in March and scored a very respectable 606 out of a total of 625. That is until she applied for revaluation. According to a report by deccanherald.com so confident was Kavya of her performance, that she submitted her English and Social Studies papers for revaluation and was awarded six marks more per paper, making her one of the four toppers.
While not every revaluation can promise such dramatic results, if you are confident of your performance, submit your papers and hope for the best. A word of caution though, do not let the revaluation process hold up your college applications. Sometimes, the process can take upto a few months and delaying your applications could mean that you have to rush at the last moment or worse miss the college application deadlines altogether.
Re-examination
So you took the exams but your score is way below what you are capable of? If you think you could do better, re-examination could be for you. Re-examination involves taking the board exams again in October, or in March-April the following year.
While this would involve sacrificing a year of your educational career, it might prove to be a worthwhile proposition if you are confident that your second attempt will be a marked improvement.
Another concern is colleges seeing the second attempt in a negative way. While there are many reputed colleges who base their admissions solely on merit, others see the fact that you have missed a year as a negative sign. So before you decide to drop a year to re-take the exam, carefully weigh your options. Speak to the colleges you want to apply to about their admissions procedure and the weightage they give to the 'attempt certificate'. A not-so-great score might not get you into the college of your dreams, but it might be sufficient to get you into a decent enough college.