Can you compare rankings of Bollywood Stars to that of Cricketers or Business Tycoons… Well we cant compare apples with oranges.. Similarly comparing one exam over different slots is next to impossible.. It can only be done via normalisation.
Few questions in the air:
What is normalization in Exams
My Exam was tough but my friends got easy
Some students who take exam on later date will have advantage as they know pattern
Normalization take cares of all these problems. Normalization is used by CAT and NMAT while ignored by CMAT. Lets see scores of 3 slots of CET…
Slot 1 – Day 1 Morning Medium paper Ranking of Bollywood stars
| Slot | Name | Score | Rank | Percentile |
| 1 | Salman | 155 | 1 | 99.99 |
| 1 | Aamir | 149 | 2 | 99.99 |
| 1 | Shahrukh | 144 | 3 | 99.98 |
| 1 | Hritik Roshan | 139 | 4 | 99.98 |
| 1 | Farhan Akhtar | 138 | 5 | 99.97 |
| 1 | Akshay Kumar | 135 | 6 | 99.97 |
Slot 2 – Day 1 Afternoon Easy paper (Cricket top players)
| Slot | Name | Score | Rank | Percentile |
| 2 | Sachin Tendulkar | 160 | 1 | 99.99 |
| 2 | MS Dhoni | 156 | 2 | 99.99 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 151 | 3 | 99.98 |
| 2 | Ravindra jadeja | 149 | 4 | 99.98 |
| 2 | Yuvraj Singh | 148 | 5 | 99.97 |
| 2 | Shikhar Dhawan | 145 | 6 | 99.97 |
Slot 3 – Evening Difficult paper (Businessmen)
| Slot | Name | Score | Rank | Percentile |
| 3 | Anil Ambani | 141 | 1 | 99.99 |
| 3 | Laxmi Mittal | 138 | 2 | 99.99 |
| 3 | Azim Premji | 135 | 3 | 99.98 |
| 3 | Pallonji Mistry | 132 | 4 | 99.98 |
| 3 | Shiv Nadar | 131 | 5 | 99.97 |
| 3 | Astha | 129 | 6 | 99.97 |
With Normalization:
Now this comparison is only possible via normalization. when we combine according to their ranks and percentiles irrespective of their scores..
| Slot | Name | Score | Rank | Percentile |
| Slot 2 | Sachin Tendulkar | 160 | 1 | 99.99 |
| Slot 1 | Salman | 155 | 1 | 99.99 |
| Slot 3 | Anil Ambani | 141 | 1 | 99.99 |
| Slot 2 | MS Dhoni | 156 | 2 | 99.99 |
| Slot 1 | Aamir | 149 | 2 | 99.99 |
| Slot 3 | Laxmi Mittal | 138 | 2 | 99.99 |
| Slot 2 | Virat Kohli | 151 | 3 | 99.98 |
| Slot 1 | Shahrukh | 144 | 3 | 99.98 |
| Slot 3 | Azim Premji | 135 | 3 | 99.98 |
| Slot 2 | Ravindra jadeja | 149 | 4 | 99.98 |
| Slot 1 | Hritik Roshan | 139 | 4 | 99.98 |
| Slot 3 | Pallonji Mistry | 132 | 4 | 99.98 |
| Slot 2 | Yuvraj Singh | 148 | 5 | 99.97 |
| Slot 1 | Farhan Akhtar | 138 | 5 | 99.97 |
| Slot 3 | Shiv Nadar | 131 | 5 | 99.97 |
| Slot 2 | Shikhar Dhawan | 145 | 6 | 99.97 |
| Slot 1 | Akshay Kumar | 135 | 6 | 99.97 |
| Slot 3 | Kumar Birla | 129 | 6 | 99.97 |
Without Normalization:
Lets look at how they would have slotted without normalization exactly same way it happen with CMAT. Like in list below.. CMAT Sept 2012 had a all toppers from day 1 or day 2 only. like in this list below.
| Slot | Name | Score | Rank | Percentile |
| Slot 2 | Sachin Tendulkar | 160 | 1 | 99.99 |
| Slot 2 | MS Dhoni | 156 | 2 | 99.99 |
| Slot 1 | Salman | 155 | 1 | 99.99 |
| Slot 2 | Virat Kohli | 151 | 3 | 99.98 |
| Slot 1 | Aamir | 149 | 2 | 99.99 |
| Slot 2 | Ravindra jadeja | 149 | 4 | 99.98 |
| Slot 2 | Yuvraj Singh | 148 | 5 | 99.97 |
| Slot 2 | Shikhar Dhawan | 145 | 6 | 99.97 |
| Slot 1 | Shahrukh | 144 | 3 | 99.98 |
| Slot 3 | Anil Ambani | 141 | 1 | 99.99 |
| Slot 1 | Hritik Roshan | 139 | 4 | 99.98 |
| Slot 1 | Farhan Akhtar | 138 | 5 | 99.97 |
| Slot 3 | Laxmi Mittal | 138 | 2 | 99.99 |
| Slot 1 | Akshay Kumar | 135 | 6 | 99.97 |
| Slot 3 | Azim Premji | 135 | 3 | 99.98 |
| Slot 3 | Pallonji Mistry | 132 | 4 | 99.98 |
| Slot 3 | Shiv Nadar | 131 | 5 | 99.97 |
| Slot 3 | Kumar Birla | 129 | 6 | 99.97 |
Normalization in exams with multiple sessions or slots, such as three sessions, is a statistical process used to ensure fairness among all test-takers. Since exams in different sessions may have varying levels of difficulty, normalization adjusts the scores so that students across all sessions are evaluated on a common scale.
Here’s how it typically works:
- Session-Wise Variation: In exams with multiple sessions, the questions might vary slightly in difficulty. This could lead to some students in one session scoring higher or lower just due to the specific set of questions they encountered.
- Normalization Formula: The normalization process uses a mathematical formula that accounts for these variations. It takes into account the average performance of candidates in each session and adjusts the raw scores accordingly. The formula typically involves comparing the mean, standard deviation, and highest scores of each session to balance the differences.
- Equitable Results: After normalization, all candidates’ scores are scaled to a common standard, ensuring that no candidate is unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged due to the difficulty level of their specific session.
This process is commonly used in competitive exams to maintain transparency and fairness when different candidates attempt the exam under varying conditions.
