Many fail to qualify for medical, engineering education due to low HSC scores

MUMBAI: Several HSC students from the science stream have complained that their scores in mathematics, chemistry and physics were much lower than in their preliminary exam. “I have scored above 70 marks in most subjects but got less than 50 marks in chemistry. How is that possible?” said a student of a suburban junior college.
Students also said the low scores have cost them their chance at engineering and medical education which require a minimum score of 150 in physics, chemistry, mathematics/biology.“My son scored 66% with only 43 marks in physics and 44 in chemistry. He has lost his chance to qualify for a seat through NEET or AIIMS because he is one mark short. The results are shocking and we think practical marks were left out,” said a boy’s mother. He had scored 91% in CBSE Class X exams.

This year, the question paper pattern for physics, chemistry, biology and maths was changed to help NEET and JEE aspirants.
“We have failed in maths though some of us have qualified for JEE Advanced,” said Advait Bhavsar, a student from CHM College, Ulhasnagar, who was at Vashi to apply for verification with his friends.
Maths was a dampener for commerce students too. “I feel I haven’t received internal marks properly,” said Nitin Chauhan, a commerce student from Kandivli who too was at Vashi. Board officials, though, said it is unlikely that internal exam marks were left out.
“We check and report to junior colleges if they haven’t submitted practical marks. Also, if that were the case, we would have received similar complaints from many students of a single junior college. We will anyway get a clear picture after students start receiving photocopies,” said Khandagale.
Rasika Sathe was at Vashi with cousin Harshada Sathe who has failed in a commerce subject by one mark because the verification site was not loading. Officials said the server was slow due to increased traffic in the afternoon.