- (1.) The inability to understand the concept of percentile is truly the cause for filing the petition. An aspirant for admission to M.D. Course, on the basis of performance in an entrance examination, has a grievance that the selection criterion of determining the order of merit on the basis of percentile position has not been properly reckoned. The formula given for assessing the percentile was given as (B+0.5*E)*100/N where B is number of scores below the candidate's score (irrespective of candidate's category), E is number of scores equal to candidate's score (irrespective of candidate's category), and N is the total number of candidates appearing for test (irrespective of candidate's category).
(2.) In this case, it is stated that 5191 candidates took the examinations. The petitioner had not been called for counselling since she was below the 50th percentile and did not qualify. The petitioner had also been an aspirant for admission to the previous year but she did not gain admission in view of the fact that she had been far below par and she had not been declared selected. The petitioner had come up with a writ petition challenging the nonselection for the previous year and this court had dismissed the petition. Again this year, she has come to this court with a contention that the manner of reckoning of the percentile score is erroneous and she ought to have been treated as selected.
(3.) I am clearly of the view that the petitioner is labouring under a complete misunderstanding of the concept, since the contention of the respondent was that she had a percentile of 10.345 and that her overall rank was 4654 and the category rank was 2811. I was shocked that the petitioner must claim a complete reversal of what she thought she possessed that she was somewhere above the 98th percentile. Since the petitioner made an issue that the calculation was all wrong, I had directed the counsel for the respondent to elicit the highest mark in percentage of the first candidate and the mark which the petitioner had obtained. The information furnished was that the highest mark in percentage in the batch of students that took the test was 58.6219 and the petitioner had a percentage of 15.6609. On a simple arithmetic of working out a percentile, the highest mark would obviously be taken as the base on which the gradation of others would be made. Where several candidates appear and their marks in percentage are known, they shall first be ranked in that orders whether ascending or descending. There could also be some students who may tie at the same score and hence could have the same rank. It is in such a situation that the reliance of the number of candidates who took the examination, the rank of the various candidates and the number of persons who tie at the same score would obtain relevance and it is the formula given above that will be applied for determining the percentile.;