How are normalization marks calculated?

Why are Normalization Marks Calculated?

When an exam is conducted in multiple sessions, there may be differences in the difficulty level of the question papers . As a result, candidates with similar capabilities might end up scoring differently due to the session they appeared in.

To ensure fairness and maintain a level playing field for all aspirants, a statistical method called Normalization of Marks is used. This adjusts the scores to account for any variation in difficulty between different sessions.

How are Normalization Marks Calculated?

There are various methods for calculating Normalization Marks (NM). Below are two commonly used formulas:

Normalization Formula 1:

NM = {(Student’s Raw Score − Lowest Marks of the Shift)/(Topper’s Marks of the Shift − Lowest Marks of the Shift)} × (Highest Score Across All Shifts − Lowest Score Across All Shifts) + Lowest Score Across All Shifts

Where:

Student’s Raw Score = Marks obtained by the candidate in their shift

Topper’s Marks of the Shift = Highest marks scored in that shift

Lowest Marks of the Shift = Minimum marks in that shift

Highest Score Across All Shifts = Top score among all shifts

Lowest Score Across All Shifts = Lowest score among all shifts

Normalization Formula 2:

Xn= (S2/S1) (X-Xav) + Yav

Where:

Xₙ = Normalized Score of the candidate

S₂ = Standard Deviation of raw marks of the Base Session

S₁ = Standard Deviation of raw marks of the Candidate’s Session

X = Raw marks of the candidate

Xav = Average marks of the Candidate’s Session

Yav = Average marks of the Base Session

Both methods aim to eliminate the bias caused by varying paper difficulty and ensure that all candidates are judged on an equal scale.