What is Negative Marking?
In MCQ-type questions, there are multiple options to choose from. For every wrong choice, negative marks are awarded(deducted), reducing the candidate’s score. For example, in UPSC Prelims, the negative marking is ⅓ of the total marks allocated to that question.
How to Calculate Negative Marking
To calculate negative marking in a competitive exam, you need to know the marking scheme.
For example, in an exam with ¼ (0.25) negative marking, for every wrong answer, 0.25 marks are deducted from your total score.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
- Identify the marking scheme: Determine the marks awarded for a correct answer and the fraction of marks deducted for an incorrect answer.
- Calculate correct answers: Multiply the number of correct answers by the marks per question.
- Calculate incorrect answers: Multiply the number of incorrect answers by the negative marking factor.
- Calculate total score: Subtract the total negative marks from the total marks obtained from correct answers.
For example:
In the context of an exam, “¼ negative marking” means that for every incorrect answer a student provides, they will lose one-quarter (or 0.25) of a point from their total score.
For example, if a student answers 10 questions correctly, 5 incorrectly, and leaves 5 unanswered, their scoring might look like this:
Correct answers: 10 × 1 point = 10 points
Incorrect answers: 5 x -0.25 points = -1.25 points
Unanswered questions: 0 points
Total score = 10 - 1.25 = 8.75 points.
Conclusion:
This system is often used to discourage random guessing on multiple-choice exams, as it penalizes incorrect answers.