The Registered Unaided Private Schools Association (RUPSA), Karnataka have sought that the department find a solution against out of syllabus questions that were included in the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted last week.

In a statement, T Lokesh, president, RUPSA said a re-exam would be the most viable option in the interest of students. This comes in the wake of students and faculty claiming that over 50 marks worth of questions were from outside the syllabus for state syllabus students. CET is a competitive exam for students across boards seeking admissions for professional courses in the state.

Lokesh said that the question paper did not consider the state syllabus, putting several students at a disadvantage. “KCET has been a disaster. There must have been a common syllabus across boards for Pre-university level. That has not been the case. State syllabus students tend to have about three chapters less than the others. Hence exists a disparity.

“At least 53 marks are out of syllabus across 4 subjects. Chemistry paper, for instance, had 16 out of syllabus questions. We have asked for a re-exam, lenient correction based on a child’s performance or grace marks. However, the first option would be desirable. The government must act immediately. Action must be taken against the director of Karnataka Examinations Authority and others for negligence,” he sought.

On Friday, the Karnataka Unaided Pre-University College Management Association (KUPMA), urged the KEA to intervene immediately and find a resolution.

“For the first time since the inception of CET in 1984, the exam included a surprising number of out-of-syllabus questions. Specifically, about 45 questions across the four subjects—Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology (PCMB)—were not related to the current syllabus. This discrepancy is notable as the CET exam topics are supposed to align with those prescribed for the first and second PUC divisions, as clearly stated on page 29 of the CET manual released by the KEA,” they said in a statement.

Dr M Mohan Alva, president, KUPMA said, “The PU board has already published the revised syllabus on their website, which indicates that KEA may have either used outdated question papers or overlooked the fact that significant portions of the syllabus had been removed from both the First and Second PUC. Immediate action and clear communication are essential to rectify this situation and prevent further distress among the student community and their families.

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