Post #dearicaipleasechange & #ICAIReforms trends, CA students seek provision for answer booklet rechecking

New Delhi, September 25: After the student agitation across the country against the alleged erroneous evaluation system of ICAI for CA Exams, student representatives have met ICAI officials to discuss the matter, seeking the provision of re-checking of answer booklet of CA Examinations. According to ICAI officials, “In order to empathize the genuine concern, if any, of the students, they were given an opportunity to meet the officers and council members on 24th September 2019 wherein more than ten representatives including ICAI members, non-members and students participated in the discussions. The representatives of agitators submitted that their only demand is to allow for the provision of re-checking of answer books in the Chartered Accountancy examinations.”

It must be noted that so far, ICAI has no provision for answer booklet re-checking. The current system under Regulation 39(4), which deals with the matter, allows corrections in marks pertaining to certain cases only. However, the student community is complaining about some other areas for which the ICAI has no provision.

The Chartered Accountants Regulation (mentioned above) allows correction of marks in case of:

1) No marks awarded to any answer or part of it.

2) Totalling errors in step-wise marks awarded for an answer

3) Wrong carry forward or its part of marks awarded to answer on the cover page of the answer books.

Out of the hundreds of students who have been protesting against the evaluation system and the marks they are losing as a result of that, we bring you a screen-shot of tweet of Shubhnay Jain here who has lost 16 marks in the CA Exam. Check his tweet below:

It must be noted that, at any stage, neither the answer key of MCQs or objective type questions is released nor is there any provision to know why a candidate has been given certain marks in a particular section/question. The only official document which ICAI releases is ‘suggested answers’ which contains answers suggested by ICAI experts, but even that document does not carry the confirm correct answer option.

Thus, students have been demanding reforms in the current evaluation system. The demands of the students include:

1. Re-Correction

2. Give Ques Booklet of MCQs and Disclose correct Answers while providing certified copies

3. Penalize Paper Checkers for wrong checking

4. Dark The MCQs With Pen in exams

5. Centralised Evaluation

Further, post their meeting with the ICAI officials, the student community has said to continue the protests until the amendment is introduced.

In this connection earlier on September 21, ICAI had made an official announcement which reads, “It has been brought to our notice that certain adverse reports relating to the system of evaluation of answer books of CA exams are doing the rounds in social media. In this connection, following reforms which have been put in place recently are brought to the attention of the stakeholders in respect of the ICAI examination system.”

The reforms include digital evaluation, central evaluation, machine-based evaluation, step-wise marking and mandatory on-line test for empanelment of examiners.