CET Row: 1,200 Students Face Scrutiny Over Percentile-Percentage Gap; Experts Warn Against Unverified Allegations

Every year, lakhs of students appear for competitive entrance examinations, yet one misconception refuses to fade, treating percentage and percentile as the same. They are not.

A percentage reflects the marks a student scores out of the total marks. A percentile, however, measures how a candidate has performed compared with all other test-takers. It indicates rank, not just marks.

The recent controversy over around 1,200 CET candidates whose entrance exam percentile far exceeded their Class 12 board percentage has fuelled public suspicion. However, circulating the identities of these students and questioning their performance without evidence risks causing immense emotional distress to young candidates and their families.

Such variations are not unique to CET. Similar trends are routinely seen in examinations such as JEE, where many students outperform their board examination scores because competitive tests assess a different skill set, analytical ability, problem-solving, speed and aptitude under a common, standardised testing environment. In several instances, the same students have also performed exceptionally well in JEE, indicating consistency rather than anomaly. Dr Jyoti Moghe, educationist, said, "It is easy to tarnish the image of a reputed testing agency, often to serve political agendas or ride the wave of public protests. But we must also consider the lasting impact such unverified allegations can have on the confidence and mental well-being of genuine examinees."

Equally important is the scale. These 1,200 candidates account for less than 0.007 per cent of the nearly 18 lakh students who appeared for the examination. Isolated cases should not become the basis for questioning the credibility of an entire examination system.

The very existence of specialised coaching hubs in Kota, Delhi, Nagpur, Pune and other cities underlines the distinction between board examinations and entrance tests. If both measured the same abilities, there would be little need for separate entrance examinations for professional courses.

Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist, added, "It is unfortunate that politics has reached a stage where many fail to recognise the enormous emotional damage reckless statements can inflict on young students. Public discourse must be responsible because every allegation carries consequences for vulnerable minds."

In an era of instant outrage, facts and context matter. Understanding the difference between percentage and percentile is essential for informed public debate and for protecting the credibility of competitive examinations and, more importantly, the aspirations of lakhs of honest students.

Published on: Wednesday, August 05, 2026, 03:24 PM IST