Complementary exams: everything you need to know
One of the biggest goals of an average Pakistani teenager is to get good grades in his final board exams. Parents in Pakistan put a lot of emphasis on studies and usually do everything possible for their children to study well. Students are sent to tuition centers, cram schools, group study sessions, and other similar places to study. This mindset causes students to also develop a dedication towards their academic performance. However, despite the country’s efforts to promote perfect academic achievement, many students still fail their annual board exams every year. But Pakistan’s education system gives these students another chance in the form of supplementary or remedial exams.
These exams offer students an opportunity for students to save their scores to Matrix or Intermediate. Although many students choose to retry their failed subject on upcoming annual exams along with the rest of their subjects, many students still opt for make-up exams.
Furthermore, the students who take these exams are not just those who failed one or two subjects. There are many students who passed but were not satisfied with their percentile. Such students sometimes choose to take these tests to improve their percentile.
When are the complementary exams in Pakistan?
Supplementary exams are held after the conclusion of the annual board exams and the announcement of their results. Depending on the board of education, they are held between September and November for all classes (9, 10, 11 and 12) in enrolled and intermediate. For example, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) conducts the SSC Part I and II make-up exams in September of each year, one to two months after the results are announced.
Karachi Board of Secondary Education (BSEK), on the other hand, starts resit exams between October and November for SSC Part I and II, ie Matrix classes.
What are the eligibility criteria for supplementary exams in Pakistan?
According to FBISE, the eligibility criteria are as follows:
The candidate must have attempted the SSC and/or HSSC Annual Exams (part I and II for both).
Only candidates who failed less than two (02) subjects in their SSC/HSSC Annual Exams they are allowed to attempt make-up exams.
All candidates who were issued registration numbers and admission cards for annual exams (SSC, HSSC) but were unable to sit any exams, i.e. they were absent from all papers.
Candidates wishing to improve their marks/grades are also eligible to try to make up the exams.
Candidates who fail in more than two (02) subjects will have to appear in all the subjects of their exam, such as SSC-I or HSSC-II, in the next Annual Exams as new candidates.
Candidates who have failed in less than two (02) subjects will be placed in a compartment and will be allowed to appear only in their failed subjects/work in the exams. Such candidates will have three opportunities for subsequent attempts: supplementary exams, annual exams, and next year’s supplementary exams.
This was all you needed to know about retake exams in Pakistan’s education system for matriculate and intermediate. If you are a college student, your guidelines will depend on your college.
Don’t worry about how you will prepare for your supplementary exams. Instead, turn that worry into determination and focus on strengthening all your weak points. Make sure you don’t repeat the mistakes you made that caused you to fail or get bad grades.