PASSES IN ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21387, 1 February 1935, Page 12

PASSES IN ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS

* THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM EXPLAINED Although there have been some complaints about the number of passes this year in the university entrance examination, it was stated yesterday by Dr. H. G. Denham, of Canterbury College, that the percentage of passes varied little from year to year. He explained that the examination papers were marked on a scaling system, and that the scale was adjusted to pass approximately the same percentage of candidates each year. Any scaling done was calculated to avoid the danger of slight changes in the style or standard of papers set by the examiners. It was extremely difficult for examiners to adhere to the same standard year after year, and it was only to be expected that some variation would appear. If the papers varied, however, it was not regarded as likely that there would be any marked change in the standards of intellect among the candidates The system was based on percentages taken over a long period, and the method employed was really devised in the interests of the candidates, who were given, as far as possible, the same average chances as in previous years. The University of New Zealand had worked on this system with success, and similar systems had been in operation in the Education Department and overseas. Banks in the United States are now using black blotting paper on their counters in their efforts to foil forgers, who have made a regular practice of copying customers' signatures from the ordinary white and other lightcoloured blotting paper.