Kolkata: In a first, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced that percentile scores will be included in the 2025 Higher Secondary (HS) examination marksheets, alongside traditional number-based marks. The move aims to provide students with a clearer understanding of their academic standing in relation to their peers.
Council president Chiranjib Bhattacharya confirmed the change, stating: “From this year, percentiles will be displayed in the original marksheets, both subject-wise and in the overall score.” To explain the concept, Bhattacharya shared a personal example from his time at IIT Kanpur. “Once, I scored 43 out of 100 in a very difficult subject. That was the highest score in the class, which meant I had a 100 percentile. This is how relative grading works, the score reflects your position compared to others, not just the raw marks. Percentile reflects a student’s relative position and 100 percentile means no one is above you.” He added that the percentile system is already widely used in institutions such as IITs and NITs, as well as in national-level entrance exams like JEE Main and NEET.
Previously, percentile scores were shown only in the online results for the 2024 HS batch. This year, for the first time, they will be officially printed on marksheets. Though initially planned for the semester system, the feature has been introduced a year early under the outgoing annual system.
Bhattacharya noted that percentile scores will help institutions better evaluate students, especially given the variation in subject combinations and difficulty levels. “With this system, students’ performance can be compared more fairly across subjects and streams,” he said.
Approximately 5.09 lakh students registered for this year’s HS exams, conducted at 2,089 centres across the state from March 3 to 18. Results will be declared on May 7, the 50th day after the conclusion of the exams. Hardcopies of the marksheets and pass certificates will be distributed to schools on May 8.
The 2025 examination marks the final HS exam under the annual system. From 2025-26, Class XII students will take HS exams under the new semester system, with the percentile system continuing.