PU admits error, drops 30 out-of-syllabus questions from LLM entrance | Chandigarh News

Chandigarh: A major lapse in question paper setting has come to light at Panjab University, with the university withdrawing 30 questions from its LLM entrance examination after finding them outside the notified syllabus. The move has effectively reduced the test from 100 to 70 questions.The decision follows objections raised by candidates after the June 19 examination. After reviewing the representations, the university accepted that nearly one-third of the paper was beyond the syllabus prescribed in the CET (PG)-2026 prospectus.The university has also cancelled two additional questions due to discrepancies in the answer key. While marks for these two questions will be awarded to all candidates, the 30 out of syllabus questions have been withdrawn altogether. The final merit list will now be prepared on the basis of the remaining 70 questions.The LLM entrance test, conducted for admission to postgraduate law programmes, had sparked protests from candidates shortly after the examination. Students alleged that 20 to 25 questions were drawn from subjects not included in the notified syllabus and submitted representations to the Controller of Examinations seeking their deletion or award of marks to all candidates.According to the objections, the paper included questions from areas such as Jurisprudence, the Consumer Protection Act, the Transfer of Property Act and the Limitation Act, despite these not being part of the prescribed syllabus. Candidates argued that the inclusion of such questions put many aspirants at a disadvantage and compromised the fairness of the competitive examination.After examining the objections, the university ruled that Questions 16 to 25, 53 to 59, 74, 75, 78 to 82, 85 to 87 and 94 to 96 were outside the notified syllabus and ordered their withdrawal. It further stated that Questions 6 and 43 contained answer-key discrepancies and would also be cancelled, with marks awarded uniformly to all candidates.In a notification, the university said the merit list would now be prepared on the basis of 70 questions in accordance with the provisions of the CET (PG)-2026 prospectus.The development is significant as entrance examinations determine admissions to a limited number of postgraduate law seats, where even a single mark can influence rankings. The revised evaluation effectively increases the weightage of each remaining question and could alter the relative standing of candidates.The LLM entrance examination is held for admission to one-year and two-year programmes offered by the Department of Laws, University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), University Institute of Laws, Ludhiana, and PUSSGRC, Hoshiarpur. According to the prospectus, the Department of Laws offers 42 seats in its one-year LLM programme, while UILS has 50 seats. Self-financing one-year and two-year LLM courses are also offered across these institutions.While the university’s decision addresses the concerns raised by candidates, the episode is likely to invite scrutiny of the process for setting, moderating and vetting question papers for competitive entrance examinations, particularly when admissions to a limited number of seats depend entirely on merit.