I took my VLSI exam today. In one of the biggest upsets in the history of Kerala University, the question paper did not have a single question out of syllabus!
To help you appreciate the implications of this, let me present the following facts:
-We have about eight books fro studying VLSI. Raabey and Uyemura are the textbooks prescribed by the University. Other six are for reference.
-Usually, the questions are NEVER from the textbooks.
-We had four exams for VLSI till now under the current scheme. These exams had questions worth 15, 22, 37 and 42 marks respectively from the portions out of syllabus.
-We have a joke that University puts these question papers to help students pass the exam. (Free marks are awarded for out of syllabus questions.)
-In spite of all the effort that the University takes, pass percentage is abysmally low. Abysmally as in 'abysmally deep in Mariana Trench'
So our VLSI exam was dubbed: 'a wednesday: Kerala University version' after the Bollywood movie about terror attacks.
We generally expect our question papers to consist only of the question we do not have an answer to. So we get the usual refrain you get after exams is: "Vicharicha athrayum moshamaayilla" (It wasn't as bad as I expected). But VLSI has a reputation in the department of depressing even the worst pessimists.
So every one's reaction on seeing the paper," Oh my Goooood! I don't believe this! A paper with questions FROM the syllabus."
Bigger upset to follow: All questions were either taught in class or given as assignments. This, my friends in EC department at CET will tell you, is a logical and theoretical impossibility. It cannot happen in any subject and never, never in VLSI. Someone was doing a Terry Pratchet - creating an Impossibility Drive.
May the Uncertainty Principle of Kerala University live long!!!
People were singing, "Pappu paas ho gaya" in the exam hall. Everyone was all smiles.
Needless to say, we all wrote well. After the exams, Neetha hugged me. I just wished I had brought sweets to distribute.
I shouldn't be so happy. After all, I have Information Theory and Coding on Friday.
1 comment:
Seriously, your college is cool for learning new things....
8 prescribed books??? "Usually, the questions are NEVER from the textbooks."??????? This presents a tough scenario for students to pass easily... With such pressures, smart people can get to learn the concept thoroughly...
But, yeah, no one likes pressure... :)
All the best for next exam... Do post a blog on how that goes :)
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