| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Education and Teaching |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Vice Chancellor |
| Direct reports | Deputy Controller of Examinations, Exam Coordinator, Section Officer (Examinations) |
| Experience | 15+ years in higher education, including at least 5 years running an exam cell or as deputy controller |
Controller of Examinations job description template
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Job title: Controller of Examinations
Department: Education and Teaching
Reports to: Vice Chancellor
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
The Controller of Examinations runs every examination a university or autonomous college conducts, from the exam timetable and question paper setting to evaluation, results and degree certificates. The post heads the examination branch and works directly under the Vice Chancellor, or the Principal in an autonomous college. A good controller declares results on the announced date, keeps papers and answer scripts secure, and settles revaluation and malpractice cases quickly and fairly, because one leak or wrong result damages the institution's name for years.
Key responsibilities
- Publish the examination timetable for each semester in line with the academic calendar, and circulate it to departments and affiliated colleges.
- Appoint paper setters, moderators and external examiners from approved panels, and collect confidentiality undertakings from each of them.
- Control the printing, sealing, storage and dispatch of question papers, including encrypted online delivery to exam venues where that system is used.
- Approve exam venues, seating plans, invigilation duty charts and flying squads, and brief chief superintendents before each exam session begins.
- Run central valuation or on-screen evaluation, watch evaluator throughput daily and moderate marks where one evaluator's awards look abnormal.
- Process results, grade cards and consolidated mark sheets, and publish them on the announced date after the Vice Chancellor's approval.
- Handle revaluation, answer script photocopy and supplementary exam requests within the timelines laid down in the examination ordinance.
- Convene the unfair means committee, present malpractice cases with evidence and issue written decisions to the students concerned.
- Upload mark sheet and degree data to DigiLocker and credits to the Academic Bank of Credits where the university participates.
- Prepare the examination budget and examiner remuneration bills, and report exam data to the Academic Council and for NAAC.
Requirements
- Postgraduate degree in any discipline; a PhD is usually expected for the post
- Earlier service as deputy controller, exam cell in-charge or senior faculty
- Working knowledge of the university's examination ordinances and UGC guidance on examinations
- 15+ years in higher education, including at least 5 years running an exam cell or as deputy controller
KRAs and KPIs for a Controller of Examinations
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Result declaration | Results of every semester published within 30 days of the last paper, on the announced date |
| Paper security | Zero question paper leaks or wrong papers distributed across the academic year |
| Result accuracy | Corrections to published results below 0.2 percent of mark sheets issued |
| Revaluation turnaround | Revaluation outcomes declared within 15 days of the last application date |
| Certificates and transcripts | Transcripts and verification requests closed within 7 working days of a complete application |
| Malpractice cases | Every unfair means case decided with a written order within 30 days of the exam |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Examination management software, On-screen evaluation system, OMR scanner, MS Excel, DigiLocker university portal, CCTV monitoring for exam halls.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Registrar, Dean Academics, Pro Vice Chancellor
Interview questions for a Controller of Examinations
- A question paper is reported leaked two hours before the exam. What do you do in the next sixty minutes?
- How would you cut the gap between the last exam and result declaration from 60 days to 30?
- What checks do you run on result data before you sign off publication?
- How do you choose and rotate paper setters so the same examiners do not repeat year after year?
- One evaluator's average marks are far above others marking the same paper. How do you handle it?
- What problems did you face when moving from manual valuation to on-screen evaluation, and how did you solve them?
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What does a controller of examinations do?
A controller of examinations plans and runs all university or autonomous college exams. The job covers the exam timetable, appointment of paper setters and examiners, question paper security, exam conduct, evaluation, results, revaluation and the issue of mark sheets, transcripts and degree certificates. The controller also handles malpractice cases and reports exam data to the Academic Council.
What is the difference between a controller of examinations and a registrar?
The controller runs examinations: papers, evaluation, results and certificates. The registrar runs general administration: staff, statutory bodies, affiliation, records, legal matters and correspondence. Both are senior officers reporting to the Vice Chancellor, and they work together on degree certificates, convocation and any dispute that involves exam records.
Who appoints the controller of examinations in a university?
The controller is usually appointed by the university's executive council or board of management on the recommendation of a selection committee, as set out in that university's own act and statutes. Some universities appoint a senior professor to the post for a fixed term, while others recruit a full-time officer through open advertisement.
What qualifications are needed to become a controller of examinations?
Most universities look for a postgraduate degree, usually with a PhD, and 15 or more years in higher education. Experience as a deputy controller, exam cell in-charge or senior professor is expected, because the post needs deep knowledge of examination ordinances, evaluation systems and the confidentiality procedures that protect question papers.