A group of pre-university students are asking Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Anek Laothamatas to review the results of their university admission exams after they received zero marks for failing to properly follow exam verification rules.
The results of the General Aptitude Test (GAT) and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) for pre-university students were released last week after being held on March 12 nationwide.
The tests were divided into Thai and English subjects, each with a full score of 150.
Nevertheless, some students found they were given a zero in the GAT tests' Thai portion.
The students claim that an exam supervisor insisted they did not need to write down the serial numbers of their test papers on their answer sheets, so they said they did not do so.
However, due to failing to comply with the rules, the Council of University Presidents of Thailand (CUPT), refused to check their exam papers, thus automatically failing about 1,000 students.
Rungkan Chaiwised, a student representative, said she waited four years to try to enrol in her dream university.
Now she must wait another year to retake the exam, she said.
She said she's asking related agencies to review the exam papers and help them get the scores they need to study at their chosen universities.
Currently, a total of 983 students have filed complaints over the matter with the CUPT.
Chalie Charoenlarpnopparut, manager of the Thai University Central Admission System (TCAS65), said the CUPT has already consulted exam supervisors and the matter was a misunderstanding.
The supervisor in question thought the applicants were asking if they needed to sign their name before going out of the exam room, he said.
Time had run out, and the students weren't able to make changes, he said.
Answer sheets with no serial numbers were also found elsewhere across the country, he said.
Mr Chalie noted that this was the first year that more than one set of tests had been used.
Students were notified about the change earlier via the mytcas website, he said, adding that the first page of every subject also says applicants must write down the test serial numbers. However, the CUPT will hold a meeting to find a solution for the students, he said.
