The students of PUC studying in the first and the second year across the State have been caught up in a major problem with the decision of the Karnataka Pre-university Education Board to include additional questions of 10 marks to the question papers of about 19 subjects in the forthcoming annual examinations.
The Board has released the patterns of model question papers on net (www.pue.kar.nic.in) in which instructions are given as what kind of questions should be added to the existing pattern.
As on now, the question papers are of 90 marks, while the rest 10 marks are added through internal assessment, thus to make it 100 in all. The question paper that actually had questions of 100 marks, was reduced to 90 in 2003, and the total duration to answer the questions was 3 hours. 
And now, even after adding extra questions of 10 marks, the duration remains to be 3 hours, according to the Board.
Subjects
According to the list published by the Board in its website, following are the subjects, getting extra questions instead of internal assessment: General Kannada, English, Optional Kannada, History, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Education, Logic, Psychology, Statistics, Business Studies, Accountancy, Mathematics, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Sanskrit.
Both faculty and students have expressed serious opposition against the Board’s decision of changing the question paper pattern, which, according to them is “the most unscientific method”.
Eminent Mathematics professor S S Bosco, who teaches in St Aloysius College here told Deccan Herald that the present way of changing the question paper pattern was not at all rational.
 “Except subjects having practicals, all other subjects will come under this system. The question paper, especially of a subject like Mathematics is a great challenge to the students to answer in 3 hours. If additional, questions of 10 marks are added, how can students deal them by using same duration?” he questioned.
Only exceptional students can deal with the new pattern but not the average ones, who constitute more than 80 per cent of the total students studying in pre-university classes, Prof Bosco said, adding that increasing the marks proportionately to the existing model was only the best way to make the total marks 100.
Prof S S Bosco also regretted that the Board denied to change the proposed pattern stating that it was “the outcome of a cabinet decision”.
Atul Kamath of Canara PU College feels “the new pattern is an injustice and unfair to the student community.” 
Harsha, Deepti, Vidya and others from St Aloysius College said “the new pattern will definitely affect us. Average student will find the pattern tough.”