Normalized marks in AFCAT are the adjusted scores used to make results fair across different exam shifts when one shift may be slightly easier or harder than another.

Quick meaning

If two candidates score the same raw marks in different shifts, their normalized marks may differ because the test difficulty is balanced statistically across all shifts. This helps ensure that no candidate is unfairly helped or hurt just because of the shift they got.

In simple words

  • Raw marks = the marks you get from correct and wrong answers.
  • Normalized marks = the adjusted marks after comparing all shifts fairly.
  • AFCAT uses this because the exam is held in multiple sessions/shifts.

Marking scheme

  • +3 for every correct answer.
  • -1 for every wrong answer.
  • 0 for unanswered questions.

Why it matters

Normalization is used so the final merit list reflects relative performance , not just how easy or hard a particular shift was. So, in practice, your score after normalization is what really counts for cutoff and ranking.

If you want, I can also explain the AFCAT normalization formula in very simple terms.