Summative Examinations

Busy with leadership and preaching responsibilities? Not getting time off to attend a course and fulfil Prabhupada’s vision for leaders with sastric degrees? The Sastric Summative Exams may be a good option for you. The ISKCON Ministry of Education and the ISKCON Board of Examinations (BOEX) are extremely happy to launch the Sastric Summative Examination for ISKCON leaders. For many ISKCON leaders a Summative Examination may be the best option they have for carefully studying the books and achieving their Bhakti Sastri, Bhakti Vaibhava or Bhakti Vedanta degree.

Whereas
The GBC has directed the BOEX that: “This committee shall have power to review and approve proposed examinations for the awarding of the degrees …The basis for review and approval shall be the guidelines given by Srila Prabhupada for the awarding of these degrees”.

Whereas
Srila Prabhupada desired a Summative Exam be available for sannyasis and sannyasa candidates as indicated in the following letter to all GBCs in 1976: “Anyone wishing to be initiated as a brahmana will have to pass the Bhaktisastri exam and anyone wishing to take sannyasa will have to pass the Bhaktivaibhava examination as well. .. Any sannyasis or brahmanas already initiated who fail to pass the exams will be considered low class or less qualified.” (Letter to All Governing Body Commissioners, January 06, 1976)

Resolved:
BOEX Approved Exam Centers are authorized to evaluate senior candidates and administer the attached Summative Exam. Exam Centers should provide details of graduates assessment (venue, date, invigilator, grade), to the ISKCON Ministry of Education Secretary. Approved Summative Exam questions will be used for Closed Book Assessment in BOEX approved programs.

Criteria for Senior Summative Exam

Endorsement must come from a ISKCON second initiated brahmana and one of the following: GBC member, GBC Minister, ISKCON Sannyasi, ISKCON Diksa guru, Zonal or Regional Secretary, Global Duty Officer, Zonal Supervisor, Temple President or Temple Board, ITB (ISKCON Teachers Board) approved teacher. The Question Banks for the exams can be downloaded from here:

Question Banks

Bhakti Sastri	Bhakti Vaibhava	Bhakti Vedanta	Bhakti Sarvabhauma
Bhakti Sastri Question Bank	Bhakti Vaibhava Question Bank Cantos 1-3
	Bhakti Vaibhava Question Bank Cantos 4-6

Please fill out the registration form. You can use the question bank to prepare for the exam, and once you are ready to take it, write to us at office@iskconeducation.org.

We look forward to serving you.

Your Servants,

ISKCON Board of Examinations

Will the exam be closed or open book?
This is to be a strictly closed book exam. All of the questions will be selected from a bank of 50, which is made publicly available on the Summative exam section of our website for your review.

How many questions will be in the exam?
Of the 50 total questions from the Summative exam question bank, we shall select 20 for your evaluation. Of the 20 questions, you may select 8 to answer. We shall only grade the 8 questions that you selected.

How will I take the exam?
We will ask you to recommend a minimum of 2 invigilators. We shall select 1 invigilator from your recommendations to proctor the exam. The examination will be prepared by us and sent to the invigilator 24 hours before the agreed-upon time and date of the examination. Once completed, we will only accept a paper that is sent to us by the invigilator. The exam may be taken as a Word document or handwritten (scanned copies will need to be made and sent to us by the invigilator if the exam is handwritten). It should be noted that handwritten papers are only an option if the invigilator will be physically present.

How long may I take to finish the examination?
A maximum time of 4 hours will be allotted to complete the exam. The exam must be completed in one sitting.

Will the invigilator need to be physically present to proctor the exam?
Yes, if possible. If not, the invigilator must directly observe the test taker via two live-streaming cameras, providing a view of both the student and the student’s screen. Once the arrangement has been set up and checked, the invigilator would send the question paper to the candidate, to be visible on the student’s screen. The invigilator should ensure software such as Google Classroom is used, as it guarantees that the computer user cannot switch windows until the completed paper is submitted to the invigilator.

What are the qualifications to be an invigilator?
We only ask that the person be a practicing devotee above 18 years of age. This devotee will be asked to sign a declaration form affirming their responsibilities as an invigilator.

How long will it take for my paper to be evaluated?
Within a period of 1 month from the date of submission made by the invigilator.

How shall I receive my certificate?
A digital certificate will be generated and sent directly to your email.