Evaluating Academic Competencies and Regional Awareness: A Quiz-Based Study of Inter Colleges in Baghpat District

This study reports on a large-scale, objective-type inter-college quiz conducted by the Syadwad Institute of Higher Education & Research across senior secondary institutions of Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh. The quiz assessed participants across five domains — General Knowledge, English Language, Current Affairs, General Science, and Baghpat District Awareness — through 35 objective questions distributed evenly across the domains. Data from 2,609 class XII students drawn from 63 participating institutions were analysed after removing all personally identifiable information; the working sample for score-based analysis comprised 2,592 valid records. Descriptive and inferential statistics revealed a mean score of 13.77 out of 35 (39.4 percent), with wide variation across institutions and academic streams. Students enrolled in the science stream significantly outperformed their peers in arts/humanities and commerce (one-way ANOVA, F = 55.68, p < .001), while no meaningful difference emerged between male and female participants (independent-samples t-test, t = -0.04, p = .971). Only 8.5 percent of students crossed the 60 percent threshold, indicating substantial room for improvement in general awareness and regional civic knowledge among senior secondary students in the district. The findings are discussed in relation to curriculum design, gender parity in general-knowledge assessment, and the value of locally rooted awareness components in student evaluation. The paper concludes with recommendations for schools, district education authorities, and future quiz-based research initiatives.