Students shortlisted for a laptop or an Asaan Karobar Card who pass the screening and video tests get a short live interview from their own campus or instructor. It is worth 10 of the 100 points of the award score. An NSDP reviewer from outside the campus then holds a final interview.
Who gets which interview
- On-campus class: the student's campus holds the interview, through its campus login.
- Online course or class: the course instructor holds it.
- If neither is available, an NSDP reviewer holds it instead.
- Interviews are assigned by the system. Nobody chooses a student by hand, and you only see your own candidates.
Holding an interview
Step 1: Make the declaration
Before anything else, confirm the statement: you have no family, financial or personal link to the student beyond teaching them (a campus: beyond teaching them at the campus), you will score only on the rubric, and you will write the true reason for every score. If you do have a link, declare the conflict instead.
Step 2: Schedule it
Choose a date and time from one hour to 30 days ahead, with a Zoom link (https) or an on-campus place. The student is told by email and in their notifications. The time can be set at most three times (the first time and two changes); after that the Change the time or place button is replaced by a note, and you ask NSDP to reassign it.
Step 3: Hold the interview
Ask the student to explain their own work. Scoring opens once the start time has passed.
Step 4: Score every criterion
Give each criterion 1 to 5 and a one-line reason (8 to 240 characters). The student reads each reason once the cycle's provisional list is published. You may add a short summary.
Step 5: Send it
The score is final once sent. The student learns at once whether they passed. Your score and reasons reach them, without your name, when the cycle's provisional list is published, so no student compares interview marks while other interviews are still being held.
| Criterion | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Subject understanding | Knows the course content and can apply it. |
| Practical skill / portfolio | Has built or done real work with it. |
| Communication | Explains clearly, in Urdu or English. |
| Own reasoning (explains own work) | Can explain how and why they did their own work, not recite it. |
| Commitment / plan for the award | A clear plan for using the laptop or card. |
The score is the total of the five criteria out of 25, as a percentage. 60% or more passes and the student moves on to the NSDP final interview.
The top-band limit
A score of 90% or more is the top band. In one cycle you may give it to at most 30% of your candidates, and always at least one. With 10 candidates you have 3; with 2 candidates, 1. The page shows how many you have used. Once they are used, a score in that band is refused: score the interview below the band.
What you see and never see
- You see your own candidates: their name, student code, city, course and pool, and the interviews you have scored.
- You never see the student's screening or video scores, any other interview score, ranks, or any list before it is published.
- Your scores and reasons are part of the student's record and the audit log. Nobody can change them quietly.
How NSDP checks interview scores
After every interview score, and every hour, NSDP's system compares the scores with the students' other results. A finding never changes a score by itself: an NSDP admin looks at each one and decides in writing.
| Check | Raised when |
|---|---|
| Interview far above screening | The interview is more than 15 points above the student's screening test. |
| Interview far below screening | The interview is more than 30 points below the student's screening test. |
| Interviewer scores unusually high | Your average is more than 2 standard deviations above the average of all interviewers, or more than 90% of your candidates score above 90. |
| Campus pass rate unusually high | A campus's interview pass rate is more than 2 standard deviations above the average of all campuses. |
| Screening and video disagree | Across one instructor's students, screening and video scores barely match (correlation below 0.3). |
If you declare a conflict
Say briefly what the conflict is; only NSDP reads it. The interview leaves your list at once and goes on: from an instructor to the campus (on-campus classes) or to NSDP; from a campus to NSDP. Declaring a conflict is always the right choice when you know the student outside class.
Questions
I made a mistake in a score. Can I change it?
No. A sent score is final. Contact NSDP administration; any correction goes through NSDP's written review.
Why can I not score the interview yet?
Scoring opens after the scheduled start time, and only once the interview is scheduled.
Why does it say the campus is suspended?
A suspended campus can read its interviews but cannot declare, schedule or score them. Contact NSDP administration; NSDP can reassign the interviews.
Messages you might see
“Make your conflict-of-interest declaration first.”
FixOpen the interview and make the declaration, then schedule it.
“Choose a time at least one hour from now.”
FixPick a later time (up to 30 days ahead).
“Paste the meeting link (https://…).”
FixCopy the full Zoom link, starting with https://.
“The interview time was already set three times (the first time and two changes). Ask NSDP to reassign it.”
FixContact NSDP administration; they can hand it to another interviewer.
“This campus is suspended. Contact NSDP administration to make changes.”
FixDeclaring, scheduling and scoring are closed while the campus is suspended.
“You can score the interview once it has started.”
FixWait until the scheduled time.