Placement Eligibility Rule Semantics Specification

This document provides the definitive, non-ambiguous semantics for all criteria evaluated by the Placement Eligibility Engine. Every rule is evaluated with deterministic mathematical semantics, ensuring absolute transparency and defensibility for college placement officers and students.

1. Backlogs: Active vs. Historical Semantics

Definitions

Active Backlog: An un-cleared examination failure where the student has not yet secured a passing grade as of the reference evaluation date.
Historical Backlog: Any backlog that has ever been recorded on the student's academic transcript, regardless of whether it has been subsequently cleared.

Temporal Comparison Rule

Every active backlog check requires an explicit reference date, denoted $D_{\text{ref}}$ (by default, the company's recruitment drive date or official registration deadline):

If a backlog is marked with status active, it contributes $+1$ to active_backlogs.
If a backlog is marked cleared with clearance date $D_{\text{cleared}}$:
- If $D_{\text{cleared}} \le D_{\text{ref}}$: The backlog is considered cleared as of the drive date. It contributes $0$ to active_backlogs and $+1$ to historical_backlogs.
- If $D_{\text{cleared}} > D_{\text{ref}}$: The backlog was still pending on the drive date. It contributes $+1$ to active_backlogs and $+1$ to historical_backlogs.

Reference Edge Cases

Scenario	Clearance Date	Drive Date ($D_{\text{ref}}$)	Active Count	History Count	"No Active Backlogs" Rule	"No History of Backlogs" Rule
Cleared last month	2026-09-22	2026-10-22	0	1	ELIGIBLE	INELIGIBLE
Cleared yesterday	2026-10-21	2026-10-22	0	1	ELIGIBLE	INELIGIBLE
Result declared after drive	2026-10-25	2026-10-22	1	1	INELIGIBLE	INELIGIBLE
Never had any arrears	N/A	2026-10-22	0	0	ELIGIBLE	ELIGIBLE

2. CGPA, Percentage, and Rounding Semantics

The Non-Rounding Principle

Strict Cut-Offs: Cut-offs are treated as non-negotiable step thresholds.
Silent Rounding Prohibited: A student with a CGPA of 6.995 does not meet a cut-off of 7.000 unless the company ruleset explicitly enables mathematical rounding.
When rounding is disabled (default): $$\text{Pass} \iff \text{CGPA} \ge \text{Threshold}$$
- $6.995 \ge 7.000 \implies \mathbf{False}$ (Explanation: "Not eligible: your CGPA is 6.995 and this company needs 7.00 or above.")
When rounding is explicitly enabled by the officer in the rule definition: $$\text{Pass} \iff \text{round}(\text{CGPA}, 1) \ge \text{Threshold}$$
- $\text{round}(6.995, 1) = 7.0 \implies \mathbf{True}$.

Scale Normalisation (4.0 vs 10.0 Scale)

When university transcripts are issued on a 4.0 GPA scale: $\text{CGPA}_{10} = \left(\frac{\text{GPA}_4}{4.0}\right) \times 10.0$

Example: $3.8 / 4.0 \implies 9.50 / 10.0$.
Any scale conversion generates an explicit audit transformation entry in the officer evaluation log.

Percentage Conversion Formula

When a company requests a percentage equivalence for a CGPA cut-off, the college-approved formula is used and rendered explicitly in the student explanation:

Standard Formula: $\text{Percentage} = \text{CGPA} \times 10.0$ (or university-specific multiplier such as $\text{CGPA} \times 9.5$).

3. Education Gap Calculation Semantics

Scope of Gaps

Pre-University Gap: Gap between passing 10th and entering 12th/Diploma (standard duration: 2 years).
Pre-Degree Gap: Gap between passing 12th/Diploma and matriculating into the undergraduate degree (standard duration: 0 years).
During-Degree Gap: Gap years taken during the undergraduate engineering degree (e.g. semester drop or medical leave).

Boundary Conditions

If a company specifies max_gap_years = 1:
- Exactly 1 year gap (e.g. JEE preparation between 12th and college) $\implies \mathbf{ELIGIBLE}$.
- 2 years gap $\implies \mathbf{INELIGIBLE}$.
Gap calculations are derived directly from the chronological EducationTimelineEntry sequence: $$\text{Gap} = \text{Start Year of Degree} - \text{End Year of Qualifying Schooling}$$

4. Missing Data & Ambiguity Handling

The Zero Silent Assumptions Policy

The engine never makes silent assumptions about missing academic metrics:

Missing 12th Percentage:
- If a student entered via lateral entry after a 3-year Polytechnic Diploma, they will not possess a 12th grade mark.
- If the rule requires 12th Percentage >= 60%, the evaluator checks whether lateral entry equivalency is enabled:
  - If enabled: The student's diploma_percentage is evaluated in lieu of 12th, and an officer notice is attached.
  - If disabled or unspecified: The decision returns NEEDS_REVIEW (Flagged) stating: "Needs review: 12th marks missing; student possesses a Diploma (82.5%) which requires equivalency approval."
Missing Transcripts or Pending Re-evaluations:
- Yields NEEDS_REVIEW with the exact field specified, never a silent pass or fail.

5. Branch Equivalence & Degree Programs

Canonical Resolution

Branches are matched against an institutional dictionary of aliases:

"CSE" $\equiv$ "Computer Science and Engineering" $\equiv$ "B.Tech - CSE"
"IT" $\equiv$ "Information Technology"
"ECE" $\equiv$ "Electronics and Communication Engineering"

If a drive specifies "Computer Science and Engineering", any student enrolled in "CSE" or "Computer Science" is recognized as equivalent, with the alias mapping registered in the evaluation trace.