The National Institute of Educational Testing Service (NIETS) yesterday downplayed students' concerns that they might have received incorrect scores on their O-Net and A-Net tests, which determine their chances of entering their favourite universities.

"The scores are correct and accurate," NIETS director Prateep Chankong said.

There were some problems with the announcement system, he said, stemming from the fact that some test-takers did not mark their identification-card numbers clearly, making it impossible for the computer system to link their scores to their accounts.

Many students were shocked to find they had received zeros in some subjects.

This year was the first in which the O-Net (Ordinary National Educational Test) and A-Net (Advanced National Educational Test) scores have been used as admission criteria to enrol at higher-educational institutes.

Prateep yesterday said the score-announcement problems only affected 3 or 4 per cent of the 300,000 test-takers.

"Don't worry. You just need to check your scores again on April 11," he said.

Prateep said his office had already asked some universities to share their servers for the

O-Net and A-Net score an-nouncements to better cope with the expected huge traffic as students try to access the score sites.

Last Saturday, thousands of students were unable to access the sites.

In a related development, Higher Education Commission secretary-general Pavich Thongroj said the problems some students were having getting their scores were just a hiccup.

"These test-takers didn't provide clear information on the answer sheets," he said.

Pavich admitted it was partly the fault of his agency as the deadline for NIETS to announce the scores was set too early.

"Had we extended the deadline, NIETS would have had more time to review the scores before the announcements," he said.

According to Pavich, students who had already applied to their favourite universities using scores announced on April 1 could change their scores via www.cuas.or.th if they found out on April 11 that the results were incorrect.

So far, only 6,000 students have submitted applications.