According to the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) and the new examination pattern, students preparing for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) grade 10th and 12th board exams will experience a significant reduction in academic stress. The educational landscape is poised for imminent transformation, with preparations already underway, CBSE said in an official communique.
The board has significantly modified the examination structure and grading system for both the grades 10th and 12th. The CBSE board exam for 2024 is scheduled to commence on February 15.
Guidelines to verify student enrollment and eligibility
The CBSE has released guidelines for the submission of registration forms for the 2024 board. These guidelines apply to students, principals and parents. Schools and principals are instructed to verify that students they sponsor are their own regular and genuine, leaving no bonafide student unregistered. Furthermore, the board emphasised that students should not belong to any unauthorised or unaffiliated schools. CBSE-affiliated schools and their principals must also ensure that students meet the eligibility criteria for admission to grades 9th and 11th, as specified in the examination bylaws, and that they will appear for the grades 10th and 12th board exams in the following year.
Sample papers for grades 10th and 12th
The board has already published sample papers for both grade 10th and 12th on its official website, http://www.cbse.gov.in. These sample papers aim to aid students in gaining a deeper understanding of the revised examination pattern and grading system. Notably, the CBSE board exam for 2024 will feature an augmented presence of competency-based questions.
Warning against procuring sample papers from private publishers
The board has issued a cautionary note to students and educational institutions, emphasising that these sample papers must be obtained exclusively from the official website, cbseacademic.nic.in, and should not be procured through any private publishers. The board has taken note of instances where schools and students have been directed to access CBSE practice papers from certain private publisher websites. The public is strongly advised not to be swayed by such claims and promotional tactics. It is imperative for students to be aware that these sample papers are readily accessible free of charge on the official CBSE website. Therefore, there is no need for any financial transactions to access them, according to an official statement.
Changes in question types and distribution
In the upcoming grade 10th examinations, questions will be distribution under the following types: 50% of questions will involve competency or case-based scenarios, 20% will require written responses, 20% will be multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 30% will consist of constructed response questions, encompassing both short and long answer formats.
For grade 12th, the question distribution under the following types – 40% will be competency or case-based questions, 20% will be response-type questions, 20% will be MCQs and 40% will be constructed response questions, including both short and long answer types.
Furthermore, as per the upcoming changes for the 2024 board exams the proportion of ability-based questions will increase. Specifically, 50% of questions in grade 10 and 40% of questions in grade 12 will fall into this category. Candidates will be expected to provide answers to a range of 15 to 35 questions within a three-hour time frame.
Confirmation of grade 10th exam completion
For grade 11th students, the board has mandated that schools confirm the successful completion of all subjects and papers from their grade 10th exams and ensure that these exams were conducted by a recognised school education board. Schools are obligated to input this information into the OASIS portal, providing the complete names of the candidate, their mother, father or guardian. The board emphasises the avoidance of abbreviations to prevent any potential future issues for the students.