CBSE exams for Classes 11, 12 to focus more on checking concept clarity

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said that the exams for Classes 11 and 12 from the 2024-25 session will include more competency-based questions that assess the application of concepts in real-life situations.

New Delhi:The exams for Classes 11 and 12 from the 2024-25 session will include more competency-based questions that assess the application of concepts in real-life situations, according to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officials who announced a change in the format. While the percentage of competency-focused questions in the form of MCQs, case-based questions, source-based integrated questions or any other type has been increased from 40 to 50 per cent, the percentage of constructed response questions including short and long answers has been reduced from 40 to 30 per cent.

"The board in accordance with National Education Policy, 2020 has taken multiple steps towards implementation of Competency Based Education in schools, ranging from aligning assessment to competencies, development of exemplar resources for teachers and students as well as continuous capacity building of the teachers etc," said Joseph Emanuel, Director (Academics), CBSE.

"The main emphasis of the board was to create an educational ecosystem that would move away from rote memorization and towards learning that is focused on developing the creative, critical and systems thinking capacities of students to meet the challenges of the 21st century," he added. Emanuel said the board is continuing with aligning of the assessments and evaluation practices with NEP- 2020 for the academic session 2024-2025.

"Consequently, in the forthcoming session, the percentage of Competency Based Questions that assess application of concepts in real-life situations included in the question papers of the board has been altered," he said. There is no change in the exam format for Classes 9 and 10.