CBSE’s post-exam proficiency test gets lukewarm response

No one in her school has,however,opted for the test. “What’s the point of this two-hour exam? Nothing will come of it — it won’t help either the student or the school.”

This year,there are two sets of students — one appearing for the school-based Summative Assessment-II (SA-II) and the other appearing for the Board-based SA-II. Both sets of students will get the same certificate from the CBSE.

The test will be a two-hour one,based on the syllabi of classes IX and X. The total marks for each paper will be 100,and all questions will be accompanied by multiple choices. There is negative marking for wrong answers. Students can opt for the test in one or all five subjects. On the basis of the exam,they will be given an all-India percentile rank.

R K Sharma,principal of Ahlcon Public School,Mayur Vihar,says,“In my school,only a single Class-X student has opted for the test. Students seem to have not understood its necessity. Since the test results will have no bearing on the Class-XI admissions,students are opting out of it.”

Wattal says: “The test is basically meant to appease parents,who had opposed the decision to make the Class-X Boards optional.”

D K Bedi,principal of Apeejay School-Pitampura,says,“It is a pointless exam,so students are not opting for it. They don’t see the point of sitting for an exam when they have already been evaluated through the CCE scheme throughout the year.” At his school,no student has opted for the test. Other city schools have also reported a lack of interest among students. Anjali Aggarwal,principal of St Mark’s School,Meera Bagh,said: “Not many students have shown interest. But a handful are taking the exam.”

The test will be offered in May or June. The exact schedule will be released later. Students say by that time,they will already be in Class XI,and nobody would want to go through the entire syllabi of classes IX and X again. “Who will have time?” asks Dhruv,a Class X student.