5 min readNew Delhi IJun 29, 2022 04:42 PM IST
First published on: Jan 28, 2022 at 02:57 PM IST
The Central Board of Secondary Education this year has introduced two terminal exams for both classes 10 and 12. The academic year has been split into two terms with separate exams at the end of each term. The first term was held in November -December 2021 and included objective-type questions. The second term is expected to be conducted in March 2022 and the final schedule is yet to be announced. It will have subjective-type long and short questions. Both students and teachers have shared varied reactions after the completion of term-1 exams.
Anshu Mittal, Principal at MRG School, Rohini, while speaking with indianexpress.com said that the inclusion of two different patterns in a single academic year is an uphill task. “The second term is very short and changing the students’ mindset, attitude, and style of answering in this time is tedious. A healthy amalgamation of MCQs and subjective questions is very important as some subjects and concepts can be assessed only when we read what a student writes.”
However, Awani Singh, Headmistress at Pacific World School, Greater Noida, believes that the multiple-choice question format will allow for a warm-up of the students before they appear for the competitive exams. “The MCQ pattern is comprehensive and it allows for an assessment of a student’s concept clarity. This format prepares the students for what lies ahead of them, in the form of competitive exams,” she said
However, most educators agreed that the format for one complete academic year should remain the same. “Introducing both formats and bifurcating them in the very same session has been difficult for not just the students, but teachers too. We have had to completely transform our teaching methodology to adapt to the new format. But the process has also taught us a lot,” said Amandeep Kaur, TGT, English at Pacific World School.
Students are now preparing for the second-term exams but many are not very inclined towards this transition. Riddhima Magon from the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ School, said, “Throughout our school life, I have been taught to write long answers. With this sudden announcement by the board and a shift to an objective-type paper and then going back to subjective, is making this entire process a mere game of catch.”
Abhay Hari, a class 12 student from the Jingle bells School, Bareilly, said “The MCQ format seemed easier while I was preparing but after taking the exam, I do not like it. A subject like business studies, where the examiner and examinee could have a different but correct strategy to approach a business problem, assessment through MCQs reduces my ability to apply creativity and understanding, but that will be retained in the second-term exams”. Talking about the transition to the second term, Abhay added, “I do not think it is wise to introduce both the formats in a single year, one being new, it has intensified our stress, rather than reducing it”.
While, Yash Goel, a Science student from Delhi Public School, Indirapuram, said “I like the MCQ format since I have been preparing for the JEE that has prepared me better for the format and moreover, it is a good exercise before I appear for my competitive exam”.
Anushka Khanna, a class 10 student from St. Francis school, Bareilly said “I found the MCQ pattern difficult while preparing and was scared, but after I gave the first exam I got confident. But I will lose marks that I would otherwise get for each step of calculation in the objective format. In subjective exams, we will have a better chance of scoring good marks as compared to the term 1 format. I think including both formats in the same will help us learn to deal with both forms of assessment and it is a good idea.”
Considering the demand that students are making on Twitter with the #cancelboardexams2022 trending, Anushka said “I do not want the exams to be cancelled because we have been working very hard and if not offline, the exams should be conducted online, but they should be conducted”.
Another class 12 student, Prisha Khandelwal from Bal Bharti Public School, Pitampura said, “The MCQ format reduced the burden of rote learning but after preparing for an MCQ-based exam, we are no longer in the habit of framing and writing long answers. I support the #cancelboardexams2022 campaign on Twitter because we have been given a very short time to prepare for a rather difficult set of chapters, for instance in Mathematics and economics. The board should cancel these exams or at least postpone it.”
(The author is an intern with The Indian Express and first-year student of BA Journalism and Media Studies at OP Jindal Global University)
Chhattisgarh CGBSE HS class 12 result 2022 (Representational Image) 
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