Explained: CBSE’s plan for open-book exams and what it means for students

The challenge lies in knowing where to look, making sense of the material, and applying it to the problem at hand. In a science paper, for instance, the facts might be in front of you, but the real test is linking them together to reach a conclusion. These exams evaluate whether students can interpret ideas effectively, instead of just repeating them.

What is the history of the open-book examination format worldwide?

Open-book exams have been around for decades. In fact, Hong Kong introduced them as early as 1953.

A 2004 Hong Kong study by Ming-Yin Chan and Kwok-Wai Mui noted that “first-time OBE takers viewed the format positively but prepared shallowly: students had a positive perception towards open-book examinations.” (“The use of open-book examinations to motivate students: a case study from Hong Kong”)

It found that many students spent only 10 to 15 minutes reading the questions and locating material, usually starting with the instructor’s handouts before moving to one or two textbooks. Some condensed the lecturer’s notes or borrowed “worked-example” books to navigate the paper.

Between 1951 and 1978, studies in the US and the UK allowed textbooks, notebooks and lecture notes in open-book trials. They used formats ranging from short answers to multiple-choice and essays across different university courses.

“The overall findings of these open-book exams were largely the same with a positive impact on internalization rather than memorisation… weaker students did better in open-book examinations and were found to measure different abilities from those measured in traditional examinations,” said a 2022 paper in the Towards Excellence journal by Mamta and Nitin Pillai.

Despite early experiments, OBEs remain rare in high-stakes school exams. Most secondary boards and standardised tests — such as the UK’s GCSEs or the US SATs — still require closed-book answers.

The Covid-19 pandemic changed that temporarily. As universities shifted online, many introduced open-book, open-note or even open-web exams. Many students struggled initially — not because of the subject matter, but because they were not familiar with the format.

Is the open-book examination a new concept in India?

Not really. In 2014, CBSE launched the Open Text-Based Assessment (OTBA) to steer students away from rote learning. It applied to Class 9 for Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science, and to Class 11 final exams for subjects like Economics, Biology and Geography. Students were given reference material four months in advance.

But by 2017-18, CBSE dropped the initiative, concluding it had not succeeded in developing the “critical abilities” it was meant to promote.

Open-book formats have a stronger presence in collegiate education. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approved their use in engineering colleges in 2019 after an expert panel’s recommendation. During the pandemic, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University used OBEs, while IIT Delhi, IIT Indore and IIT Bombay ran them online.

Delhi University’s first OBE took place in August 2020; the last was in March 2022. The university returned to physical exams in January 2022 but allowed one more round for students admitted in November 2021.

More recently, Kerala’s higher education reforms commission has proposed using the format only for internal or practical exams.

What does research say about OBE?

A Norwegian study published in 2000 reported that students taking OBEs were more likely to look for connections between ideas instead of just recalling facts (“Open-Book Assessment: A Contribution to Improved Learning by Tor Vidar Eilertsen and Odd Valdermo”). The authors said the format pushed them to go beyond simply finding the right page in a book.

At AIIMS Bhubaneswar, research found that medical students reported lower stress in OBE settings. In another India-based online pilot, published by Cambridge University Press and involving 98 students, 78.6% passed. Of the 55 who gave feedback, most described the format as “stress-free,” though many pointed to patchy internet as a major drawback.

At Delhi University, a study by Dhananjay Ashri and Bibhu P. Sahoo found students scored higher in OBEs, even without specific training in the skills the format demands. Research by Mamta and Nitin Pillai at Nirma University argued that real gains require specific training — teaching students how to break down a question, analyse concepts, and apply them, instead of merely looking up answers.

Why is CBSE approving the OBE now?

The move is part of a larger shift in the way schools approach assessment. While the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 does not name open-book tests, it calls for moving away from rote memorisation and towards competency-based learning. The goal is for students to grasp concepts, understand processes, and explain how they apply them.

The National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCERT) makes a similar point. It notes that current assessments, at best, “measure rote learning” and, at worst, “create fear.” To change that, it calls for exam formats that can work for different learning styles and give students feedback, while still aiming to improve overall learning outcomes.