CBSE’s open book exam plan: What is it, why now, how it can impact students

Through this pilot, the Board aims to study the time taken by students to complete such tests and gather feedback from teachers and students. The pilot test will be designed and developed by June, for which the CBSE has sought Delhi University’s help.

What is an open book exam?

In an open book exam (OBE), students are allowed to refer to their books and notes to answer questions.

OBEs can be either of a restricted type or a free type. In a restricted open book assessment, only the study material approved by the exam-conducting authority is allowed during the exam. In a free type, students can bring any material they find relevant.

Unlike a closed book exam, the test questions in OBEs are structured in a way that students have to apply concepts, instead of just copying information from the available material. They aim to test whether a student understands the big picture and can apply analytical skills on the concepts learnt.

Is this a new concept for Indian students?

Contrary to popular assumption, open-book exams are not a new idea. In 2014, CBSE had introduced an Open Text Based Assessment (OBTA) to relieve the students from the burden of mugging up, and acquiring skills of information processing.

Back then, OTBA was introduced in Class 9 for Hindi, English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science, and final examination of Class 11 in subjects such as Economics, Biology and Geography. Students were allowed to refer to learning material provided to them four months ahead of the exam.

The Board, however, discontinued the practice in the 2017-18 academic year, because of its inability to cultivate “critical abilities” among students.

In higher education, OBEs are fairly common. In 2019, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) allowed open book exams in engineering colleges based on the recommendation of an advisory body.

During the pandemic, several Central universities like Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University conducted an open book test to assess students. IIT Delhi, IIT Indore and IIT Bombay also conducted online OBEs.

More recently, Kerala’s higher education exam reforms commission recommended the open book format, but only for internal or practical examinations.

Are open book exams easier?

Contrary to popular opinion, open book assessments are not easier than the traditional form of examination. They are designed to test learning beyond facts and definitions.

For teachers too, setting up questions for an open book exam can be a challenge, as, unlike a traditional exam, the questions cannot be direct.

Why has CBSE proposed the open book exam now?

The CBSE’s proposal falls in line with the larger reforms planned in the school education system. While there is no mention of the open book examination per se in the National Education Policy 2020, one of the primary reforms it suggests is transition from rote memorisation to competency-based learning. For instance, a student should be able to not just learn the concept of photosynthesis but also demonstrate the process and the impact of sunlight on plants through a practical project.

Similarly, the National Curriculum Framework for School Education also highlights the need to reform the current assessment process, which is at its best “focused on measuring rote learning” and at its worst “creates fear”. The NCF SC suggests assessments that can accommodate different learning styles of students, provide constructive feedback, and support learning outcomes.

What does research say on open book exams?

According to a 2021 study conducted among medical students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar, open book exams have the benefit of being less stressful.

A pilot study, published in Cambridge University Press, was performed to check the feasibility and acceptability of online open-book examination in 2020. The study concluded that among the 98 students, 21.4% failed and 78.6% passed. “Only 55 students volunteered to give feedback; most agreed that the best advantage of this assessment was that it was stress-free,” the study report said. The disadvantage most students complained of was network connectivity issues.

A 2021 study conducted by Dhananjay Ashri and Bibhu P Sahoo on the use of open book exams for the students of DU stated that even though mean marks scored by the students in an OBE is higher than in a closed book exam, the university did not focus on developing the skills required for a student to crack an OBE. Another study conducted by Nirma University’s Nitin Pillai and Mamta Pillai, published in June 2022, stressed on the need to train students on how to write an open book exam and developing the necessary skills of analysing concepts to get the benefits of OBE.