The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced a change in the exam format for Class XI and XII starting from the academic year 2024-25. As per media reports, the new format will focus more on concept application questions rather than long-form answers.
The percentage of competency-focused questions, including multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and case-based questions, has been increased from 40 to 50 percent. Conversely, the percentage of constructed response questions has been decreased from 40 to 30 percent.
Joseph Emanuel, CBSE’s Director (Academics), mentioned that these changes are in line with the National Education Policy, 2020.
“Following the National Education Policy, 2020, the board has made several moves towards implementing Competency-Based Education in schools. This includes aligning assessments with competencies, creating exemplar resources for teachers and students, and continuous capacity building of teachers,” he stated.
The board’s aim is to transition towards Competency-Based Education by placing emphasis on creativity, critical thinking, and system-based learning.
Emanuel also highlighted that the focus is on preparing students for challenges of the 21st century by moving away from rote memorization.
“As a result, in the upcoming academic session, there will be an adjustment in the percentage of Competency-Based Questions that assess the application of concepts in real-life scenarios in the board’s question papers,” he added.
However, there will be no alterations in the exam format for Classes 9 and 10.