A total of 36 lakh candidates have registered for the CBSE Board exams for the 2021-22 session. This year, the number is 4 lakhs higher than what it was last year. On Monday, the Board announced that nearly half of these candidates will be appearing for the first part of the final exams in their respective schools. As per the date sheet released by CBSE, the examinations for the minor subjects will begin on November 16, 2021, while the major ones will commence on November 30, 2021.
For the first time in the history of CBSE, the Board will conduct the examinations in two phases namely Term 1 and Term 2. In fact, the number of examination centres has also been increased from 7,000 to 14,000. Approximately, 22 lakh candidates from class 10 will be taking the OMR-based Term 1 examinations. Similarly, nearly 14 students from class 12 have registered for the upcoming examination.
Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the final board examinations for many subjects could not be held for the 2020 session. However, for 2021, the examinations had to be cancelled due to the rising COVID-19 cases. Accordingly, as per the provisions of the National Education Policy -2020, CBSE has decided to conduct the Board examinations in two phases.
The upcoming examination or Term 1 is going to be a 90-minute MCQ-based test while Term 2 will be a subjective exam for 2 hours. It must be noted that practical examinations will be conducted for both terms, while for Term 1, the respective schools will be conducting them. Amidst the apprehensions of the third wave of COVID-19, CBSE has made required arrangements to hold the Term 1 examinations, said Sanyam Bhardwaj (Controller of Examinations).
The controller added that after the Term-I exams are over, the results listing marks scored in various subjects will be declared. However, no student will be placed in the pass, compartment and essential repeat categories in the Term 1 board examination. Consequently, the final results will be declared after the first and the second-term examinations are over.
Furthermore, he mentioned that every school will be sanitized and only 12 students will be allowed to sit in one room while observing COVID-19 protocols like social distancing. For class 12, the major examinations will start with the Sociology subject and for class 10, the same will be Social Science. The reading time for the question papers will now be 20 minutes and not 15 minutes.
