Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has laid down revisions in the additional subject rule, which allow students to choose a sixth additional subject. Previously, a candidate who has passed the board examinations were allowed to appear in the additional subject till up to 6 years of passing the examination. However, as per the decisions of an Examination Committee in a meeting held in December 2020, it has been approved now that candidates will be allowed only up to 2 years to appear in the additional subject. The aforementioned decision is to be implemented as a strict rule from 2021 examinations onward.
CBSE has released an official press note on the website cbse.gov.in in this regard. The press note reads “As per approval of the Examination Committee in its meeting held on 15th December 2020 and approval of the minutes in the Governing Body meeting of the Board on 23rd December 2020, the period of applying for additional subject (s) has been reduced from 06 years to 02 years only after passing the examination“.
The CBSE additional subject rule provides candidates with an opportunity to improve their overall percentage, in case, a candidate fails to secure good marks in the fifth subject. For instance, let us say a candidate has secured about 70% marks in the fifth subject. Now, if the same candidate has an additional subject, which is comparatively easier, then they can score higher marks by taking the exam for the additional subject within the period of 02 years from passing the examination. Thus, while calculating the overall percentage, the marks of the fifth subject will be replaced by that of the easier additional sixth subject. This can help to improve the overall percentage which is an important criteria when it comes to getting admission in UG courses after senior secondary education.
The official notice indicated a portion of the existing rule which allow candidates “to apply for an additional subject from the list of subjects“. The notice also goes on to read “However, candidates cannot apply for an additional subject involving practical work“. In this context, it may be noted that the CBSE has an additional list of subjects from which candidates are allowed to choose. The additional subject plays the role of a backup paper in case candidates fail to secure an overall good score due to lesser marks in one of the main subjects.
Some of the most popular additional subjects for PCM group includes Physical Education, Computer Science, Home Science etc. On the other hand, PCB group students can choose Physical Education, Applied Mathematics, Music etc. Students are advised to visit the official website of the CBSE for any further updates.
