The CBSE is debating whether and how to hold board exams twice a year

The CBSE is in a dilemma over scheduling the two rounds of board examinations as recommended in the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) – its options being January-February, March-April, and June.

Another option the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is exploring is a semester system involving biannual exams. Currently, the board exams for Classes 10 and 12 are conducted in February-March.

Officials said that discussions are ongoing and that a decision regarding the format and timing of the plan to hold board exams twice a year has not yet been made.

"The three possible options that have been discussed is conducting the exams in a semester system, with the first board exam in January-February and the second one in March-April or conducting the second set of board exams in June with the supplementary or improvement exams," a source said.

"The way our academic calendar is designed, plus the schedule of competitive exams and geographical challenges since CBSE schools are spread across the country and even abroad, the semester system seems less feasible," said the source.

The board has informed the Union Ministry of Education that, under the current structure, more than 150 procedures are needed to conduct board exams for Classes 10 and 12.

"The entire process takes at least 310 days, beginning with the completion of the candidate list, center notifications, roll number distribution, practical test administration, theory exam administration, result declaration, verification, and reevaluation. The two exams must be administered in a minimum of 55 days, the board stated.

The CBSE's current difficulty is determining when and how to repeat the mammoth process for a second round.

Examining before February presents additional difficulties because certain states have harsh winters. Dates must be determined by the current board test timetable, which starts around February 15, according to the official.

"Conducting the second round of exams in June in addition to the supplementary or improvement exam is an additional option. None of these choices, though, are set in stone. We continue to conduct extensive consultations and brainstorming sessions. More choices might become available along the process, the source continued.

At first, the ministry intended to start holding biannual board exams in the academic year 2024–2025. It has been postponed by a year, though.

Under the direction of former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan, the Union government created a national steering committee to draft the new National Curriculum Framework (NCF), which suggested a semester system for students in Classes 11 and 12.

In August of last year, the ministry presented a framework that included a proposal for students to have the opportunity to take their board exams twice a year.In an October interview with PTI, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated that pupils will not be required to sit for board exams twice a year.

Similar to the JEE engineering entrance test, children will be able to sit for the class 10 and 12 board exams twice a year. He had stated at the time that "They can select the highest scoreâ€ae, but it will be entirely voluntary, no coercion."

But this is not the first time that board exam reform has been attempted. 2009 saw the introduction of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) for Class 10, however in 2017, the board reinstated the previous system of year-end exams.

During the Covid pandemic, the board exams for Classes 10 and 12 were likewise divided into two terms as a temporary expedient, but this year's year-end exams returned to their previous pattern.