Understanding The CBSE Examination System

The Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE as commonly referred to, is one of the important bodies that govern high school education in India. Initially established in the early 1920s as the Board of High School and Intermediate Education, CBSE today governs a lot of schools today. The Board initially supervised the curriculum of just around 300 schools, which has grown to a total of more than 8000 schools in 2007 across 21 countries. While the headquarters of CBSE look at policy formulation and overseeing the approval process of schools that follow its pedagogy, the various regional offices of the Board conduct a range of functions. Some of these include the general administrative activities, relationships with affiliated schools and administering the examinations across the various centers across the world.

Schools that adhere to the CBSE curriculum have two exams that are administered by it - one in Class X and the other in Class XII. As a result, students who study in CBSE-affiliated schools face an external examination for the first time in Class X and the next time in Class XII. Both these examinations have a lot of important implications for students. Students who pass their Class X examinations are eligible to opt for specialization in the streams of Science, Commerce, or Arts. Since every student is allowed the choice of their preferred streams only if they score a particular level of marks, students have to work and study extra hard for this exam. Similarly, when one appears for the Class XII exams, the results largely determine how good a college one can join for higher studies. As a result, there is intense competition to perform well in the Class XII exams and almost every student awaits the results with bated breath.

In the given scenario, most students take the help of specialized tuitions that can help achieve high marks in the CBSE exams. There are a lot of tutorial centers that offer coaching facilities in the subjects, students seek extra help in. Subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Accountancy, and Commerce are some, most tutorials offer coaching in. these days, there is a rising trend of opting for online tutorials. Using online interactive media such as Satellite television, Internet, or audio cassettes, online tutorials offer students a host of coaching facilities. The increasing availability of satellite television through DTH and even Internet availability have helped increase the popularity of online tutorials. Not only do such tutorials offer specially prepared study materials, they also conduct mock tests that help students prepare for the real exams.

In addition to the exams for Class X and XII-level students, CBSE also conducts specific entrance tests for engineering and medical colleges. Students who have passed their Class XII exams can appear for these competitive exams for getting into engineering and medical/dental colleges. It is but natural that students who prepare well and perform excellently in their final school exams have a relatively higher chance of getting into good graduate schools. CBSE, thus, helps lay the foundation of many a good student in India and abroad.