Students should concentrate more on boards now instead of getting worked up about competitive exams, several school principals have been telling students.
ICSE (Class X), ISC (Class XII) and CBSE (Class X and XII) timetables have been published and this is the last leg before the boards. All four exams will begin in February.
Results in the competitive exams are uncertain but if they fare well in the board exams, especially Class XII, they will have options even if they do not crack a competitive test, one principal said.
“Students are torn between preparing for the boards and the competitive exams and many tend to ignore the boards. We are telling them not to do so because they might not always get a desirable rank in the competitive exams (medicine or engineering) and simultaneously, their performance in the board exams will get compromised,” said Reshma Bhattacharya, principal, Indus Valley World School.
Another school principal said that getting worked up about the competitive exams might impact the students’ results in both exams.
“It is uncertain how they will perform in a competitive exam and what their rank will be. But if they score well in the board exams they will have a good college to go to,” said Terence John, director of education, Julien Day Group of Schools.
“The craze is maximum for engineering and medicine entrance exams but not all of them who appear for these exams crack them or get into an institution of their choice. So, we are telling them they need good backup options,” said John.
Since the board exam timetables have been published, students can time their preparations accordingly. The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) announced the timetable for both Classes X and XII last week and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) announced it on Monday.
Several schools are conducting the pre-board exams now and some will start the tests in December.
“This period is to be utilised to prepare for the board exams. In these last three months, we are telling our students that if they divide the number of days with the number of subjects, each one of them has a fair chance of scoring above 90 per cent,” said Seema Sapru, principal, The Heritage School.
This is also the time students have to be encouraged and motivated, said Raja McGee, principal, Calcutta Boys’ School.
“Now is the time to give the students confidence,” he said.
Teachers also said that with a change in the pattern of question papers of both the board exams, and the inclusion of more critical thinking and application-based questions, students must concentrate on the boards, too.
“It is not that they can solve 10 years’ question papers and be confident about acing the exams. The question pattern requires them to think on their feet, which means they need to have a clear understanding of the topic. This is not possible with selective study,” said a teacher in an ICSE school.
Principal Bhattacharya of Indus Valley said students tend to stay home during this time, which they try to dissuade them from doing.
“Classroom discussions clear doubts for many. So, it is important for a child to be present in class, especially with a change in question pattern. Some students rely on digital content but a YouTube video cannot lead them to a discussion, which happens in school with the teacher and other students. This helps them to approach a question differently,” said Bhattacharya.
