CBSE announced a special scheme on 5th July 2021 according to which students of 10th and 12th standards will give two term-end exams each of them with a rationalized syllabus. Under the same, first-term examinations will be held in November-December 2021 whereas the second term exams will be held in March-April 2022. CBSE also imposed major changes in the syllabus and exam pattern. Now that the CBSE term 1 exams scheme has been released, students are doubtful and perplexed with how the paper will be, its difficulty level, what to focus on, and how to ace it. The following content piece will address a few of these questions.
What does CBSE’s new scheme say?
The new scheme has been introduced to avoid any unprecedented situation due to the pandemic next year. The following are some of the major changes introduced:
- The 10th and 12th class students will appear for board exams divided into two terms, each of which will cover half the syllabus of the academic year.
- The first term examination will be held between November-December 2021 and the second term between March-April 2022, both with a window of 4 to 8 weeks.
- The term 1 examination paper will consist of Multiple Choice Questions or the MCQs including case-based MCQs and MCQs on the assertion-reasoning type.
- The term 2 examination paper will be a subjective/objective type examination but if the Covid-19 situation persists, the exams will be conducted in MCQ format like that of Term1.
- The exam will be of 90 minutes duration and will cover the rationalized syllabus of respective terms (approximately 50% of the course in each term).
What should be the preparation strategy for students?
Now that CBSE term 1 exams are from 30th November, now is the right time to get your strategy into motion. To ensure students sail through the latest changes without any hassles, here are a few tips to help:
Prepare according to the datesheet
The examination schedule for the 10th and 12th classes is out, students can check it and organize their preparations accordingly. The exams that need thorough preparation should be given priority and the ones with relatively easier preparation can be taken up at a later time. The most important part is revising what you have studied, so students need to leave a proper room for that.
Find the date sheet of CBSE term 1 exams for the 10th and 12th (major subjects) here.
Check the syllabus
Since CBSE has reduced the syllabus, students need to take a look at which chapters are coming in term 1 and which are not. Plus, time can be divided into all the subjects only after considering the syllabus. The exam will cover 50% of the syllabus, so one can devote considerable time to each subject easily.
You can check the CBSE term 1 exams syllabus here.
Get familiar with the exam pattern
The CBSE board exams have always been subjective but for the first time, they are going to be MCQ based. There will be 40 questions having 4 options to be done in 90 minutes. It is advised to get to good practice of solving MCQ questions by exercises or mocks. Keeping MCQ questions in mind, one must have an eye on detail while preparing the syllabus and studying. Another important point to be considered while practising is completing the questions within a given time limit. Solving questions won’t just help in revising but will also give a glimpse of the actual paper. Afterall the only mantra to ace any exam is -” Practice, practice and practice”
Get your basics strong with NCERTs
The board examinations have always emphasized NCERT based curriculum. The students should revise and read the NCERT books in detail to get their concepts clear. Case study based questions were introduced in the CBSE curriculum in 2020 to introduce a practical approach testing the practical skills of students. These questions don’t require a direct approach but rather test analytical skills and will be an integral part of term 1 and term 2 CBSE exams, so students should get a good hold of solving these.
Be confident and stay motivated
A lot of students feel pressured to perform well in the examinations and hence get scared and under-confident despite preparing well. This affects the exams and their confidence. Already the pandemic has created a hard time for students and with examinations coming up, you might feel anxious. Be relaxed, take some time out of studying and do what you like, take a walk or watch a show. The only way to do well in an exam is to prepare well and give it a calm state of mind.
Well, the CBSE term 1 examination starts on 30th November 2021, and students have more than a month to win the battle. Prepare your timetable, and blend yourself in the environment of preparation. All the best!
