CBSE 2022 Board Examination and Syllabus Updation

The Central Board of Secondary Education announced significant updates to the CBSE 2022 academic scheduling and formatting on Monday, 5 July 2021. Thus, the new system will commence from the 2022 academic year. Notable changes include:

• Splitting the academic year in half.
• Conducting two final semester exams.
• Syllabus rationalisation.

The update aims to improve flexibility in light of the challenges faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Board director Emmanuel Joseph stated the board had finalised the decision by consulting stakeholders. These representatives included representatives from government and private sector schools, such as those from remote areas. In addition, most stakeholders have requested rationalisation of the syllabus and other changes for increasing the efficiency of online learning. 

Changes to CBSE 2022 Board Examinations

Board officials plan to conduct two exams for each academic term for the 2021-2022 academic year. Hence, first-term exams will take place from November to December 2021. Meanwhile, term two exams will occur from March to April 2022, according to CBSE academic director Joseph Emmanuel.

After the first academic term is completed, board officials will organise flexible exams between November and December 2021. Additionally, there will be an exam window of four to eight weeks for schools throughout the country and abroad. The exams will feature case-based and assertion-reasoning MCQs. Moreover, the testing duration will be 90 minutes and will only cover the first term syllabus. Hence, the board will send question papers to the schools.

Externally appointed invigilators will supervise the exams. First, students will write examinations on OMR sheets. Afterwards, officials can quickly scan the exam papers and directly upload them to the CBSE portal. Alternatively, schools can internally evaluate the tests, in which case school officials can upload scores on the same day. Then, at the end of the second term, the board will hold the year-end examinations based on the total syllabus. The paper will feature a duration of 2 hours, with questions in varying formats. However, if the situation doesn’t allow for such an exam, the board will formulate a 90 minute MCQ exam. 

If the situation improves enough for physical examinations, the board plans to grade both term papers with an equal weightage of marks. However, if the pandemic forces schools to close again in Winter 2021, the term one examination will be remotely-proctored and hold less weightage. The board has announced these decisions to proactively plan for all future situations regarding COVID-19.

Rationalised Two-Term Syllabus

The CBSE board intends to rationalise the CBSE board syllabus for both classes 10 and 12. Representatives will announce detailed changes in a July 2021 notification. Additionally, the board plans to improve the credibility and validity of internal assessments and projects.

Moreover, the board will systematically divide the syllabus into two terms. Both terms will feature final exams, as stated previously. This decision will increase the probability of successful examinations given the sensitivity of large-scale events like testing. Given the uncertainty and deliberations required for the 2021 CBSE board results, officials are likely to prevent the resurgence of such a scenario the following year.