CBSE optional exams offer additional chances to students

CBSE optional exams offer additional chances to students

The optional exams are scheduled from August 16 to September 15, 2021

Astha.Hemant@timesgroup.com

09.08.2021

Results for classes X and XII board exams were recently declared by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). As mentioned in the 'Policy of Tabulation of Marks for class XII', CBSE will be holding optional exams for students who are dissatisfied with their results.

As per a circular released by CBSE, the optional exams will be held from August 16, 2021 to September 15, 2021. While the date sheet of the exams is scheduled to be released soon, the exams will be conducted only in select subjects. Sanyam Bhardwaj, controller of examinations, CBSE, explains that to help students looking to improve their percentage or pass in their compartment subjects, last year CBSE had taken the decision to hold optional exams in the same calendar year as their boards. “Earlier, the optional exams were being held in the next academic year. This decision has been taken to save candidates an entire year of uncertainty,” he says.

Various categories of students are eligible to appear in the soon to be held optional exams. “Students, who are not satisfied with their marks as per the ‘Policy of Tabulation’, will be eligible to appear for the exams. As per the policy, marks scored in the optional exams will be considered as final,” says Bhardwaj. Students who were not able to meet the qualifying criteria and are compartment candidates as per the recently declared results will also be eligible to appear in the optional exams, he adds. “CBSE school students, patrachar (correspondence) students, and private students will be eligible to appear for the optional exams ,” he clarifies.

As CBSE allows compartment students three chances to redeem their status, students who were a part of the board exams in 2019, 2020 and 2021 are eligible for these optional exams, adds Bhardwaj.

“Board exam candidates of 2019, who received a compartment, gave their first reexam in the same year. Due to incomplete conducting of board exams in March 2020 and nonconduct of optional exams in May-June, 2020, their second attempt was postponed to September 2020. If their subject was not a part of these reexams, the 2019 candidates will be eligible for their ‘second’ attempt this year,” says Bhardwaj. Similarly, board exam candidates of 2020 were part of incomplete exams due to the pandemic. “The first optional exams of these candidates were held in September 2020. These students will also be eligible for ‘second’ chance this time,” he adds.Another category of eligible students is of those looking to include an ‘additional subject’ to their class XII portfolio.