CBSE Board Exams 2024-25: Changes Introduced in Composition of Class 12 Question Paper

The CBSE has implemented alterations in assessment and evaluation procedures to synchronize with the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020. Consequently, board examinations for classes 11 and 12 will feature an increased emphasis on competency-based queries while reducing the number of constructed response questions.

According to the updated directives, there has been an adjustment in the distribution of question types in Class 11 and 12 examinations. Competency-focused questions, presented in various formats such as MCQs, case-based questions, source-based integrated questions, or others, have seen an increase from 40 percent to 50 percent. Conversely, the proportion of constructed response questions (including short answer and long answer types, as per the current format) has been reduced from 40 percent to 30 percent for the academic session of 2024-25. The percentage of select response type questions, namely MCQs, remains unchanged at 20 percent.

Nevertheless, there have been no alterations in the composition of question papers for year-end examinations or board exams (theory) for classes 9 and 10 in the upcoming academic session (2024-25).

The primary focus of the Board was to establish an educational environment shifting away from mere memorization towards fostering creative, critical, and systemic thinking skills among students, preparing them to tackle the challenges of the 21st century," stated CBSE in an official announcement.

In the latest update, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has announced that the new textbooks aligned with NCF-SE 2023 for Class 3 will be released by April 2024, followed by Class 6 in mid-May 2024. Additionally, NCERT reported that 1.21 crore copies of the 2023-2024 editions for various classes are already in circulation, with continuous replenishment. Buffer stocks for Classes 4, 5, 9, and 11 have been prepared. Moreover, digital copies of all NCERT textbooks are readily accessible on the NCERT portal, DIKSHA, and the ePathshala portal and app, as mentioned in an official announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter) by NCERT.