As the Boards near, students and parents alike are burning the midnight oil. Last-minute tips, best revision tactics and ways to bust exam stress and nervousness – the list of queries is long and varied. IBNLive.com organised a question-and-answer session with Viji Raj, examination expert with www.TCYonline.com, the largest teacher-student platform that offers free testing for school programs and major competitive exams.
Charulatha: Is the Board going to follow the grading system for Class 10 2008 Boards as it was mentioned last year? Will it contain marks or just grades? Can we use any gel pen for the examinations? Is it allowed?
Viji Raj: CBSE has been using the grading system for the last 3-4 years. However, grades as well as marks are reported in the result card. You can definitely use a blue and / or black gel pen for the examination.
Anubha Saxena: My school is charging Rs 2,509/-(per sub) to provide the admit card to students who were not able to pass the pre-Board exam. This action of my school is affecting us, in our concentration, and will surely affect my performance in board. Affiliation no of my school is 1030184
Viji Raj: There are two facets to this problem viz. (a) what you are expected to do and (b) what the school is expected to do?
(a) What you are expected to do – You must understand that first, the students who could not pass the pre-Board exam are at fault. If you are confident that you will be able to do it in the Boards, you along with your parents should contact the Principal; convince him / her that you have gone through the weaker links exposed in the pre-Boards (make sure you actually analyse your pre-Boards for mistakes). It may be possible that they want such an assurance from you. After all, Board results are important for a school.
(b) What the school is expected to do – It is illegal to charge any fee to grant permission for sitting the examination. Please do whatever we have suggested. However, if the school authorities do not co-operate, you have all rights to raise this issue in media.
Neha: I am a 10th standard student. My query is regarding the evaluation of the answers, which is normally done with the help of a key given to the examiners beforehand. Now, that the system of HOTS has been introduced, each one of us will be writing answers according to our perceptions, different from each other. Therefore, I would like to know how the evaluation will take place in this situation where the key following method will not be applicable.
Viji Raj: I appreciate your concern regarding the implementation of marking system. ‘HOTS’ is not something that is very new to CBSE. We have earlier also seen many questions in the Class X Boards that were designed to evaluate your higher order thinking skills. It is just that now they have officially announced and standardized it.
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Moreover, CBSE has done away with the rigidity in marking papers. Now, if a student deserves full marks (even in subjective areas like giving your point of view and supporting it with examples) he is given. Answers pertaining to ‘HOTS’ questions are bound to vary but the examiners are also experienced to handle subjective answers. Just imagine, how difficult, otherwise, is to manage answers in social studies and languages. Still examiners manage to check those questions with utmost accuracy. What you may additionally do ensure that you score full is to support or back up any point of view with factual and logical examples. That is, supporting a subjective opinion with an objective truth.
Adithya Jayaraj: In maths - if we write steps using another method other than those that are suggested by our NCERT text book - will we get marks for the steps? Example: if I answer a linear equation problem using Pythagoras theorem, will I get marks for the steps if my final answer goes wrong?
Viji Raj: Definitely yes! But you must make sure that you mention all the required steps of the solution and mention any truth (a theorem, a known fact, an axiom, or something objective to support that step) wherever you use some result to move ahead with the solution.
Sriram: I am a Class X student. I am writing my 10th CBSE math exams on March 11 as a private candidate. My doubt is whether I have to take the practical examination. In the hall ticket it is mentioned that we have to meet the principal of theory examination center. I have tried contacting about this but have not get any proper response. I am confused and I can’t concentrate in my theory exam. Please help me.
Viji Raj: First things first – the practical exams will be held after the Boards. Hence, you must at the moment concentrate on the theory paper. The practical exams for private candidates are generally held in the same school where their theory papers are administered. Hence, follow up with the principal of the school. However, if the Principal does not co-operate, you may also post your grievance with CBSE helpline.
Neha Aptel: I’m going to take my 10th ICSE Boards this time. There is a lot of confusion regarding what stream I should take in my plus-2. My interests are corporate law and journalism. I am a topper in my class and would want to know the ideal combinations at plus-2 level.
Viji Raj: Neha, there are two factors that help you decide your career – one is your existing skills and interests and the other is your level of proficiency in those skills and interests. These two factors together must be taken into account while deciding a field of higher study. Moreover, we are also in the process of uploading a career aptitude test on www.tcyonline.com that will automatically evaluate your skills and areas of strengths and guide you accordingly. This test will be up on the website by the time you finish your exams.
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Vij: How can one prepare as per the new CBSE pattern like HOTS? The sample paper this is year is very tough.
Viji Raj: The sample papers are not very tough. They have all the questions which CBSE earlier used to ask. ‘HOTS’ is not something that is very new to CBSE. We have earlier also seen many questions in the Class X Boards that were designed to evaluate your higher order thinking skills. It is just that now they have officially announced and standardized it. The fact is that now the answers and solutions to these ‘HOTS’ questions will have some degree of subjectivity which experienced CBSE examiners are trained to handle. However, what you may additionally do ensure that you score full is to support or back up any point of view with factual and logical examples. That is, supporting a subjective opinion with an objective truth.
Sapan Mahajan: 1.Are the boxes given in class XII NCERT textbooks of business studies, accountancy, economics meant for examination purpose? 2.Is sinking fund for redemption of debentures & preparation of trading a/c in non-trading concerns included or not?
Viji Raj: Please understand that even if all the topics given in the NCERT textbook may not be important from examination point of view, the best thing to do is to download the syllabus from cbse.nic.in and do only the topics explicitly mentioned in it. You also need to visit the circulars section on the website to note the changes in syllabus. Additional material for economics can also be downloaded from the website.
These are the revisions in accountancy:
In Unit 2, Accounting for Partnership firms, Preparation of Profit and loss appropriation accounts will include past adjustments.
In Unit 3, Treatment of goodwill will be as per Accounting Standard 10.
In Unit 4, The portion “Redemption of debenture: Out of proceeds of fresh issue, accumulated profits and sinking fund”, may be read as follows:
“Redemption of debentures out of capital; redemption methods: lump sum payment, draw by lots, purchase in open market and conversion (excluding cum-interest and ex-interest).”
The gaps are covered by the downloadable chapters available at cbse.nic.in in the publications section.
In business studies the format doesn’t carry marks; it is the content which carries marks.
Ananta Shrikhand: I am a Class X student. I recently heard that some topics from magnetism (Physics) have got deleted. Is this true?
If yes, then what are they?
Viji Raj: These are the topics you have to do. The rest is deleted.
Magnetic field, field lines, field due to a current carrying wire, field due to current carrying coil or solenoid, Force on current carrying conductor, Fleming's left hand rule, Electromagnetic induction, Induced potential difference, Induced current, Direct current, Alternating current, frequency of AC, Advantage of AC over DC. Domestic electric circuits.
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Abdulla: I am a Class XII student. I am above average. I study only when I get motivated and otherwise I don’t. I have not started my exam preparation yet. Please advise.
Viji Raj: Please don’t wait for better motivation than the exam dates drawing near. Do a sample paper and see what your weak areas are. Improve upon it, take another test and repeat the process. You will do well. For sample papers, you can download them free from steps.tcyonline.com
Md Thahir Ali: What are the best guidelines to score the highest marks in the examination?
Viji Raj: Know where you stand, prioritize, plan and analyse your preparation at various stages. If you need guidance on how to do it, go to the articles section of steps.tcyonline.com
Dilip: I am a Class X11 student. I need to know if the data given in Blue boxes in the physics text books are evaluative or not.
Viji Raj: Please understand that even all the topics given in the NCERT textbook may not be important from examination point of view. The best thing to do is to download the syllabus from cbse.nic.in and do only the topics explicitly mentioned in it.
Mamsha: 1.Are the additional questions in physics important for the board exams?(Class XII)
2.Are NCERT questions in chemistry enough for the exams?
3.Are the conversions and distinguishing b/w organic compounds given in the NCERT excises enough?
Viji Raj: No, the additional questions are not important from the exam point of view, but doing them increases your understanding of the subject. It is advisable to cover as varied a question bank as possible besides NCERT. The only thing to take care of is that the question bank should be relevant to syllabus. The conversions would be on similar lines. So try to understand the mechanisms of conversion rather than mugging up the conversions for individual compounds. You don’t have to do the conversion types, which are not referred to in the textbook.
Shruti Hirawat: I am in Class X. I am all prepared for my Boards but when I tell everyone this, they scare me by saying that I have become overconfident. But I know that I haven't. I don't know what to do. And I was wondering if I have to take my practical exams again because our school teachers said that we won't have to. PLEASE HELP!
Viji Raj: Stop worrying, Shruti. If you feel that you are well prepared, all you have to do is take sample papers. Analyse your weak areas, if any and work upon it. As far as the Science practicals are concerned, you just have to take a 20-marks test after your science paper on 27th.
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Sanjana Bommisetty: I would like to know the revised portions in economics for Class 12. CBSE has recommended the Supplementary reader as the text. However all portions aren't covered here. Are we allowed to use private publication?
Viji Raj: CBSE had downloadable material on their website, which takes care of this problem. Please visit cbse.nic.in
Sarath Kannan: I am a Class XI student. Did I have to study Class XI portions for Class XII CBSE Board Exams?
Viji Raj: No
Suyash: I am a XII standard science student. I'd like to know if the additional exercises given in the NCERT textbook of physics can come in the Board exam or not?
Viji Raj: No, they aren’t important from the exam point of view, but they give you an in-depth understanding of the subject. Hence recommended.
Pulsar Ford: Is it necessary to study bio-molecules? Is it necessary to show resonance of compound in one-mark question? And what will be the difficulty level in 1 mark in maths?
Viji Raj: If you look at the syllabus, it is clearly mentioned that you need to have a qualitative idea of the structures, but you are not supposed to draw them in exam. Well, one-mark questions can be attempted as briefly as possible. If the resonant structures are not asked and is not relevant to the question, you don’t have to introduce them in your answer. As far as math is concerned, the one-mark questions are of such nature.
Shobhit: What is the revised portion for 12th CBSE economics? Are the 2 supplements in micro and macro and the NCERT enough?
Viji Raj: Following topics have been deleted from the units 8, 9 and 10 of Part B, Introductory Macro Economics.
Unit 8: Recent significant reforms and issues in the Indian Banking System – Privatisation and Modernisation.
Unit 9: Downsizing the role of government: meaning and implications.
Unit 10: A brief analysis about recent exchange rate issues.
Yes, the NCERT Books will meet your requirements
Dhanya Rangarajan: I am a Class XII commerce student. I would like to know the revised economics portions. In accountancy, do we have JLP in our portions?
Viji Raj: These are the revisions in accountancy:
In Unit 2, Accounting for Partnership firms, Preparation of Profit and loss appropriation accounts will include past adjustments.
In Unit 3, Treatment of goodwill will be as per Accounting Standard 10.
In Unit 4, The portion “Redemption of debenture: Out of proceeds of fresh issue, accumulated profits and sinking fund”, may be read as follows:
“Redemption of debentures out of capital; redemption methods: lump sum payment, draw by lots, purchase in open market and conversion (excluding cum-interest and ex-interest).”
Sankar Chowdhuri: I am a science student of Class XII from Kolkata. My questions are:
1. Should we learn the extra information given in the blue coloured box especially in physics which are mainly application based?
2. Is mutarotation of chemistry in board exam?
Viji Raj: The extra information in Blue boxes is not important from Exam point of view. Please understand that even all the topics given in the NCERT textbook may not be important from examination point of view. The best thing to do is to download the syllabus from cbse.nic.in and do only the topics explicitly mentioned in it. Your second question is not clear but tallying with syllabus will answer your question.
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