Bengaluru: The CBSE second exam for class 10 students has received a moderate response from city schools. The exam will commence on Friday.
Participation and Centers
According to Sandeep Pai S, chairman of Bangalore Sahodaya, an association of CBSE schools, around 25% of students are taking the re-exam. These include students dissatisfied with their first results, as well as toppers who lost a few marks and applied for improvement. While the first exam had approximately 379 centers, the re-test has 72 centers.
Two-Exam Concept
Based on the National Education Policy, CBSE introduced the two-exam concept, allowing students who appeared in the class 10 test to improve their scores in up to three subjects during the second exam. The syllabus remains unchanged.
Subject Trends
Mathematics and science have the highest number of takers this time. Mathematics was a dampener in the first exam, with many students finding the paper lengthy and tough, which pulled down their averages. Few students are opting for social science or languages, schools reported.
Shyamashree Chaterjee, principal of BGS International Residential School, noted that around 20-30 children from each school with a strength of 150 are taking the test. Surprisingly, students who scored in the 70s and want to improve to the 80s are appearing. Those who scored 40 or 50 marks are not writing the exam.
Withdrawals
There are instances of students who initially applied but later decided not to take the exam. Seema Gupta, principal of Navkis Education Centre, said that while 22 students applied from her school, two who already secured admissions decided not to write. In such cases, the marks of the first exam are considered final.
Criticism
Some educationists believe the second exam is unnecessary. A school principal commented that students have already taken admission for class 11, and schools and PU colleges hold their own admission tests. Thus, there is no point in holding a class 10 exam, let alone a retest, calling it a waste of resources with no serious advantages.
In Karnataka, the pass percentage of class 10 students was 98.9%.
Free Training for NEET Candidates
In a heartwarming gesture, a training center has offered free classes to all NEET aspirants, irrespective of their coaching background. Students can learn online or walk into campuses for classroom programs. The initiative focuses on academic preparation, rebuilding confidence, maintaining consistency, and approaching the re-exam with a calmer mindset. The May 3 NEET was canceled following a paper leak.
Students will receive free NEET-pattern mock tests, practice sessions, and time-management training. Sridhar G, founder of Deeksha Vedantu, said, "We understand what students and parents are going through. Preparing again for a national-level exam can be emotionally overwhelming. Through Re-NEET, we want every student to know they are not alone."
