NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams for Classes 10 and 12 began on Saturday, with more than 42 lakh students set to take the tests at over 7,800 centres across the country and abroad.
According to board officials, a total of 24.12 lakh Class-10 students will take the test in 84 subjects, while more than 17.88 lakh students will appear in the Class-12 exams across 120 subjects.
The exams are scheduled to be conducted at 7,842 centres in India and 26 abroad.
On the first day of the exams, the Class 10 students appeared for the English (Communicative) and English (Language and Literature) papers, while the Class-12 students appeared in the Entrepreneurship exam.
“The CBSE board exams for Classes 10 and 12 have started. Today, the Class-10 English and Class-12 Entrepreneurship exams were held. The Class-10 exam took place at 7,780 centres, with over 23.86 lakh students appearing, while the Class-12 exam was conducted at 995 centres with around 23,000 students,” CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said.
“The exams were organised smoothly. I hope all the students reached their exam centres with enthusiasm and were able to take the tests in a positive environment,” he added.
Bhardwaj said the CBSE has ensured that all necessary guidelines and security measures are in place to maintain the integrity of the examination process.
“Schools and exam centres have been briefed on strict protocols to facilitate a fair and seamless examination experience. The CBSE had organised a live webcast on Friday in the presence of school principals from Delhi-NCR, outlining the essential exam guidelines for the schools and stakeholders,” he added.
The Class-10 exams are scheduled to end on March 18, while the Class-12 exams will conclude on April 4.
The CBSE started its annual counselling service ahead of the board exams to alleviate examination-related stress and support the students as they prepare for their theory exams.
“A team of 66 trained professionals, principals, counsellors, special educators from CBSE-affiliated schools and psychologists will offer voluntary support to the students. The services are available from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm from Monday to Saturday,” Bhardwaj said.
“Fifty-one counsellors are based in India while 15 counsellors will connect from Nepal, Japan, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates to guide the students,” he added. (PTI)