CBSE curriculum is tough, but it helps students for preparing competitive exams

June 17, 2013, 12:00 am


CBSE has become the preferred choice for studies till Std X, but later it has a few takers. It is estimated that almost 90% of CBSE students shift to the state board in Std XI for reasons other than academic quality. A CBSE school principal said, "No wonder they (students) flock to the state board because they don’t have to attend classes at all. The lenient attitude of college authorities gives students a chance to concentrate on their coaching for either engineering or medical stream."

But the CBSE does offer a comprehensive and competent curriculum in Std XI-XII, which helps students prepare for competitive exams. Given the fact that the CBSE is in charge of conducting big ticket entrance exams like the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) and Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), it would seem to make more sense for students to enrol in this board.

Anisha Bhojwani recently cleared her Std XII CBSE exam and feels the curriculum is hard when compared to that of the state board. "CBSE is very tough also because the school authorities are more disciplined and you have to be punctual as well as remain present in all the gruelling lectures and tests. On the face of it, the curriculum of both CBSE and state board is now at par but the central board is more theoretically precise. This precise content means students have to write a lot to ensure that they score high marks in the exam," said Bhojwani. She, however, rubbishes the notion that CBSE helps you in scoring better at competitive exams. "CBSE curriculum may help you prepare better but you still have to join coaching classes as they teach you how to approach these exams," she said.

Raksha Purohit, a Std X student of state board, also agrees that very few people opt for CBSE because of the strict rules regarding attendance. "You have to attend school regularly in CBSE which makes it impossible to attend coaching classes for competitive exam. However, regarding the curriculum I find the state board’s to be more difficult because it keeps changing every now and then. The frequent changes create problems for both students and teachers," Purohit said.