Importance of Class 10 th board exam

Since 2010, the CBSE had made the class 10 board examinations optional to remove the fear of ‘board exam’ and reduce exam stress among students. Class 10 students who opt out of the CBSE board exams would be evaluated based on the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system that was introduced. CBSE has finally taken the decision to make class 10 board exams compulsory again on 20 December, 2016.The importance of board exams for class 10 cannot be overlooked.

Here are a few reasons why we believe that students should opt for taking the CBSE board exams in class 10:

1. Keep options open:

If you plan to move out of the CBSE board after class 10, then taking the class 10 board exams becomes mandatory. For instance, the Maharashtra government ruled that only those CBSE students who took the board exams were eligible to apply to junior colleges through the centralized admission process (CAP).

2.  Learn to handle & channelize stress:

The entire examination process should be taken as an experience that teaches the 14-15 year old to handle and tackle stress and inculcate habits like time-management, prioritisation, planning, scheduling etc.

We should stop focussing on only the negative impacts of stress (which kick in only when stress levels reaches its extreme). Instead we need to realise that that there are positive effects of stress like enhanced productivity – stress can cause the brain to use more of its capabilities and thus increase productivity. These claims are based on the findings by Yale researcher Alia Crum and Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Advantage”.

3.  Know where you stand:

Taking the class 10 board exams is an excellent litmus test that gives you a clear indication of where you stand as compared to not just your 29 class-mates but class 10 students across India. Since boards are conducted at a national level, a not-so-good performance in class 10 boards will come across as a wake-up call for you to perform better.

4.  Get a taste of class 12 board exams:

Class 10 students should treat their board exams as a trial run for the class 12 board exams. The entire experience of going to another school and being seated with students from other schools, with teachers from different schools as invigilators can be an intimidating and novel experience for many students.

5.  Face your fear:

Once you’ve successfully faced and conquered the class 10 board exams, you’ll find your fear of facing tougher, bigger exams fading away. So instead of running away from your fear of failure/ taking a big exam and relying on easier solutions, it would be wiser to look it in the face and gain confidence and strength in the process.