The Class 12 CBSE Accountancy exam held on March 23, 2024, showcased a well-constructed paper that effectively gauged students' competency levels, says Lalit Kumar Sharma, HoD, Commerce, VidyaGyan School. "The overall difficulty ranged from easy to moderate, aligning with the prescribed syllabus. However, certain MCQ's posed challenges for students, like Assertion-Reasoning questions, and some questions from partnership. 

"The majority of questions in the paper were within the grasp of the students, reflecting a balanced approach in difficulty. The paper was fully in sync with the suggested blue print by CBSE with no surprises. Over all difficulty level of the paper was moderate. Overall, the paper was aptly designed to assess the competency level of students. It effectively tested the understanding and application of concepts," adds Mr Lalit.

Most of the students found the paper manageable and within expectations, says Deepa Upadhayaya, HOD Commerce, Bhai Parmanand Vidya Mandir, Delhi.  "Overall paper was balanced, covering various topics comprehensively. Most of the students found multiple choice questions direct and straight. The 3-4 marker questions of the partnership chapter required conceptual clarity. Few adjustments in 6 marker questions from Accounting for Partnership Firms and Share capital were challenging. In Section B, an adjustment of chapter cash flow statement was tricky and required in-depth knowledge of the concept. Overall the paper was moderate and balanced," adds Ms Deepa.

The Accountancy exam was for 80 marks that was to be attempted within 3 hours. The paper had a total of 34 questions which were divided into 2 sections, A and B. While Part A was compulsory, Part B had two sub-section to choose from. 

The examination for the Accountancy paper began at 10.30am and concluded around 1:30pm.

The examination for the Accountancy paper began at 10.30am and will conclude at 1:30pm.

CBSE has extended the dates for the conduct of practical examinations / project / internal assessment / internal grade-2024 in schools. The dates were extended as many schools had made requests to the board to provide facility for uploading of marks. The board therefore released a notification providing 'last opportunity' for the conduct of practical examination/project/internal assessment/internal grade etc.  

Schools have been given the time till March 31, 2024 to upload the marks of their practical examination/project/internal assessment/internal grade etc. 

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified its intentions to conduct a comprehensive study within its affiliated schools to assess the viability of implementing the OBE within the Indian educational framework.

The move aligns with the recommendations outlined in the National Curriculum Framework for Secondary Education (NCF-SE). Initially, the Board plans to experiment with the OBE approach and subsequently evaluate its feasibility within the Indian context.

Contrary to media reports, the CBSE has refuted claims about immediate plans to introduce the OBE in selected schools as part of a pilot run for specific subjects and grade levels. Instead, the Board is currently focused on initiating a study to ascertain the feasibility of the initiative.

In an interview with Education Times, Joseph Emmanuel, the Director of Academics at CBSE, said "Some media reports have created confusion; the CBSE has decided to undertake a study to understand the feasibility for bringing assessment reforms like the OBE based on recommendations in the NEP-2020 and NCF-SE 2023. The study would be conducted in select CBSE schools as it is important to first experiment, and then examine the viability of the OBE."

Mr Emmanuel further elaborated, "The CBSE has earlier introduced case-based questions in the board exam paper; students can answer the case-based questions only if they have a conceptual understanding."

• Students should abstain from spreading fake news regarding paper leaks or other matters.
• Familiarise themselves with exam guidelines before the exam.

CBSE had earlier listed certain do's and don't for students and parents to follow during the board exams. Recognising that examination time is one of very common situation when adolescents may find difficulty in coping with the stress, CBSE said following these strategies will help students to maximize their performance in the examination.

• Know your concentration span, Study with breaks.
• Students must work out best time for concentration.
• They must hold group study for difficult subjects.
• Students must not be discouraged by previous results. They must try to identify their weak areas from previous exams and work on them.
• Students must make time management plan for all subjects.
• They must repeat their learnt work so the recall in exam is easy. Work not repeated or revised is easily forgotten.
• Students must plan their revision time by drawing up a timetable. The timetable should also include activities such as playing, walking, watching TV that help in relaxation.