CBSE Plans Open Book Exams For Classes 9-12: Will It Affect Students' Learning Capability?

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) wants to try out Open-Book Exams (OBE) in some schools for students in classes 9 to 12. The board will start testing it later this year, as per officials. However, there is no plan to adopt the same format for class 10 and 12 board exams.

For classes 9 and 10, target subjects are English, Mathematics, and Science and for Classes 11 and 12 subjects are English, Mathematics, and Biology. The goal is to see how long it takes for students to finish these tests, whether the students are good for different kinds of assessments or not and gather the opinions of teachers and students on the same.

The plan is in line with recommendations made in the National Curriculum Framework last year. The test will be designed and developed by June with the help of Delhi University, which pioneered open-book tests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Is An Open Book Exam?

In an open book exam (OBE), students refer to books and notes to answer the questions. It is of two types, a restricted open book exam and a free open book exam. In the former, only the study material approved by the exam conducting authority is allowed while in the free type, students can bring their study material that they find significant.

With the open text-based assessment from CBSE, students will get reading material four months early, and they could take case studies to the exam. They could also use their notes or textbooks while answering questions.

Can OBE Help To Promote Innovative Thinking?

It is believed that the OBE helps students think carefully and not just memorise to pass exams. The exams are not as easy as people think. The OBE need students to show they understand, analyse, and use ideas, not just remember them. The main thing is to test how well students can think critically, solve problems, and use higher-level thinking skills.

Research On Open Book Exams

As per the study conducted among the students of All India Institute of Medical Science, Bhubaneshwar in 2021, OBE has the benefit of delivering less stress on the students.

In the same year, Dhananjay Ashri and Bibhu P Sahoo conducted an OBE on Delhi University's students and found that marks scored by the students in the OBE were higher than in a closed book exam.

Why CBSE Proposed This Plan Now?

Although the National Education Policy, 2020 has not mentioned the OBE anywhere in its circular, one of the primary reforms it suggests is a transition from rote memorisation to competency-based learning. For example, a student should not just memorise the definition of the Law Of Inertia but also be able to demonstrate the law and be able to understand its impact on our day-to-day lives.

Similarly, the National Curriculum Framework for School Education emphasises the need to change the current assessment process.