The state education board will bring in major changes in the examination format of the Arts and Science streams for the HSC examinations from next year. The most significant change is that the Physics and Chemistry papers will be merged into a single 100 mark paper, instead of two separate 100 mark papers. The marks for the practical portion of the exam will be 30, with Physics carrying 15 and Chemistry 15.
According to board officials, the main aim of the change is to ensure that state board students are at par with the students from other boards and can sit for the exams in a stress-free atmosphere.
According to the secretary of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE), Pune, Shahaji Dekne, the new pattern — with a merged Physics and Chemistry paper — will be implemented from 2012-13. Students will have to answer them in one answer booklet itself. “The paper will be of 70 marks and both subjects will carry 35 marks each. The remaining 30 marks will be allocated for practicals, which again will be divided into 15 marks for each subject,” Mr Dekne said.
However, the time for the 70 mark paper will remain the same as that for a 100 mark one — three hours. This, Mr Dekne said, would ensure that the students write the exams in a tension-free atmosphere.
Justifying the move, Mr Dekne said that state board students lag behind students from other boards when it came to competitive exams, as the question paper formats were different.
Another change is for colleges to conduct their own oral and practical exams. “Unlike in the past, when teachers from other colleges would come to conduct the practical examinations of a college, teachers will conduct the practicals in their own college from next year. This is so that the students do not falter while facing new teachers,” said Mr Dekne.