Kolkata: Preparing students for online MCQ exams an uphill task, feel schools

KOLKATA: The decision of Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) to split the ICSE and ISC board exams into two for 2022, with the first semester exam scheduled for this November, has got city schools to start planning so that kids are able to cope. This is the first time they will face an entire theory paper in the MCQ mode held online. Schools feel it will be challenging to prepare the kids on how to handle the questions and get them acquainted with computer-based exams.
They had been taking pen-and-paper exams and submitting them in the PDF format for online tests, but now they might have to get used to taking a computer-based test like the competitive exams for entry into engineering, medicine or colleges abroad. Many ISC science students preparing for such exams said they have mastered answering computer-based MCQ questions, but most ICSE students are yet to get a taste of this.
Most city principals said they will wait for further clarity on whether the November exams will be completely computer-based, where each child will visit the school to take the tests. Schools said since CBSE had declared such a format earlier, it will help to follow it.
“Perhaps the IT team of the Council will guide the schools on how to generate the papers,” said acting principal of La Martiniere for Boys John Stephen.

Most schools agreed that since the November exam will be held on 50% of the syllabus, students can spend time practising MCQ variables. They also said the pre-Puja first term exam will be treated as pre-board for the November exam and will also be in the MCQ format.
“We have already shifted to MCQ in the online assessments and students welcomed it,” said Rupkatha Sarkar, principal of La Martiniere for Girls.
“From what I can understand, it will be a computer-based exam held in school under supervision. But we are waiting for further clarity from the Council,” said Heritage School principal Seema Sapru.
“We will make kids practice full MCQ tests,” said DPS Newtown principal Sonali Sen.
Students preparing for ISC seemed to be at ease.
“A lot of entrance tests are computer-based tests, so we are aware of the basic format,” said Rishin Mitra, a Class XII student of LMB.