The Grading System and CBSE’s formula for Class XI admission

The announcement of CBSE Class X results has marked the end of suspense for thousands of students waiting for their results; however it has also left many students seeking admission in class XI, feeling confused about the new system of performance evaluation. Unlike the earlier method that was based on conventional numerical marking, the new grading system introduced by CBSE awards students subject-wise grades on the basis of pre-determined marks ranges. Under this new system a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) score that indicates their overall performance in all subjects is given to the students along with the subject-wise grades and grade points.

With grades replacing marks, both students and schools are extremely concerned about the class XI admission criterion to the various streams. To clear all haze surrounding this issue, CBSE has issued a circular (Circular No.24 / 28-05-2010) that elaborates on a formula to arrive at an indicative equivalence of grade point and percentage of marks scored by students. The overall indicative percentage of marks scored by a student can be calculated by multiplying the CGPA of the student with 9.5. For example- if a student has scored a CGPA of 9.83, an indicative percentage of marks will be 9.83 x 9.5 i.e. 93.38%. Using this method, students can also calculate their subject-wise indicative percentage of marks by multiplying the grade point in that subject with 9.5. For example- if a student has scored the Grade Point of 10 in Maths, the indicative percentage marks scored by the student in Maths is 10 x 9.5 i.e. 95%. Schools can use this system to prepare their cut-offs for various streams.

While calculating the percentage marks using the above method, it is important for students and schools to understand that this system will help them arrive at an ‘indicative’ score only. In case of a tie between two or more students, preference will be given to the students with a higher average of the subject-wise indicative percentage marks obtained in one compulsory language and the subjects they opt for in class XI. However, schools have also been given the liberty to adopt any other suitable method to arrive at their cut-off lists.

Hope this article helps in clearing some of the anxiety related to class XI admissions.

All the best!

Cheers!

Team Meritnation

3 comments June 9th, 2010

CBSE Results

In order to ensure timely declaration of CBSE results, the process of evaluation of answer scripts starts within a few days of completion of Class X and Class XII board exams. Teachers from affiliated CBSE schools are nominated to evaluate these answer scripts. With the introduction of Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE), this year Class X students will be awarded grades instead of marks.

Like each year, this year too the CBSE results for 2010 board exams for Class X and Class XII are likely to be announced during the last week of May. Last year, the results for the same were announced on May 26th & 29th respectively.

To view CBSE results, students can log onto websites like

• www.cbse.nic.in
• www.indiaresults.com

However, this year students should not worry about network congestion that possibly result in delayed results on these websites, as students can now also request for result mailers, SMSes communicating results etc.

All the best for your results!

9 comments April 29th, 2010

CCE – What you as a student should know

CBSE’s decision to introduce a system of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation in schools (CCE) and its implications on the teaching-learning process is one area that is being closely followed by schools, students and parents alike.

But what exactly does CCE have in store for the students? In real terms, how do things change for a student with the introduction of CCE? Here are some points that will help clarify the implications of CCE in a student’s life:

• No marks, only grades! With the introduction of CCE marks take a bow, as all students will now be evaluated on a 9-point scale. Students with grades ‘D’ and above will qualify to get promoted to the next class.
• ‘Cramming’ the night before exams becomes passé! Now, with a system of continuous evaluation your progress throughout the school year will be monitored with the help of a series of formative and summative assessment methods. Assessment in school will be divided into 2 terms- April to September and October to March.
• Quizzes, projects, class presentations, seminars and more! Gear-up to be doing a lot of these ‘fun’ activities that will also add up to that ‘grade’ on your report card.
• Academics alone are not enough! Good grades on your academic school subjects may not be enough for you to have a ‘good looking’ Report Card. Yes, the time has come for you to be an all-rounder because outside class activities such as ‘Yoga’, ‘Gymnastics’ etc. now get a place on your Report Card too!
• Homework acquires a new meaning! Well home assignments have always been important, but now they may just be one of the many ways your teacher chooses to assess you as part of the formative assessment methods.
• No more Board exams in class X! Of course, for students of class X the dreaded ‘Board Exams’ become optional.
• Emotional Quotient and other qualities become important! Your ability to make friends, manage your emotions, your willingness to help classmates, the respect you show towards teachers and the environment –all of this will now reflect on your Report Card!

Thus, for all you students the only way you can truly shine in your school is to actively participate in all the inside classroom and outside classroom activities and focus on improving your weak areas as you go along.

Cheers!

Team Meritnation

7 comments April 23rd, 2010

CBSE Class X Solved Sanskrit Board Paper available on meritnation.com

The board paper solutions for CBSE Maths and Science were very well received by our users. On repeated requests from our users, meritnation.com has now made available the solved CBSE board paper for Class X Sanskrit (2010) on our website. You can go through this solved board paper and assess your performance in your Sanskrit exam by calculating your tentative score for the same. The solutions are available in easily downloadable PDF format.

Click here to download CBSE class X Sanskrit (2010) Board Paper Solutions

Cheers!

Team Meritnation

12 comments April 5th, 2010

Get solved Board Papers 2010 for classes X & XII absolutely FREE!

After your exam are you looking for solutions for the CBSE board papers? Your search ends here! Log on to meritnation.com for free solved board papers (2010) for Class XII Physics, Class XII Chemistry, Class XII Biology, Class XII Maths, Class X Science and Class X Maths.

Do visit meritnation.com and check your answers for any inaccuracies with the help of these solved board papers. Go through these solved board papers and calculate your tentative score for the exams even before the final results are officially announced! These free solved board papers (2010) are available in PDF format that can easily be downloaded.

So what are you waiting for?! Just go through these solved board papers available on meritnation.com. Educationists at Meritnation are continuously working hard to make schooling truly easy for all!

All the best for your exams!

Cheers!

Team Meritnation

70 comments March 10th, 2010

Uniform test papers for Class IX CBSE students!

The academic year 2009-10 can surely be called as the ‘Year of Surprises’, thanks to the academic and examination reforms introduced by CBSE! Beginning with the decision to completely do away with the class X board exams and bringing in the benefits of the grading system, to the introduction of CCE– this academic year has witnessed it all! And would you believe it?! There are plans for introducing the grading system in class XII too! It seems that the list of surprises for students continues to grow even as we approach the end of the current academic year.

A recent development in this respect is the announcement that CBSE will set the final test papers for the class IX examinations for its affiliated schools. So all you students who are preparing for the class IX examinations get ready to face uniform and standardized test papers across all CBSE affiliated schools.

However, the answer sheets will be evaluated by the school itself in accordance to the official marking scheme. The test paper by the CBSE will be divided into four sections, containing multiple-choice, long-answer and short-answer type questions. The board has also issued directives to the schools to adopt a flexi-timing scheme of allotting a time duration ranging from 3-31/2 hours to students for completing their papers. What more could students ask for!

The CBSE will send out CDs to the schools containing test papers and sample test papers for English Communicative, English Language and Literature, Hindi-A, Hindi-B, Mathematics, Science, Social Science and Communicative Sanskrit. For the remaining subjects, schools will set their own test papers in accordance to the sample question papers available on the official website of the CBSE. To ensure confidentiality of these test papers, the CBSE will send a password to the schools either through mail or telephonically, that will allow them to access the content in the CD.

So all you students out there gear up for standardized and uniform test papers for your class IX examinations.

All the best!
Cheers!
Team Meritnation

28 comments February 14th, 2010

It’s time for ICSE board students to gear up!

With board exams only a few weeks away, it’s time for all ICSE/ISC students to give studies their 100%. Need of the hour is to wind-up your final studies and begin the crucial revision sessions. Having your study schedule in place is the first step to scoring great marks in the final examinations. Of course it goes without saying, that to help you prepare your schedule it is important to first take a note of the date sheet for the exams.

Class X ICSE exam date sheet 2010

Class XII ISC exam date sheet 2010

For complete date sheet visit www.cisce.org

With the exact ICSE/ISC date sheet in place, it is now important that you plan your studies with care. You need to cautiously balance the available time between all the subjects. To score exceptionally well in your examinations do not forget to practice from the model and practice tests available at meritnation.com. You can also refer to the revision notes by meritnation.com in order to reinforce your learning.

Remember, success is what you do with what you’ve got.

All the best for your exams!

Team Meritnation

1 comment January 27th, 2010

CBSE Exam Date Sheet 2010 is out!

The wait is finally over! CBSE is out with the exam date sheet for Class X and Class XII for the year 2010. So all you students, it is time to pull up your socks and organize your studies so that you can score great marks in your exams.

Hey!! Don’t the exams suddenly seem very near, now that the date sheet is out? Fear not. With a well-chalked out study and revision schedule backed by a consistent approach, you are sure to come with flying colours in your exams. Go ahead and give it your best shot.

The date sheet for CBSE Class X and Class XII is as follows:

Class X

Class XII

For the complete date sheet visit www.cbse.nic.in

Meritnation.com wishes its students all the very best for exams. Just keep working hard towards your goals and remember the following lines:

“Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.”
- Author Unknown

Cheers!
Team Meritnation

21 comments December 28th, 2009

Dealing with Exam Nerves

Every time the exams arrive, the Sun stops setting for students. Heads are permanently hooked into books and a feeling of no life beyond books seems to plague every student. Each second becomes precious and there seems to be no time to eat, sleep, bathe…… Does some of this sound familiar to you too?

As exams approach, you may be letting the pressure of the exams get to you. This is not surprising and, in fact, it can be quite normal to feel some anxiety before exams and feel those butterflies in your stomach as the exams approach. In fact, findings suggest that for some students a little bit of pressure spurs them on and enables them to get down and do some serious work! It must be pointed out however, that too much stress can be detrimental to health and can set alarm bells ringing.

But now the question arises - How much stress is too much? It all depends on the individual endurance levels. Some students buckle down at the slightest sign of an obstacle or frustration whereas others seem to thrive on the challenges of a fast changing environment. The extent of the negative effects of stress is also a function of an individual’s coping skills.

It is therefore very important for students (and their parents) to keep a watch for the harmful signs of stress. Excessive anxiety often slows down the learning process and a  prolonged exposure to persistent stress can lead to serious health ailments  like digestive problems, sleep problems, depression, obesity, skin conditions such as eczema, pain of any kind, heart diseases etc.

Here are a few tips on dealing with exam related stress:

7 comments November 30th, 2009

Are you studying smart?

It often happens that students who study all the time merely manage to pass exams, whereas many who study for just a short span fare well in exams. Does it have any thing to do with their Intelligence Quotient or is it related to their Studying techniques? Does Grade “A” actually indicate that the student is intelligent or can he be rightfully called a smart learner?

The answers lie in the effective studying habits adopted by smart students during the exams. Believe it or not, how ‘sharp’ one is, is actually just one side of the entire tale! While studying, it is very important to stress upon the quality of your study time rather than the quantity of study i.e. the number of hours you spend studying. The key to effective studying is not cramming or studying till the wee hours of morning but to study smart. Here are some smart studying tips that can make your studying fun and effective.

• Set SMART-F targets! Targets that are Simple, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time- bound and most importantly, Flexible. Aim to achieve them.
• Assign yourself a study space! Each of us has a corner in the house that is free of distractions, well-lit and comfortable. Equip your study area with all the necessary books, notes, computer and other related material that you might require while studying. Avoid studying sitting on the bed as the temptation to lie down can sometimes be difficult to resist.
• Make a schedule that you can stick to! The study plan should be such that it clearly lists down your targets for the day, allots time for required breaks, reflects the time set aside for revision and most importantly helps to clearly demarcate your eating and socializing hours from the study hours. The study plan should be balanced with a mix of various subjects so as to avoid monotony. It should be flexible and should ideally be set by you and not your parents or your tutor!
• Use the SQRW method i.e. Survey, Question, Read and Write.
  • Survey: First take a quick look at the entire chapter, glance through the various headings and sub-heads and get a gist of the entire chapter.
  • Question: This process of surveying leads you to formulating questions which help you stay focused.
  • Read: Now read the entire chapter in depth including all the details mentioned in the various heads and subheads.
  • Write: Finally, write down notes using heads, sub-heads and any other special characters that help in recall when you sit down to revise.
• Use Memory Games! Devise a game or a technique that enhances your chances of remembering a particular concept. For example put together the first letter of each word for effective memorization like VIBGYOR i.e. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, that represents the colours that appear in a rainbow in order.
• Do not forget the reward! Stick to short term goals and once you achieve those goals reward yourself accordingly. For example, an extended 15 minute break, additional time for the next chapter etc.
• Attitude matters! Keep the right approach towards studying. Do not consider studying as a burden. It will make things worse for you. Once you look at it as a stepping stone to achieve your goals, the entire learning process becomes enjoyable. When you are not in the right frame of mind, do not force yourself to study. It will be a futile exercise. And you would probably be better off doing something else.

Last but not the least, do not forget to memorize those important facts. Understanding is important but one cannot undermine the importance of memorizing important information well. We at meritnation.com hope that these smart studying tips will help you score well in exams and make your schooling easy. Meritnation.com is continuously striving hard to help you in your quest for being a smart learner.

7 comments November 30th, 2009