Conduct of Optional Proficiency Test for Class-X -CBSE

CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION
SHIKSHA SADAN, 17-ROUSE AVENUE, INSTITUTIONAL AREA,
NEW DELHI-110002


CBSE/CM/2010



All Heads of Institutions

Affiliated to the Board



                                                                Dated: 01.09.2010


Circular No.56/10



Subject: Conduct of Optional Proficiency Test for Class-X



Dear Principal,



As a part of ongoing examination reforms, the Board has initiated series of measures

related to strengthening of school education and aligning the assessment practices with

international standards. One such measure relates to conduct of Proficiency Test at the

end of Class-X in all the five main subjects from next year. The related information has

already been included in Board’s earlier circulars No.39, 40 dated September, 2009 on

Scheme of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation and Grading system.





Broad objectives of the test



The proposed Proficiency Test is being conducted with the broad objectives of :



• acting as a benchmark  in testing of skills and higher mental abilities of students

• providing motivation to students for academic excellence in the respective subject

• providing feedback to students and parents on how well the students have

achieved the desired learning objectives.

• providing feedback to schools on levels of learning of  their students and setting

goals, priorities and targets in their future educational plan.



Specific objectives



Some of the specific objectives of the proposed test include assessing students;



• abilities and skills to apply concepts and principles of the subject to everyday

life situations.

• abilities to apply understanding of concepts to interpret data, diagrams, maps,

graph etc.

• skills to create and devise methods for solving subject related problems.

• abilities to analyse, synthesise and evaluate a given situation on the basis of

learning in the subject.



What is a Proficiency Test?



A proficiency Test measures an individual’s abilities and skills in a domain or subject to

know how well he/she has learned, understood and internalised the related concepts and

principles. Such a test in language e.g may assess a student’s skills in reading, writing,

listening, speaking or vocabulary. Similarly a test in Science may focus on assessing

students’ abilities to apply concepts and principles to analyse a given situation, solve a

given problem and conduct practical work efficiently. A test in Mathematics may

similarly assess problem solving abilities and skills of mathematical thinking,

mathematical reasoning and procedural techniques followed by students. Thus, the

proposed Proficiency Test will mainly focus on assessing students’ abilities and skills to

apply  knowledge and understanding of any subject to new and unfamiliar everyday life

situations.



The core testing element of such a test will include observing, comparing, classifying,

solving, translating, interpreting, analyzing, synthesising, creating, composing, deducing,

justifying and judging/evaluating.



General Features of the Test



• It will be optional in nature. Only those students who wish to take this test

willingly may appear.

• There will be separate test in each of the five main subjects viz English, Hindi,

Social Science, Mathematics and Science.

• A student may appear in one or more subject (s) according to his/her choice. One

test will be held on a single day.

• It will be a paper-pen test to be administered on the same day across all willing

schools in the country.

• The proposed test is likely to be conducted in the month of May/June next year

(2011).The exact schedule will be notified later.

• Students wishing to appear in the test will have to pay separate examination fee

for the same. This fee is likely to be in the range of Rs.500/- to Rs.1000/- for all

the subjects. The schools will be informed about the exact amount of  fee and its

submission mode at a later stage.

• Any student studying in Secondary or Senior secondary school affiliated to CBSE

and has appeared in Class-X final examination (School conducted or Board

conducted ) is eligible for this test.

• Students appearing in the test will be issued a joint certificate by CBSE and the

collaborating agency indicating percentile rank.



Design of the Question Paper



• The duration of the test in every subject will be 2½ hours.

• Question paper in every subject will carry 100 marks

• All questions will be of multiple choice type with only single correct answer.

• The test will be based on classes IX-X syllabus in the subject prescribed by CBSE



• The typology of questions will be different from the type of questions asked in

conventional final examination conducted by the Board at the end of Class-X. The

test will not include any direct recall, information-based or memory –based

questions. It will only include questions to assess students’ skills and abilities to

apply understanding of concepts to analyse a given situation or an unfamiliar

everyday life problem.

• The total number of questions may vary from one subject to another.

• The questions included in the question paper will be of varying difficulty level.

• Negative marks will be awarded for wrong answers



The willing schools will be required to submit the related information to the Board in

advance through online filling up of the registration form available on CBSE website

www.cbse.nic.in  under CCE corner. The last date for submitting the online information

is October 31, 2010.



The print out of filled in online registration form (Hard copy) duly signed  and attested by

the Principal may be submitted to the respective Regional office of the Board by 30th

November,2010.



For any further information in this regard, the schools may contact Controller of

Examination CBSE at mcsharma2007@rediffmail.com or Consultant CBSE at

science.cbse@gmail.com



Thanking you,

      Yours faithfully,

     (Vineet  Joshi)

      Chairman





SOURCE;CBSE