New Education Policy: State school board to change exam pattern from 2025-26

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBoSE) is set to change its examination pattern as per the New Education Policy.

Sources here said that from the next academic session (2025-26), the state school education board examinations would have at least 50 per cent competence-based questions. These competence-based questions would be in the form of short questions that would test the reasoning and logical ability of students in respective subjects.

50% Logic, reasoning-based questions

• The HP Board of School Education (HPBoSE) currently relies on subjective questions, but under the New Education Policy, the Centre has recommended an examination system that is based on logic and reasoning.
• Under the new system, at least 50% questions will be competence-based i.e. based on logic and reasoning, while 20% would be multiple choice questions.
• These competence-based questions would be designed in a manner that enables students to prepare for national-level entrance tests such as JEE and NEET along with their board exams.

Besides, at least 20 per cent questions in each examination would be multiple choice questions (MCQs) and there would be a separate section for MCQs in each examination conducted by the HPBoSE.

HPBoSE Secretary Vishal Sharma said the board had decided to follow the format of examinations prescribed by the NCERT under the New Education Policy.

Confirming that every exam conduction by the board would have at least 20 per cent MCQs, he said a separate OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheet would be given for attempting these multiple choice questions, which would be evaluated mechanically through scanning machines.

Talking about competence-based questions, the secretary said these competence-based questions would be designed in a manner that enables students to prepare for national-level entrance tests such as JEE and NEET along with their board exams.

These logic and reasoning questions would be either in MCQ form or short form to test the reasoning ability of students on a pattern that is adopted in national-level entrance exams, he added.

The HPBoSE was conducting a workshop of schoolteachers from across the state to acquaint them with the changes to be adopted in the examination system from the next session.

The examination system of the state board currently relies on subjective questions. But under the New Education Policy, the Government of India has recommended the examination system that is based on logic and reasoning.

The CBSE has also reduced syllabus in many subjects as per the New Education Policy. The state school education was yet to reduce syllabus as per the recommendations of the new policy. Hence, the parents had demanded that the HPBoSE also reduces the syllabus for board examination, as per the pattern adopted by the CBSE so that students under the state board were not burdened .

Notably, the HPBoSE has been functioning without a permanent chairman for two years ever since the present government took over. The charge of the HPBoSE chairman has been assigned to the deputy commissioner of Kangra.