The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : State Board examinations begin tomorrow

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Sunday, Mar 02, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

State Board examinations begin tomorrow

Meera Srinivasan

24-hour protection to 135 centres in the city

— File photo: K. Pichumani

TESTING TIMES: Nearly six lakh students will appear for the HSC examination beginning Monday.

CHENNAI: For about six lakh students in the State, Monday marks the beginning of something they have been gearing up for since last June. After year-long preparation, numerous revision tests, group study sessions and, possibly, several sleepless nights, they will take the HSC (Class XII) State Board Examination.

In Chennai, 135 examination centres have been identified. A total of 14 custodian points for question papers have been set up, with a senior headmaster in-charge of each. The city police will give 24 hours’ protection to these centres, from where questions papers are to be despatched for the examination beginning Monday.

For every 20 students, one examination hall has been earmarked. “Nearly 45,891 students from 401 city schools will appear for the examination,” a School Education Department official told The Hindu. Following the State Government’s recent announcement about the extension of the examination duration, students are happy about getting additional 10 minutes to read the question paper.

“For people like me, who have a tendency to misread the question in a hurry, these extra 10 minutes will be very useful,” says N. Ramya, a Class XII student.

CBSE examinations

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class X and XII examinations began on Saturday. While 12th standard science stream students took the Chemistry paper, the Class X students took the Information Technology paper. Students said the question papers were fairly easy and the questions, largely direct.

This year, the CBSE, which is known for testing students in application oriented questions, revised the question paper pattern, to include questions that will help assess Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS).

Tips for students

Senior teachers and retired headmasters offered a few tips to students. It is important to ensure good rest during the night before the examination. Students should avoid staying up, teachers said.

On the day of the examinations, students should not burden themselves by learning new concepts. Instead, they could refresh their memory on formulae and important points they have learnt.

Students should keep their hall tickets and stationery ready the previous night so that they do not miss taking them in the morning. Students should take sufficient number of pens, pencils and other items they may require to avoid panicking, should something not work there.

After a nutritious breakfast, students should leave for the examination centre well in advance, anticipating traffic jams and other causes for delay.

At the centre, they must relax. Carrying a bottle of water will help.

Students should focus on the presentation aspect as much as they would on the answers. Marking the questions numbers clearly and drawing a line with a pencil and scale after each answer will make the evaluator’s job easy. If the students wish to answer the paper in an order of their choice, clearly marking the section and question numbers becomes vital.

Teachers also note that going for the examinations with a positive frame of mind and confidence will help students apply their mind and give their best.

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