Higher Secondary Edu Council mulls longer duration for next year’s HS Sem III exams

Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) is considering extending the examination duration for the Higher Secondary (HS) Semester III examinations, following widespread feedback from students and parents that the existing time limit is inadequate for certain subjects.

Under the semester system introduced by the council, the odd semester examinations—Semester I for Class XI and Semester III for Class XII—are conducted through multiple-choice questions (MCQs) answered on OMR sheets. The first batch of Class XII students under this system appeared for their HS Semester III exams between September 8 and 22.

Soon after the examinations began, students and guardians raised concerns that the current 75-minute duration was insufficient, particularly for calculation-intensive subjects such as Mathematics and Accountancy. They argued that while the format tests quick responses, it leaves little room for the detailed calculations some questions require.

According to sources, the council is currently exploring two possible options. One proposal involves extending the exam duration by 15 minutes to make it a 90-minute paper, while also distributing OMR sheets 10 minutes before the start of the test.

However, officials said the move could present practical challenges. “A major concern is that humanities subjects do not generally require additional time and it would not be feasible to selectively extend the duration. If the time is increased across all papers, students from the humanities stream may finish early, which could lead to unnecessary movement and distraction inside examination halls,” a WBCHSE official said.

In view of this, another proposal under consideration is to distribute OMR sheets 15 minutes before the examination begins. This would allow students adequate time to fill in personal details, while maintaining the current 75-minute duration for answering questions.

“We are evaluating several options, but nothing has been finalised yet. The council intends to seek consolidated opinions from a number of reputed schools before taking a final decision,” the official added.