State school boards in Bengal have rescheduled the timings of their 2024 board examinations for Madhyamik (Class X) and Higher Secondary (Class XII) to start early and conclude by 1 pm every day.

Following the rescheduling, both exams will commence at 9:45 am daily and conclude at 1 pm. Previously, it was decided that Madhyamik would begin at 11:45 am and conclude at 1 pm, while Higher Secondary would start at 9:45 am instead of 12 noon and end at 1 pm instead of 2 pm.

The decision was made on Thursday afternoon after a meeting among the heads of state boards, senior officials from various government departments responsible for conducting the examinations, and the district administration at Nabanna, the state headquarters.

This marks the first time since 1988 that board exams will start at 9:45 am, with exams previously commencing at 10 am. The Madhyamik 2024 exams will run from February 2 to February 12, and the Class XII board exams will be held from February 16 to February 29.

All stakeholders at the meeting unanimously agreed to reschedule the exam timing, taking various factors into consideration, as stated by a senior government official.

Experts suggested that students perform better in the morning when distractions are minimal, leading to a recommendation to start exams in the first half of the day.

Another advantage of the early start is that students can return home sooner, allowing more time for studying the following day’s paper. With no gap between Madhyamik exam days, early completion enables students to rest and revise for the next day’s exam.

Ramanuj Ganguly, president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, emphasized that students can also avoid traffic jams and encounter fewer problems reaching exam centers with a 9:45 am start instead of 11:45 am.

However, some teachers expressed concerns about students in districts facing transportation issues due to the earlier exam timing.

Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, president of the West Bengal Council for Higher Secondary Education, assured that the government has taken steps to ensure students won’t face inconvenience due to a lack of transport.

Additionally, the board conducting the state Madrasa exams has also advanced their timing.

Also read: Bengal: Hold Madhyamik exam CCTV footage until results are announced