New Delhi: CBSE Board Exams for Class 10 and 12 next year will begin from May 4, according to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

While written exams would begin in May, practical exams would be held on March 1, Pokhriyal said during a live interaction on Twitter last evening.

“After several rounds of consultations, we decided that the board exams for Class 10 and 12 will begin from May 4 and will be over by June 10. We will try to do the evaluation in time and declare the results by July 15. Practical examination will begin from March 1,” he said.

Pokhriyal said the decision to conduct the board exams in May was taken after consultation with other boards and keeping the pandemic situation in mind.

The exams were delayed by more than two months this year due to the pandemic. Typically, the exams begin in February and end in March.

The board received many appeals, from States, students, parents and teachers, seeking a delay in conducting the exams in view of the pandemic. Parents asked for the delay so students could have time for one-on-one interactions with teachers once schools reopen. 

Some also asked for the board exams to be conducted in an online mode, but the CBSE earlier clarified that the exam will take place as it usually does, in an offline mode. The date sheets for both Class 10 and 12 will be issued soon, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), that conducts the exams, said in a statement.