CBSE Open Book Assessment 2026-27: The Central Board of Secondary Education will implement open book assessment in class 9 from 2026-27 to focus on understanding rather than rote learning.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken a big initiative to change the way of studying for students. The board has approved the implementation of Open Book Assessment (OBA) in class 9 under the National Curriculum Framework (NCFSE 2023). This change will start from the academic session 2026-27. Under this scheme, there will be pen-paper examination three times a year, which will include core subjects like language, mathematics, science and social science.
Why is Open Book Assessment necessary?
The purpose of NCFSE 2023 is to bring students out of the habit of rote learning and motivate them to think and understand and go deeper into the subject. In traditional exams, where children memorize by reading and write the same, in OBA they will get a chance to solve questions with the book. But this does not mean that the exam will become easier, rather the ability to understand and analyze will be more important to answer here.
What was revealed in the pilot project?
Earlier, a pilot study was conducted in which the performance of the students was analysed closely. In this, the focus was on cross-cutting topics i.e. topics that are related to different subjects. Avoiding additional study material, students were tested on the basis of their syllabus. During this, the scores of the students ranged between 12% to 47%.
According to the report, OBA showed improvement in the thinking and question-solving ability of the students.
What do teachers say?
During the study, the opinion of the teachers was also taken. Most of the teachers were in favour of this new method. They say that OBA will lead the students to understand the subject instead of just memorizing it. However, some teachers also admitted that initially some students may find it difficult to adjust to this pattern.
Clear and balanced question papers will be prepared for OBA, so that the level of examination is the same for all the students.
What will be the benefit to the students?
Exam fear will be reduced – With the book open, the pressure on students to memorize immediately will be reduced.
Thinking ability will increase – Children will not only memorize the answer, but will solve it after understanding it.
They will learn to apply it in real life – They will get a chance to apply what they have read in real situations.
The habit of rote learning will decrease – A deep understanding of the subject will develop, which will be useful for a long time.
