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Board Vs Competitive Examinations
Competitive exams are very much different than board exams. Board exams are written as part of our schooling and only after clearing the exam, students will be qualified for the next class. However, competitive exams have a stark difference – it is nearly a neck-to-neck competition amongst lakhs of students for the ticket to the most prestigious educational institutes in the country.
These two examinations are contrastingly different in terms of the skills tested, syllabus, question paper pattern, duration, etc. This means the approach towards preparation for the exams will also differ.
In this article, we will analyze what differentiates board exams from competitive exams.
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Board exams test students on the knowledge of concepts and how much they are able to recollect. Whereas, in competitive exams, students are tested on the application of such concepts, how well they apply logic to approach a question, and their problem-solving skills.
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The skills tested in both these exams vary a lot. The competitive exams are designed to test students on their decision-making and problem-solving skills, which are life skills that a student will find useful in all walks of life. The exam has questions that involve complex calculations to be solved in a short period of time, for which shortcuts and tricks are to be known by the student. It is not the same case with board exams. Board exam question papers are created to test the memory power of students rather than their ability to solve problems. So, the approach in preparation should be different.
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Board exams are descriptive papers and mostly in the form of a pen and paper test. So, students need to take care of their handwriting and presentation style. However, competitive exams are objective papers and mostly are computer-based tests. Even the few that are pen and paper are usually in objective type, where the students are given an OMR sheet to fill in the right option.
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Most students face a difficult time in understanding the marking scheme of the exams – in board exams, students are awarded marks on an absolute scale basis, whereas in competitive exams, marks are awarded in a relative manner. Along with this, most board exams do not allot negative marks for wrong answers, but in competitive exams, you can come across negative marks in the marking scheme most of the time.
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The competitiveness of the exam differs such that in board exams, the below-average students are eliminated. Competitive exams are even more competitive than even the average students are eliminated from the race and only the top 15-20% of students qualify for the next level.
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The time limit for both these exams is usually the same – approximately 3 hours. But this duration will be insufficient in competitive exam question papers because the paper consists of problems majorly. It requires students to give accurate answers as fast as possible.
These points would have given you an idea of how different these 2 exams are. So, let us next look at the preparation strategies for these.
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Sometimes, rote learning may come in handy for board exams. But when it comes to competitive exams, it is a big NO to rote learning. Competitive exams like JEE/NEET emphasize more on a student’s analytical and logical reasoning ability for which rote learning is not helpful at all. So, when preparing for competitive exams, avoid memorizing and strive to understand the concepts clearly.
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For both these exams, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the exam syllabus and question paper pattern. Board exams might have portions only from the syllabus covered in that year of school, but competitive exams test students on a vast syllabus. For such exams, it is wise to leave no stone unturned.
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Solve mock tests - For board exams, teachers usually recommend beginning revision a month earlier. But for competitive exams, revision has to happen simultaneously with preparation. It requires students to familiarize themselves with the exam pattern and the difficulty level of the questions.
We hope this article gave you a clear picture of both the board exams and competitive exams and helps you in your exam preparation.
Happy learning and best of luck with your exams!