Common question papers for quarterly exams this year for govt. and aided school students in Tamil Nadu

TN govt schools to have common question papers for quarterly/term I exams in 2023-24. Common timetable released; classes 6-8 to take exams from Sep 19 (10am), 9-10 (2pm), 11 (9.30am-12.45pm) & 12 (1.15pm-4.30pm). Test runs conducted to ensure smooth exams. Schools need infrastructure to print papers.

Students in government and aided schools across Tamil Nadu will have common question papers for the quarterly exams and term I summative exams to be held at the end of the first term for the 2023-24 academic year. The question papers will be prepared by the State Assessment Cell in the State Council for Educational and Research Training (SCERT). A common timetable has also been released for the same. 

Students of classes 6 to 8 will take up their exams from September 19 onwards and the exams will begin at 10 a.m. For classes 9 and 10, the exams will begin from September 19 and will be conducted from 2 p.m. 

  For classes 11 and 12, the quarterly exams begin from September 15 onwards. While class 11 students will write their exams from 9.30 a.m. to 12.45 p.m, class 12 students will have their exams from 1.15 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. 

Previously, there have been common question papers for schools in a district, or for schools in two or three neighbouring districts for the quarterly, half-yearly and annual exams for senior classes. For the upcoming exams to be held smoothly, the Samagra Shiksha had called for test runs to be conducted.

  “While having a common paper will benefit schools and students, schools should be well equipped with infrastructure to print out question papers and conduct the exams smoothly. In some districts, schools have been asked to collect the papers from the district education office as well. We will be able to gauge how well this system has worked after the first round of exams this year,” said Patric Raymond, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Federation.