The Board Exam Bonanza

The Board Exam Bonanza

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced its Class 10 and 12 results, and the numbers were staggering. Over 42 lakh students appeared for the exams, with an overall pass percentage of 88.39% for Class 12, a slight uptick from last year’s 87.98%. Girls outshone boys in Class 12, clocking a pass percentage of 91.64%. Notably, a significant chunk of students scored above 90%, with some reports suggesting that nearly 20% of Class 12 students achieved this coveted benchmark in key subjects like Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. For Class 10, the pass rate was even higher, hovering around 93%, with similar trends in high scorers.

Why the inflated scores?

• Relative Grading System: In 2024–25, CBSE introduced a relative grading system, moving away from fixed mark ranges (e.g., 91–100 for A1) to evaluate students against their peers. This has led to a more generous distribution of high grades.

• Simplified Question Papers: Board exams increasingly emphasize NCERT-based questions, with a mix of objective and descriptive formats that reward rote learning and structured preparation.

• Lenient Evaluation: Teachers and examiners, under pressure to boost school performance metrics, often adopt a more forgiving approach during evaluation.

But, these stellar board results don’t translate to success in the next stage - entrance exams. Why? Continue reading...

The Entrance Exam Gauntlet: A Rude Awakening

In May, 2025, over 22.7 lakh students sat for the NEET-UG 2025, the gateway to India’s medical colleges. The exam was a beast, described by many as one of the toughest in recent years, particularly in Physics and Chemistry. The paper featured only 180 questions (down from 200 last year) but with a catch: 20 minutes less time and no internal choices, making time management a nightmare. Biology leaned heavily on Class 12 concepts, with lengthy, analytical questions that tested application over memorization.

The result?

Satrangi Gurukul predict cut-offs will drop significantly, possibly below 100 marks for some categories, a stark contrast to last year’s general category cut-off of 720–162.

Let’s break down the numbers:

• NEET-UG 2025 Participation: Approximately 22.7 lakh candidates appeared, competing for roughly 91,000 MBBS seats across India.

• Pass Rates: Historical data suggests only 55–60% of candidates qualify (score above the cut-off), leaving nearly 10 lakh students out in the cold annually.

• Repeaters: Around 40% of NEET candidates are repeaters, with some attempting the exam 2–3 times. In 2024, over 9 lakh repeaters were reported, a trend likely to continue in 2025 due to the tougher paper.

• JEE Main 2025: Over 12 lakh students appeared, but only about 2.5 lakh qualified for JEE Advanced, with even fewer securing IIT seats (around 17,000 total).

  
  

The gap between board exam success and entrance exam performance is glaring. A student scoring 95% in Class 12 Physics might struggle to clear the NEET cut-off of 540–560 marks (predicted for general category in 2025). Why the disconnect?

The Overconfident Topper

A 17-year-old from Delhi, Ananya, scored 92% in her Class 12 CBSE exams, with 95 in Physics and 96 in Chemistry. Her school celebrated her as a star, and her parents were confident she’d ace NEET-UG. But the entrance exam left her in tears. “The Physics section had JEE-level questions,” she recounted. “I couldn’t finish half the numericals.” Ananya scored 480, missing the cut-off for government medical colleges. She’s now preparing to repeat in 2026, joining the growing repeater cohort. Her story reflects a pattern: board exams reward formulaic answers, while entrance exams demand critical thinking and speed.

The Rural Underdog

A student from a small town in Bihar, Rohan, scored 88% in Class 12, a remarkable feat given his limited access to coaching. But NEET-UG 2025 was a different beast. The lack of internal choices and a tougher Biology section tripped him up. “I studied NCERT cover to cover, but the questions were so tricky,” he said. Rohan scored 420, qualifying for a private college but unable to afford the fees. He’s now working part-time while preparing for a second attempt, highlighting how entrance exams disproportionately challenge students without access to elite coaching.

The Repeater’s Redemption

A 19-year-old from Kota, Vikram, failed NEET in 2024 with a score of 390. After a year of intensive coaching, he tackled NEET-UG 2025. Despite the tougher paper, his focused preparation on time management and conceptual clarity paid off—he scored 580, securing a seat in a government college. Vikram’s case underscores the repeater phenomenon: many students need multiple attempts to crack the code of entrance exams, a stark contrast to the one-shot success of board exams.

The Hidden Design.

The contrast between board exams and entrance tests raises eyebrows.

• Filtering Mechanism: Entrance exams like NEET and JEE are designed to sieve out the top 1–2% of candidates for limited seats. With over 22 lakh NEET aspirants vying for 91,000 seats, the system needs a high barrier to entry. Board exams, however, aim to certify a broad base of students, ensuring high pass rates to maintain public confidence in the education system.
  

• Coaching Industry Fuel: The difficulty of entrance exams fuels a booming coaching industry, valued at over ₹60,000 crore annually. Tougher papers drive students to coaching hubs, where institutes thrive. Could there be an unspoken alignment between exam setters and this industry?
  

• Global Competency Push: NEET-UG 2025’s shift toward conceptual, application-based questions mirrors global trends in medical education, like the USMLE in the US or PLAB in the UK. India may be aligning its exams to prepare students for international standards, but at the cost of overwhelming those trained in rote-based board systems.

India vs. the World: How Do We Stack Up?

• United States: The SAT/ACT tests are standardized but less grueling than NEET or JEE, with pass rates above 90%. However, US medical school admissions (via MCAT) are highly selective, similar to NEET, but with more emphasis on holistic evaluation (essays, interviews). India’s reliance on a single high-stakes test is rarer.

  
  

• China: The Gaokao, China’s college entrance exam, is notoriously tough, with a pass rate of about 70% for top-tier universities. Like India, it’s a high-pressure system, but China’s school exams are equally rigorous, reducing the shock factor.
  

• Finland: Known for its progressive education, Finland avoids high-stakes exams until university entrance. Students face less pressure in school years, with assessments focusing on skills over marks, unlike India’s grade-driven boards.

India’s board exams are unusually forgiving compared to these systems, creating a false sense of security. The sudden spike in difficulty for entrance exams catches students off-guard, unlike in China, where the rigor is consistent.

The Future: A Worrying Trend?

If current patterns hold, students and parents will face a challenging road ahead:

• Rising Repeater Numbers: With NEET cut-offs expected to drop to 540–560 for general category in 2025, more students will fail to qualify on their first attempt, swelling the repeater pool. This could strain mental health, as evidenced by 14 coaching student suicides in Kota in 2025 alone.

• Economic Burden: Repeat attempts mean more coaching fees, with top institutes charging ₹1–2 lakh annually. Rural and middle-class families may struggle, deepening educational inequity.

• Policy Shifts: The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to reduce exam pressure, but NEET-UG 2025’s tougher format suggests a move toward global competency standards. Without aligning board exams, students will continue to face a jarring transition.

What if the system isn’t broken but deliberately designed this way?

• A Two-Tier Education System?: Are board exams kept easy to ensure mass certification, while entrance exams act as a gatekeeper for elite professions, subtly reinforcing social stratification?

• Data-Driven Manipulation?: With only 24 perfect NEET scores (compared to 2–3 earlier), is the system intentionally curbing toppers to normalize lower cut-offs and manage seat allocation?

• Global Export Strategy?: By aligning entrance exams with international standards, is India quietly preparing a generation to compete globally, even if it means local students bear the brunt?

What Can Students and Parents Do?

For readers of Satrangi Gurukul, here’s how to navigate this situation:

1. Shift Focus Early: Start preparing for entrance exams from Class 11, emphasizing conceptual understanding over rote learning.

   
   

2. Time Management Training: Practice solving complex problems under time constraints, as NEET-UG 2025’s reduced time highlighted this skill’s importance.
   

3. Holistic Preparation: Explore alternative career paths (e.g., allied health sciences, engineering) to reduce pressure on single exams like NEET or JEE.
   

4. Mental Health Support: With rising suicides in coaching hubs, prioritize counseling and stress management for students.

The Bottom Line

India’s education system is a paradox: board exams shower students with high scores, while entrance exams like NEET-UG 2025 humble even the best. The numbers don’t lie—42 lakh students ace boards, but only a fraction clear the 91,000 MBBS seats or 17,000 IIT spots. This isn’t just a test of knowledge; it’s a test of resilience, strategy, and systemic navigation. As cut-offs drop and repeaters rise, parents and students must question the system’s design. Is it preparing kids for global success or setting them up for a cycle of stress and failure? The answer may lie in rethinking how we define “success” in education.

-Satrangi Gurukul (satrangigurukul@gmail.com)