Class 12 exam in Bengal to partially shift ‘multiple choice’ format from 2026

Kolkata, Aug 9 : The pattern of higher secondary examination conducted by the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) will be changed from 2026 onwards by partially switching to multiple choice answer format.

Under the new system, the examination will be conducted in two semesters with the first having multiple choice answer format in optical marks recognition (OMR) sheets.

The council has already secured the nod of the state Education Department in this matter.

“This new system will be in line with the state’s own education policy.

Almost all the national-level examinations are conducted in OMR sheets under the multiple choice format.

"So this new system will help the students from West Bengal get used to to the national practice from the higher secondary level,” said a senior official from the education department.

The proposal to partially shift to the multiple choice format has evoked mixed reactions.One section of educationists feels that this is the right step in the right direction to keep the students adapted with the national practice.

However, another section feels that in the new system, there will be high possibilities of exam malpractices in the backdrop of the fact that OMR sheets played a major role in the irregularities in the ongoing cash for school jobs case in the state.

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