West Bengal has become the first state in India to fully adopt a semester-based examination system for its Class 12 (Higher Secondary) board exams, replacing the yearly exam format in place since 1978, reported PTI.

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) announced that starting from the 2025-26 academic session, the new system will be used to evaluate students across multiple semesters, marking a significant shift in the state’s educational framework.

Exam schedule and structure
On May 7, during the announcement of the 2024-25 Higher Secondary results, WBCHSE President Chiranjib Bhattacharya briefed about the semester schedule.

The third semester exams are set for September 8 to 22, 2025, and the fourth semester from February 12 to 27, 2026.

Most exams, except for subjects like music and vocational streams, will last 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The final score will be calculated based on performance across both semesters, with the first and third semesters featuring multiple-choice questions (MCQS), and the second and fourth semesters featuring short and descriptive answers to enhance writing skills.

Introduction of new subjects
The WBCHSE is introducing contemporary subjects to broaden students’ academic options, including Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Applied AI, and the Science of Well-Being.

More opportunities for failing students
Students who did not pass the 2024-25 Higher Secondary exams can transition to the new semester-based system, provided they register through their schools.

Higher secondary results
The West Bengal Higher Secondary results, declared on May 7, showed strong performance, with over 4.3 lakh of 4.7 lakh students passing.

The Science stream led with an impressive 99.46% pass percentage, followed by Commerce at 97.52% and Arts at 88.25%, reflecting the state’s excelling academic standards.