In recent developments, the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced that no calculators will be permitted in the examination hall or even in the vicinity of the exam hall. This was stated in a report by the Free Press Journal.
This new rule will apply to Higher Secondary (Class XI and XII) during theory and practical exams.
The official statement said, "Henceforth, the students/examinees must not carry/bring calculators into the examination hall/venue premises during the examinations of any semester of class XI and XII(both theory and practical examinations)."
In addition to this, this change is in line with the introduction of the semester system and is aiming at preparing students for national-level competitive exams where calculators are typically not allowed.
On the other hand, students appearing in the 2025 exam will be allowed to use the calculator. The Higher Secondary examination for 2025 will follow the previous syllabus and also allow the usage of a calculator according to the old norms.
From the year 2026, the students will have to rely on problem-solving skills without calculators. The council aims to ensure that students are well prepared for such challenges by encouraging them to develop their problem-solving skills without relying on calculators.
Following this, the council has also ensured that the new semester-based question papers will be designed in such a manner that the need for calculators is minimal. For subjects that traditionally require complex calculations, the necessary values will be provided within the question paper itself.
