Students of Class 10 will soon be able to take an aptitude test to enable them to make a considered career choice.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is developing a prototype of an aptitude test to submit to the government for its consideration before year-end.
Two detailed field trials have been conducted across the country taking adequate care of diversity and a task force is looking into the results to finalise items for a questionnaire that can be used to assess a student's aptitudes.
“Our effort is that the test is designed in such a way that it yields similar results if repeated. And we want to ensure it is a culturally fair test for all kinds of students in our diverse country, irrespective of class, caste, gender, culture or urban or rural background,” said an official of the CBSE.
The prototype of the test will be in Hindi and English, to begin with. If the government is satisfied, versions of it in other Indian languages can also be developed.
The test will have eight different sections, including verbal reasoning, spatial ability, numerical ability, interpersonal skills and creative aptitude. There will be questions testing these; situations will be given and responses of students sought; and audio clips will also be given to test how students respond to them.
There will also be activities to test creative skills of the students.
“Students who take these tests seriously should be able to assess their own aptitudes well. A student may have more than one kind of aptitude. This would enable them to make better informed career decisions,” the official said.
The task force that is putting the prototype in place is headed by Delhi University psychology professor Anand Prakash and has NCERT and CBSE officials, apart from other professors from top institutions such as the JNU, on it.
