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Students take an exam at the Indian High School in Dubai. Photo for illustrative purposes only. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: Students of schools in the UAE affiliated to India’s CBSE curriculum will begin their Class 10 and Class 12 board exams in February, joining students in India and elsewhere.

The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) announced the date sheet for the exams on Sunday.

Class 12 exams will be held from February 15 to April 3 while class 10 exams will be held from February 21 to March 29.

2.8 m

students took the high-school exams last academic year worldwide, last year

Results of both class 10 and 12 exams are likely to be declared by the first week of June, the CBSE said.

In the UAE, last academic year, an estimated 11,000 students appeared for the CBSE board exams. There are around 20 CBSE exam centres in the UAE.

Around 2.8 million students took the high-school exams last academic year worldwide, including India. The CBSE is India’s biggest education board.

The CBSE in October announced it would continue the new passing criteria (introduced in 2018) for the Class 10 exam in 2019, in which a candidate will have to secure an overall 33 per cent (both internal assessment and board exam taken together) in the subject to be eligible to pass that subject.

Preparations for the board exams start well in advance, with students revising, practising mock exams and taking private tuition months before the papers. Counsellors at schools and at CBSE set up phone lines and support platforms online to help students cope with exam pressure.

The class 10 exams are seen as the gateway to the school-leaving class 12 exams, the results of which weigh heavily on students university admission prospects.