If you are student of class X, then you have to soon decide that which Mathematics exam you will be taking. You have to select between Mathematics-Standard and Mathematics-Basic exams. To make a correct choice you should know the differences between both the papers and you should think about what subjects you are planning to take in class-XI. Based on these two things you will be able to take the right decision. We will help you to decide that now and prepare for the correct exam from now onwards.
First, let us find the difference between both the papers
| SN | Mathematics-Standard | Mathematics-Basic |
| 1 | Mathematics-Standard is the same exam which was conducted till last year | Mathematics-Basic is a new exam introduced this year, which is the simpler version of standard exam |
| 2 | Syllabus includes whole syllabus | Syllabus includes whole syllabus |
| 3 | Internal assessment will be as per the previous exam | No change in internal assessment for basic exam. It will be same as standard exam. |
| 4 | The Standard level will be meant for students who wish to opt for Mathematics at Sr. Secondary level | The Basic level would be for students not keen to pursue Mathematics at higher levels. |
| 5 | If student opted for Mathematics-Standard in main exam and could not pass, he/she has option to opt for any one of Mathematics-Basic and Mathematics-Standard. | In case of failure in Mathematics-Basic exam student can appear for only Mathematics-Basic paper in compartment exam. |
| 6 | A student who qualifies the Mathematics-Standard, need not to change the subject and appear again in compartment exam. | A student who qualifies the Mathematics-Basic, will have an option to appear in Mathematics-Standard at the time of compartment exams as per norms of the Board, in case he/she changes his/her mind to pursue Mathematics at Senior Secondary level. |
Now, let’s think what subjects you are planning to take in class-XI. You have three choices
Choice – 1 : You are sure that you want to take Mathematics in class-XI
Choice – 2 : You are sure that you do not want to take Mathematics in class-XI
Choice – 3 : You are not sure if you should take Mathematics in class-XI or not
Now based on these two things here the conclusion.
If your choice is choice-1 i.e. you are planning to take Mathematics in class-XI, you do not have choice to go for Mathematics-Basic exam. You have to take Mathematics-Standard exam only. Start preparing for it.
If your choice is choice-2 i.e. you do not want to take the Mathematics in class-XI, you should select Mathematics-Basic exam. There is no point in selecting Mathematics-Standard and increase the complexity of the paper. Keep in mind that if the complexity of the paper increases, you have to do more practice and solve different “Applying” and “Analyzing the concepts” type of questions. One of the reason for not selecting Mathematics in class-XI could be that you do not like Mathematics and if this is the case then solving questions for “Applying” and “Analyzing” is not going to be easy for you. In this case by selecting Mathematics-Standard you will increase the chance of failure. So select Mathematics-Basic and practice the basic things in syllabus and score good. This will help you in increasing your overall percentage also.
If your choice is choice-3 i.e. you are not sure that you will take Mathematics in class-XI or not. This could be due to any reason like you want to take Mathematics in class-XI but you are not sure if you will be able to clear the Mathematics exam with good marks or not. Other reason could be that you want to go for medical entrance but not sure if you want to keep engineering option open or not. There could be some other reasons as well. Decision making in this case is difficult. We would suggest you to think how much you are willing to take Mathematics in class-XI. If you little bit of interest in taking Mathematics in class-XI, then go for Mathematics-Standard exam. Start preparing for it from now and prepare smartly. In case you are not able to clear Mathematics-Standard exam you will have option to select Mathematics-Basic exam in compartment exams. That time it will be easy for you to clear Mathematics-Basic exam as you have already done lot of preparation for Mathematics-Standard exam. If you are not too keen to take Mathematics in class-XI, then go for Mathematics-Basic exam. No point in wasting your energy and time in preparing for harder version of the paper. Go for the simpler version, save your time from preparation of Mathematics paper and invest the same time in some other paper which is harder for you. After seeing your performance in the Mathematics-Basic exam if you want to change your mind and want to take Mathematics, you can appear for the Mathematics-Standard exam during compartment exam.
Related Read: How to prepare for Mathematics-Basic exam