Following widespread criticism over the alarming deterioration of school education due to introduction of multiple choice questions (MCQs) in the matriculation examinations, the Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha, which conducts the final school leaving examination, has decided to get rid of the MCQ pattern of questions from the 2020 matriculation examinations.

 MCQ pattern of questions introduced since 2014 will however remain unchanged in the 2019 Matriculation examination. But from the subsequent year in 2020 Matriculation Examination, the objective type questions of 50 marks will remain but without the multiple choice answers,” said BSE President Dr Jahan Ara Begum here on Thursday.

She said since the objective questions would not have multiple answers, the Optical Mark Reading (OMR) sheets would also not be provided and instead, the

students will have to write the answers of the objective questions in the answer sheet, which they would also be using for writing the answers of the subjective questions.

“A student will have to secure a minimum of 15 marks each in both objective and subjective questions to be declared as pass,” she said.

She further added that the new pattern of examination would be introduced for Class-IX students from this year so that they would have adequate time and practice by the time they appear the matriculation examination in the year 2020.

“There will be no change in the subjective pattern questions,” she pointed out.