Pilot papers that are to decide the proficiency levels for mathematics and science are to be soon submitted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in a week. In September CBSE announced that it is to conduct proficiency test, optionally, for students of standard tenth in five subjects including English, Hindi, Science, Maths and Social Science. The pilot papers would be tested by CBSE and based on the feedback, the HBCSE will develop the final test papers by January 2011. The test, which will be held in May-June 2011 for two-and-a-half-hours, will not include any direct recall, information-based or memory-based questions. The objective of the test is to assess the ability of a student to 'apply knowledge and understanding of any subject to new and unfamiliar everyday life situations'.
