Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE 10th 12th Result 2025 will be released soon now. As per the available information, it is likely that CBSE Results may release today. As parents eagerly wait for the declaration, I wish to share an unpopular opinion – marks do matter.
In my capacity as a journalist as well as a Career Coach I have had the unique advantage of interacting with students, parents, teachers and heads of institutions over the years. Over the past few years, a strange narrative is building – that CBSE Result, or ‘marks’ don’t matter. I wish to reiterate that they, in fact, DO MATTER.
Before you frown, I urge you to give me 2 minutes of your time. I will quickly try and illustrate as to why, especially parents and teachers need to explain to kids that marks matter – just not the way they think they do.
CBSE 10th 12th Results and University Admissions
Till about 4 years ago, when CUET was not a thing, CBSE Results were, like other Board Results, extremely important for University Admissions. This, however, changed when Common University Entrance Test, CUET was announced for admission to all Central Universities in the country.
With ‘merit based’ admission system replaced by a common standardised test, it was quickly presumed that the marks – at least for Class 12 board results, do not matter. That, however, is not true.
Many private universities still need your class 12 results. Moreover, in case you plan to study abroad – whether immediately after 12th or for a postgraduate degree, your Class 12 results will be considered for your application. Since you never know when that might be required, don’t give up on your marks just yet.
Also, while not advertised, I can say with some amount of certainty that a few big companies also check your Class 12 percentage. Some even have an unwritten criterion to disqualify candidates who have not scored a set minimum mark. And yes, minimum qualifying percentage is also mandatory for government recruitment exams.
10th Result and Subject Selection in Class 11
CBSE has discontinued stream system and gives all students a free hand to select any subject of their choice in Class 11. As per the NEP (National Education Policy), students can choose any combination of subjects for their higher secondary education. Read | Choosing Subjects in Class 11: 7 CBSE Rules On Subject Combination You Must Know
The board, however, gives schools the right to refuse a particular subject to the student, based on his/her performance in the board examination. Also, if a student fails in one subject, the schools have the right to refuse that subject to the child in Class 11. Another rule relevant to this is selection of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics in Class 11.
In short, while marks cannot hold back a student, it does have the power to limit the choices and opportunities available. Hence, let us not dissuade our child from aiming to achieve a higher score…all effort counts and is relevant.
Most Important Reason on Why CBSE 10th 12th Result Matter
We as parents often try to comfort our child by suggesting that marks don’t matter. That marks would not determine what our child becomes in the future, and I do primarily agree.
However, marks are a clear indication of your child’s ability and aptitude and let us not be impervious to that fact. Examinations, at the end of the day are an assessment of your child vis a vis the basic learning outcome. The goal of an examination is not to pass or top, but to ascertain how much a child was able to understand, retain and most importantly recall and analyse.
The marks are a simple indication of how the child reacts in certain situations, can use information he has learnt and make coherent arguments. Marks in papers like Languages and Mathematics are a direct indication of basic cognitive abilities of the child. Science and Social are linked to wider implementation of those cognitive abilities into higher critical thinking.
Unfortunately, marks became a measure of comparison from its intended tool of self-reflection and assessment. Marks of not our child but that of the proverbial ‘Sharma Ji ka ladka’ became important and that…is where the concept became toxic.
Conclusion…
In short, your marks matter but that of your friends don’t. Each child is unique. Take a moment to please talk to your child about the marks he/she has scored, discuss if the marks were as per their honest expectation. By all means, tell them that marks do not determine how much you love them. Cause that IS the truth.
But remember to advise them…marks (yours and only yours) matter because they can indicate the direct relation between the effort that they need to put and the result they will get in a particular subject. This can then be used to determine whether the child wants to pursue a career in the subject or related fields. Not that one should give up, but rather how much effort (more or same) is required to achieve the desired goals.
Finally, acknowledging your marks is tantamount to acknowledging your own achievement. 30 % or 100 % or anything in between….it does not make your future…but yes, it can and must be used to determine how you wish to shape it. All the best!