Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE recently conducted Class 12 Physics Exam. Soon after the end of the examination, a large controversy has erupted on social media. There is a strong discontent on the social media where parents, students and ‘experts’ are commenting on the hypocrisy and apathy of the central board.
Here is a quick low down on what the controversy is all about and why students are unhappy. Also explained the process of normalization and moderation implemented by the boards and what to expect.
CBSE 12th Physics Exam 2025: The Discrepancies
Physics Class 12 board examination ended with two very distinct sets of students. There was a set of student that claimed that the paper was moderate or even easy. On the other hand, news quickly came from Delhi’s question paper sets that left students worried.
Many students have taken to social media to complain how one set was easy while other sets were difficult. Some have even compared the difficulty level with that of JEE Main examination.
Also Read | CBSE 12th Physics Question Paper 2025: Moderate to Easy Paper, Largely Theory Based Questions
Experts who have had a chance to go through the different sets of paper have also conceded that there was a slight discrepancy between various sets of the question paper.
“CBSE never sets a single paper. There are multiple experts who are involved in the setting of the question paper. There is, however, a conscious effort that goes into maintaining the general difficulty level of various examinations. This year, it seems that balance was a bit off,” commented Ashish Pandey, a Class 12 and JEE Coaching Expert.
The teachers, however, have maintained that the papers were balanced. “Students need to remain positive. The papers were balanced and yes a few questions were tougher in a some sets, but overall it was a shift towards more conceptual based examination. As for difference in marking, students need not worry about the same.”
CBSE Results 2025: Normalisation and Moderation
As the concerns are increasing, many are worried about the discrepancy in possible scores of students due to the difference in difficulty level. Parents and students are largely upset that such differences make it ‘unfair’ for a few students. However, this is not something that was ‘intentional’ or ‘unprecedented’.
“With multiple sets and multiple paper setters, discrepancy in difficulty levels of two different sets for different regions is possible and highly probable. However, there are mechanisms to counter this as well and students need not worry about being at a disadvantage,” explains Dr. Bhatnagar, a senior teacher and expert on CBSE’s examination policies and bylaws.
While there is no official note, the board does follow the simple policy of normalization of scores. In case there are concerns raised, CBSE’s expert panel decided on the normalization and moderation policy for the declaration of the result.
Strictly speaking, CBSE has been vying for phasing out the moderation policy. The normalization process, however, is a standard process where in the difficulty levels are factored in and assessed.
The formula essentially depends on the number of students who have appeared for a particular set and their overall performance. Much like JEE and other exams conducted over batches, normalization process assesses the difficulty levels based on percentile scores.
Once the normalization score is computed, the board then normalizes the scores across the board for all students. This, to a large extent, removes the discrepancy in the scores of students due to varying levels of difficulty.
Teachers also share how most of the examiners are mindful of the difficulty level and moderate the checking accordingly. The important thing to remember at this point is to maintain focus on the upcoming exams. CBSE Class 12 Chemistry exam is scheduled for February 27, 2025.