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The junior scholarship examination for eighth graders, originally set to begin on Dec 21, has been deferred by seven days and will now start on Dec 28.
The exam will now start on Dec 28 and continue until Dec 31, according to the revised timetable published on Wednesday by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka.
The new schedule was approved by Prof BM Abdul Hannan, director general (additional charge) of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education and president of the junior scholarship examination executive committee, and Prof SM Kamal Uddin Haider, controller of examinations and member-secretary of the Dhaka board.
Under the new timetable, the Bangla exam will be held on Dec 28, English on Dec 29, Mathematics on Dec 30, and Science along with Bangladesh and Global Studies on Dec 31.
The government announced in September that the junior scholarship exam would resume this year after a hiatus.
A schedule published on Sept 24 set the tests between Dec 21 and Dec 24.
Under the previous policy, 25 per cent of eighth-grade students from each recognised government and non-government school were eligible to take part in the exam.
A revised policy issued on Oct 5, however, set the participation range between 20 and 40 percent of students.
EXAM FORMAT
The scholarship test will be based on the eighth-grade curriculum and will cover Bangla, English, Mathematics, Science, and Bangladesh and Global Studies. While Bangla, English, and Mathematics will be held separately, Science and Bangladesh and Global Studies will be conducted together.
The total mark for the scholarship exam will be 400 -- 100 each for Bangla, English, and Mathematics, and 50 each for Science and Bangladesh and Global Studies.
Each test will last three hours.
Scholarships will be awarded based on results in two categories – “Talent Pool” and “General”.
FEES
The total fee for the exam has been fixed at Tk 600, with Tk 400 as board fee and Tk 200 as centre fee per student.
GUIDELINES
According to the revised policy, exam centres will be set up in every Upazila, prioritising schools with suitable infrastructure.
Additional centres may be arranged depending on the number of candidates and facilities.
The revised schedule specifies that candidates must take their seats 30 minutes before the exam starts.
Each test must follow the timing stated on the question paper. The Science and Bangladesh and Global Studies papers will be held over three hours -- 1 hour 30 minutes each.
Candidates will collect their admit cards from their institution heads at least seven days before the exam.
They must correctly fill in details such as roll number, registration number, and subject codes on the OMR sheet without folding the answer script under any circumstance.
Students will be allowed to use standard scientific calculators approved by the board.
Apart from the centre secretary, no one -- including candidates -- will be permitted to carry mobile phones or electronic devices inside the exam hall.