The ICSE (Class X) math exam will be a three-hour paper from 2025, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) said on Friday.
Till this year, the math paper was for two-and-a-half hours.
“...CISCE has decided to extend the duration of the ICSE (Class X) Mathematics examination from 2.5 hours to 3 hours,” the council said in a circular to heads of schools.
There will be no changes in the number of questions and the format of the paper, it said.
“Please note that while the examination duration has been extended, there will be no changes to the number of questions or the format of the Mathematics Question Paper. The paper will continue to follow the same structure as outlined in the Specimen Question Paper for the Year 2025.”
Several principals said increasing the time is to help students assess the paper better.
“Since the papers will now be more analytical, an extension of time would benefit students. It would give them time to read and understand the paper,” said Seema Sapru, principal, The Heritage School.
The council has introduced critical thinking questions in ICSE and ISC (Class XII).
Sujoy Biswas, principal of Rammohan Mission High School, said half an hour more would give students a “time advantage”.