Students who would take the school-leaving test of the Bihar School Examination Board this year would get their results earlier so that they can take admission to professional courses without any trouble.

The board would conduct Intermediate (Class XII) examinations before the matriculation (Class X) assessment this year. According to the schedule, the Intermediate exams would begin on February 18 and continue till March 1; the matriculation exams are slated from March 13 to March 19.

The decision has been taken following a Supreme Court order to publish results of Class XII examination in time for students to take admission in professional courses.

Rajmani Prasad Singh, chairperson, Bihar School Examination Board, said: “The decision to conduct Intermediate examination early was taken to conform to the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the Union ministry of human resource development. According to the guidelines, the results have to be declared by June 5.”

Sources said the ministry of human resource development issued the directive after several student organisations pleaded with it that the late declaration of results by some state boards prevented them from taking admission in professional courses like engineering and medicine.

Singh said: “Earlier the results would be declared by the first or second week of June. But following the Supreme Court order, we shall declare the results before June 5 this year.”

Educationists said early results would help students. Mathematician and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar told The Telegraph: “Till the previous year, IIT-JEE results were declared by May. Successful candidates would have to wait for a month-and-a-half to join the institutes as Intermediate results were delayed.”

Anand also said according to the new IIT-JEE format, the results of the first round of tests would be declared in April and the second round in June this year.

Around 8.29 lakh students in four streams — humanities, science, commerce and vocational subjects — would take the Intermediate exam of the Bihar board this year.

The examination would be conducted at 761 centres all over the state. The Bihar School Examination Board has opened the telephone counselling centres for students this year.

Students facing any problem can all up the council office and get answers for their queries from experts.