CBSE’s Open-Book Gamble: Rethinking Learning or Just Repackaging Exams?
A Shift in the Examination Paradigm
The Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) decision to introduce open-book assessments for Class 9 students in selected schools marks one of the most significant changes to India’s school evaluation system in decades.
At first glance, it appears progressive—an effort to break free from the stranglehold of rote memorization that has long defined Indian classrooms. Yet, the move invites a deeper question: does changing the format of testing necessarily change the culture of learning?
This reform is not occurring in a vacuum. Across the world, education systems—from Finland’s holistic model to Singapore’s problem-solving focus—have been evolving to equip students with skills for the 21st century: critical thinking, adaptability, and creativity. CBSE’s open-book experiment is India’s latest attempt to join that club. But whether it transforms learning or merely adds another layer to the same old pressure cooker remains to be seen.
The Promise of the Open-Book Format
Open-book assessments flip the exam hall dynamic. Instead of treating books as contraband, they are brought to the desk like trusted allies. In theory, this should push students toward comprehension rather than cramming, asking them to interpret and apply knowledge instead of regurgitating it.
Proponents argue that the format mirrors real-world problem-solving. After all, no engineer, doctor, or journalist is expected to store entire manuals in memory—they consult resources. By allowing students to reference textbooks, CBSE hopes to simulate this reality and reduce the crippling anxiety attached to board exams.
There is also an equity argument. Memorization-heavy exams tend to favor students with strong recall or access to expensive coaching, whereas open-book formats, in principle, level the playing field by rewarding reasoning over memory.
Where the Ideal Meets the Indian Classroom
However, translating this ideal into Indian classrooms is not straightforward. For one, the culture of “covering the syllabus” is deeply entrenched. Teachers, often constrained by rigid timelines, may simply adapt old question banks with minor tweaks, creating “open-book” papers that still test memory. The danger is that the reform becomes cosmetic—textbooks on desks but the same old rote learning in disguise.
Moreover, India’s assessment system still revolves heavily around marks and rankings. Without a concurrent shift in how schools, parents, and universities value performance, students might approach open-book exams as just another scoring challenge—hunting for exact textbook phrases rather than engaging with the ideas.
The Teacher’s Burden
The success of open-book exams depends far more on question design than on the mere presence of books. Crafting effective questions requires teachers to move beyond “define” and “list” toward “analyze,” “compare,” and “evaluate.”
But here lies a bottleneck: many teachers have not been formally trained in designing such assessments. In the absence of systematic professional development, schools risk recycling traditional questions that can be answered by a quick scan of a page number. Worse, they might overcompensate with overly abstract or convoluted questions that confuse more than they challenge.
If CBSE wants this reform to work, it must invest in teacher training as vigorously as it has publicized the reform itself.
Risk of Widening Inequality
While open-book exams seem democratic, they could inadvertently deepen inequalities if not implemented with care. Students from resource-rich schools, equipped with well-annotated textbooks, digital devices, and trained faculty, will navigate the system more effectively than those in underfunded schools with outdated materials and overcrowded classrooms.
The “reference material” advantage cannot be underestimated—knowing where to find an answer is easier if you’ve been taught how to organize your notes, use indexes, or apply mind-mapping techniques. For students without this guidance, the open-book format might become a time sink rather than a support.
The Time Trap
One of the paradoxes of open-book exams is that they can actually consume more time, not less. Students unused to navigating books under pressure may spend precious minutes flipping through pages rather than constructing answers. Without practice, the format can be more stressful than traditional exams, especially if the clock is ticking.
Countries like the Netherlands, which have successfully implemented open-book assessments, invest heavily in preparatory mock exams where students learn to manage time and materials efficiently. CBSE will need to replicate this scaffolding if it wants students to benefit from the format rather than drown in it.
Curriculum vs. Critical Thinking
Open-book exams demand curriculum redesign. If the syllabus remains bloated with factual minutiae, the format will still force students into page-flipping hunts instead of genuine reasoning. Questions must be rooted in real-world scenarios—asking, for example, how a historical policy might play out in today’s geopolitics, or how a science concept applies to an environmental challenge in their city.
This is where CBSE faces its hardest challenge: resisting the temptation to bolt the new exam format onto an old, fact-heavy curriculum. Without this deeper reform, the open-book system risks being little more than an optical upgrade.
The Role of Parents and Coaching Culture
No discussion of Indian exams is complete without acknowledging the coaching industry. Private tuitions and “exam preparation centers” may adapt rapidly to the new format, offering ready-made annotated notes and “question-type spotting” guides. This could undermine the system’s intended shift toward independent thinking, turning it into yet another coaching gold rush.
Parents, too, will need to adjust expectations. Many still equate academic excellence with perfect recall, and may view open-book exams as “easier” or less rigorous. Changing this mindset is as important as retraining teachers.
A Measured Rollout
CBSE’s decision to pilot the system in Class 9 is prudent—it gives room to iron out glitches before any expansion to board classes. But pilots need more than token implementation; they require rigorous feedback loops from students, teachers, and independent evaluators.
Crucially, the reform must be judged not only on exam-day performance but on whether it changes classroom culture over the academic year. Are students engaging in more discussions? Are assignments shifting toward research and synthesis? Are teachers using more open-ended questioning in daily lessons?
Beyond the Exam Hal
The open-book format is ultimately a test of the education system’s willingness to value thinking over recall. But it will fail if it remains confined to the exam hall. True reform means aligning homework, classwork, projects, and extracurricular learning with the same emphasis on application and analysis.
In other words, if the rest of the year is still about memorizing for tests, one open-book exam in March will not undo months of rote conditioning.
A Reform Worth the Risk—If Done Right
The CBSE’s open-book experiment is both a bold gamble and a fragile opportunity. Done well, it can chip away at one of the most stubborn problems in Indian education: the dominance of rote learning. Done poorly, it will be another well-meaning reform remembered only for its paperwork.
The next few years will reveal which way the pendulum swings. But one thing is clear: the success of this move will depend less on whether books are allowed in the exam hall and more on whether minds are opened in the classroom.
~Hasnain Naqvi is a former member of the history faculty at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
