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CBSE or ICSE:

What are the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board; believe it or not, but this in fact the most sought after topics among the parents these days! For the parents, whose kids are ready to make it to school. Choosing the right education board is important for a child’s education. Parents are often concerned about which education board can help their kids to crack the competitive exams or at least get them good grades in future.

While planning these future options for the kids, parents usually get obsessed with the fact of whether to opt for CBSE schools in India or get their kids admitted to ISCE schools in India! Well, whatever it might be, rather than concentrating more on selecting board or school at first, parents should know the differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus!

Find the best ICSE near me

After finding the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board, parents should also understand that mere selecting the right board or school cannot assure a good future of a student, but parents can. Boards or schools can only teach the kids, but when it comes to learning, kids usually look up to their parents. Keeping all these in mind, here are some of the most striking facts or differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus that can help parents to decide the best for their kids!

Also read :- How to find the Best School for my kids ?

1. CBSE vs ICSE – The Courses:

Before starting with the differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus, one must know what exactly are these two courses or how they have been crafted for the students. CBSE or the Central Board of Secondary Education is the major board of education in India that conducts All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) across the country. On the completion of this examination, students are awarded with their 12th grade certificates and become eligible to sit for the various entrance exams throughout the country. Also, the fact that CBSE recommends both Hindi and English mediums, Indian students might find the Central Board ideal to learn and grow in the future.

Initiated by the Local Examination Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, ICSE or Indian Certificate of Secondary Education is another major education board in India. While CBSE is more focussed towards theoretical learning, ICSE throws light on both theoretical and practical learning methods. In addition to this, a ICSE qualified student gets global recognition while CBSE students gets nationally recognised. Adding to this, ICSE board allows only English as a medium, which in turn can contribute a lot as your child moves to foreign countries for further education.

2. CBSE vs ICSE – Syllabus:

The syllabus structure can be called as the most significant differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus. Compared to ICSE, CBSE is more concentrated towards progressive learning. It has been designed in a way that allows the student to learn things eventually or in steps. By doing so, students dont not have to repeat the previous courses as they start from the basic and then move towards the higher levels. This also allows the student to have a solid foundation of their courses, and prepare themselves for the various entrance or competitive exams in the future.

Talking about ICSE, this is a course that has been designed to keep students updated with everything they usually learn during their previous year of their academics. Unlike CBSE, ICSE syllabus requires a student to repeat the courses that he or she has learnt in his or her last class. This way, the student gets to learn new things while being well acquainted with the previous versions of all the subjects or the basics of every subject. The ICSE course segmentation also encourages the students for self-preparation; and to avoid coaching classes, in terms of competitive exams or entrance tests in the future.

3. CBSE vs ICSE – Exams:

The breakage of the course and exam procedure are two of the major differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus! Though both these courses are designed to bring out the best from the students or to provide the best of education to students, they both are entirely different from each other in terms of courses included and exam procedures. Let’s have a look at the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board in terms of the exam policies and procedures below.

CBSE exams are considered as one of the toughest courses in the country. Well, it is not about the contents of the course, but its vastness makes it such. In order to make it easy for the students to learn and grow, CBSE exams concentrate more on multiple-choice questions that can be answered either in one word or within one line to the max. By doing so, the board ensures that the students can secure good grades in their CBSE exams and seek admissions in top-rated schools and colleges across the country.

On the other hand, ICSE exams always maintain a balance with the question papers. Within this board, ICSE exam question paper is set in a way that students should get a balance of both subjective and objective type questions. Rather than concentrating only on a certain type of questions, ICSE exams ensure a calculated amount of questions of distinct types so that the students can be judged according to their core knowledge on certain subjects. The board also considers the projects very seriously as they account for the final grading of the students. By doing so, the board encourages the students to take active participation in the project work and gain practical knowledge of their subjects.

4. CBSE vs ICSE – Learning:

While talking about the learning processes, the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board almost comes down to zero, and proves to be ideal for students in their own ways. It would surely be unfair to call any of them to be superior or more beneficial for the students! Students enrolled in CBSE schools gets much exposure to develop analytical or problem-solving skills. More than just learning, students get to apply concepts that can really get them prepared for the future or while preparing for JEE and NEET exams. However, the learning procedure in CBSE board or CBSE schools are achieved through cumulative processes that need not require the students to repeat or re-learn their previous syllabus.

For the students admitted to ICSE schools, they are nurtured in a way that helps them understand the core concept of any subject. In ICSE, as students get promoted to the next class, they should repeat the syllabus of their previous class. This way, they stay updated with whatever they have learnt while moving ahead with new academic curriculum. This process not only helps them to acquire in-depth knowledge but also prepares them for their future. Usually, if a kid is enrolled with any of the ICSE schools, he or she might not require further or dedicated coaching classes to crack any of the entrance exams in the future.

5. CBSE vs ICSE – Admission Procedures:

After going through all the above-mentioned points, you should by now have got a fair amount of knowledge about the differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus. Getting acquainted with all the above points, it finally comes to the admission procedures as decided by the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board. Though both the board’s admission might appear almost same on the first look, there are quite a few differences in them. Let’s have a detailed knowledge about how to get your child admitted to CBSE schools or ICSE schools.


Online Admission for ICSE School


Though there are age limits for CBSE school admissions; students must comply with the age limits as set by the regional government or education board. In case, the admission is a fresh one that starts from the beginning of schooling, the student might have to undergo some basic test to qualify for the admission in any of the CBSE schools and procure the eligibility for the favoured CBSE school admission. For those who want to opt for CBSE school admission in class X or XII, they must procure a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from their previous institute and produce it on demand during the time of admissions. To add here, the student can qualify for CBSE school admission only if he or she was enrolled in any of the other CBSE schools. Also, the admission will be granted only in the case that the parents are being transferred to a new location or had to relocate due to some unavoidable circumstances.

Just like CBSE board, ICSE school admissions also follow the regional educational rules when it comes to the age limit of the admission aspirants. To begin with ICSE board, students should qualify a standard test as laid by the board. However, if students plan to go for ICSE school admission in class IX or XI; or to change their schools after IX or XI, they must acquire the approval directly from the Council through the Principal of their current school. For those who seek ICSE school admission into a different school after their X or XII, they must also follow the same procedure, but will be eligible to get admitted only to the previous classes; class IX after X and class XI after XII. Also, post completing class X exams, students can get enrolled in the next class only if they are from any of the recognised boards and qualify five written exams that include English. During this period, the student must not have any compartmental examinations.

6. CBSE vs ICSE – Undergraduate Admissions:

Prospects for the future are the main reasons parents always crave to get their children admitted in the best schools. Whether CBSE result or ICSE result, cracking engineering, medical, or any other top-rated entrance exams is what that bothers every parent. Keeping this mind, it is really important to discuss the future prospects by explaining the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board.

Well, as already discussed, CBSE board focusses more on the multiple-choice type question in the examinations. This not only allows the students to secure good grades but also allows them more time to understand their respective courses and get in-depth knowledge of the subjects. This also helps them to build a solid foundation that again proves to be a saviour while the students appear for the national level entrance or competitive exams. Their schooling is done in a way that prepares them for the future and helps them in cracking competitive exams easily.

When it comes to evaluating the exam papers, ICSE board prefers to stay intact to its own set of rules. Its evaluation process is tough; to be precise, its tougher than CBSE board. and to secure good mark, one should be dedicated and pro-active towards learning. By implying such strict rules, ICSE board not only filters out the best of the students, but also encourages the students to study hard and prepare themselves for the various entrance exams. In addition to this, ICSE students always have the advantage of being more intellectuals and boasts of having a well-groomed personality when it comes to education.

CBSE vs ICSE – Other Key facts:

By now, you should have acquired a solid amount of knowledge on the differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus. To help you decide the best board or the school for your kid, here we are listing out some key points on the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board that will surely help you simplify your search for the right school or board.

a. CBSE:

  • There are a plenitude number of schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education throughout the country. The board is also making their presence abroad, and are offering world-class learning facilities to the students.
  • Even though the CBSE course is considered vast, it is quite predictable. Highly experienced teachers and coaching centres can easily suggest impotent or probable questions for Maths and Science.
  • Tracing back the CBSE results of the last few years, it can be concluded that it is the best fit for the IIT-JEE, AIEEE, AIPMT, and Medical aspirants.
  • Students can choose either Hindi or English mediums while getting admitted into CBSE board.

b. ICSE:

  • It is the best fit for those who want to develop their reasoning, analytical, and problem-solving skills while learning.
  • If compared together, ICSE students are known to do better in competitive exams.
  • The ICSE board also allows students from non-ICSE schools to sit for the exams.
  • ICSE has a very high value in foreign countries.
  • The teaching and learning procedures in ICSE board has been designed in such ways that students can opt for multi-directional career options after completing their schooling.

Checking all the above-mentioned points on the differences between CBSE board vs ICSE board, we can conclude with the fact that both the boards have their own benefits and advantages for the students. Before deciding on whether to opt for CBSE schools or ICSE schools, you, being the parent, should understand or at least try to understand the needs and requirements of your child. Once, you know the likes, interests, and the roughness of your child, you should find out the differences between CBSE syllabus vs ICSE syllabus, and get your child admitted accordingly.