Competency Based Questions​ Free PDF Download

As we are evolving more rapidly than ever, the CBSE board is willing to boost teachers' and learners' critical thinking abilities by offering them the CBSE competency-based questions. Now, about 50% of the CBSE board's questions will be competency-based, according to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 guidelines. The same has been confirmed via Joseph Emmanuel, director of academics at CBSE, as stated in an interview with Education Times.

In the previous year's 2023-24 academic session, the target of 50% competency-based questions in class 10 was achieved, which gave a green signal to the CBSE board stakeholders to keep this format for the upcoming years, too. Therefore, at Selfstudys.com, our subject experts have curated CBSE competency-based questions for classes 10 and 12 with solutions in PDF. Find the links above to download competency-based questions.

What is the CBSE Competency-Based Question?

CBSE Competency based questions are those questions that are designed to assess a student’s conceptual learning and understanding rather than rote learning. The CBSE — Central Board of Secondary Education aims to boost students’ creativity and critical thinking with such questions.

Class-Wise CBSE Competency Based Questions

For both classes — 10 and 12, the CBSE competency-based questions are developed by the CBSE subject experts to help students learn and practise the competency-based questions before appearing for the board exam. Here at Selfstudys, we have prepared an individual file for each class, subject, and chapter to offer you a clean and organised question bank.

CBSE Class 12 Competency-Based Questions in PDF

We can’t stress enough how important class 12 learnings are regardless of what stream you choose. The same learning will be a pillar of a more advanced and higher education; hence, the board emphasises more on conceptual learning of students. 

The CBSE Class 12 competency-based questions for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology are available here at Selfstudys to download. Intermediate students preparing for their upcoming CBSE Class 12 board exams must practise these competency-based questions, which are available with answers.

CBSE Class 10 Competency-Based Questions in PDF

As we have mentioned above, the board was able to achieve the target of 50% competency-based questions in the 2023-24 academic session for class 10 exam; they are continuing the same for this year too. We have mentioned the CBSE class 10 competency-based questions for Maths, Science and other subjects here at Selfstudys. Go through the links to download them for free.

Process to Solve CBSE Competency-Based Questions on SelfStudys

In this section, we have mentioned all the steps that will help you access the competency-based questions examples​ on our digital platform and solve them for free. You should read and follow them one by one to complete the procedure. 

• The URL that you need to type on your web browser is www.selfstudys.com. By doing so, you will reach the main page of our website directly. 

• Now, on this page, you have to click on the ‘Navigation’ icon first. This step will help you to check out our list of various categories. 
• After going through these categories, you should select the ‘CBSE’ section.

• This section will further open a drop-down menu wherein you need to tap on the ‘competency-based questions​’ option.

• Soon, your screen will showcase a new web page that includes the class-wise PDFs for CBSE competency-based questions answers. 

• You can tap on the icon of your class to open the CBSE competency-focused practice questions for different subjects. 
• Then, a new page where several chapter-wise CBSE competency-based questions PDF downloads of your selected subject are available will appear on your screen. 
• We permit you to choose any chapter for which you want to solve CBSE competency-based questions. 
• Finally, the PDF file of your chosen competency-based questions examples​ chapter will open up. You can either solve them online or download the file for later practice. 

Note: In order to download the competency-based questions​ PDF from SelfStudys, we request you to Log In or Sign Up with your Gmail ID on the website. 

Subject-Wise Competency Based Questions with Answers

For all the subjects, competency-based questions can be prepared. We’ve subject-wise competency-based questions with answers that help you practise numerous questions. Practising the subject-wise CBQs also allows you to be familiar with their questions, which gives you the confidence to assess your exam preparation and score higher marks.

Competency-based questions for subjects such as Maths, Physics, Chemistry, etc… are crucial to master as they often contain a little tricky questions.

How CBSE Competency-Based Questions Are Created?

To create the CBSE competency-based questions, a panel of experts, who refer to the NCERT syllabus are set to create the questions that are important for students. The competency-based questions are a mix of Free Response Questions (FRQs) and Multiple‐Choice Questions (MCQs). The MCQs are created to assess a student’s learning gap, and teachers help students to improve in those weak areas.

Here are some examples of competency-based questions examples to help you better understand the format:

Now, the board is prioritising these types of questions so that students can actually be knowledgeable and skilful rather than just scoring higher by memorising notes and facts.

Benefits of Solving Competency-Based Questions

There are a number of benefits that you gain by solving the competency-based questions examples​ in advance. We have mentioned some of these benefits in detail below for your reference. 

• During the practice of CBSE competency-focused practice questions, you are encouraged to apply your knowledge in real-life situations. To solve them, you are required to have high-order thinking skills like analysis, evaluation, etc. which increases your critical thinking.

• Instead of just recalling the concepts, the competency-based questions are created to check your core understanding of them. By solving them, you can learn about the underlying principles and concepts deeply. This will also ensure that you have better knowledge of the subject matter. 

• Through the CBSE competency-based questions, different types of skills are evaluated. They may include creativity, reasoning, analytical thinking, and so on. This approach helps students as well as teachers to test the learning outcomes in a more effective manner. As a result, you can get feedback in which you should focus on your weaker areas and become a better learner.

• As you need to apply your knowledge and think critically while solving the CBSE competency-based questions PDF download, you need to give them more time compared to other question types. This process can help to develop your skills for managing time because you learn to allocate time efficiently between different types of questions. 

How to Prepare for CBSE Competency Based Questions​?

The whole purpose of CBSE competency-based questions is to examine your understanding and application of concepts rather than rote memorisation. Here are some effective strategies to prepare for them:

1. Understand the Concept: You can't answer competency-based questions without having a conceptual understanding. So, to prepare for CBQs, you should focus on getting deeper into the concepts and connect those concepts to real-world scenarios.

2. Practice Regularly: It is crucial to become familiar with the question format and their difficulty level, along with practising them regularly with consistency. Not only this but try to solve the questions with your friends and classmates for better learning and practice.

3. Develop Critical Thinking Skills: The ability to analyse, evaluate and make informed judgments in students shows they have critical thinking skills, which is crucial to answer competency-based questions. Ensure you are spending enough time practising the CBQs and sample papers while paying attention to detail to develop this skill.

4. Improve Communication Skills: To improve communication skills, ensure you are practising active listening and responding thoughtfully. It's important to express your thoughts clearly while supporting your arguments with real-world examples to better answer the CBSE competency-based questions.

5. Improve Time Management Skills: Priorities topics or concepts should be practised within a time frame to better command over time management skills. The competency-based questions are crafted in a way that will require you to spend quite a bit of time reading and analysing. Ensure you have speed and accuracy. 

6. Seek Guidance: There’s nothing better than getting help from your teachers or seniors when you are stuck at any CBQs to better learn and answer them. In case any help isn’t available, seek guidance from online resources.

Mistakes to Avoid When Answering CBSE Competency-Based Questions

By avoiding the common mistakes when answering CBSE competency-based questions, you can perform and score better in the exam. Here are some common mistakes you should avoid:

• Not Understanding the Question: Don’t be in a hurry — take time to understand the question, and highlight key terms to focus your response. To easily understand the question, you can break them down into smaller parts. We often apply this technique when answering word problems in Maths. Now, try the same method for all of your competency-based questions regardless of their subject.
• Relying Solely on Memorisation: Gone are the days when students used to memorise the whole textbook’s answers and perform better in the exam. Now, the assessment methods have changed a lot, and rote learning doesn’t seem to be working. Therefore, when you solve CBSE competency-based questions, ensure that you are giving answers that match your subject’s understanding of real-world scenarios. Also, answering questions based on your understanding and opinions helps you better illustrate them.
• Providing General Answers: Students who lack knowledge and understanding often write useless sentences and fill the answer sheets with tons of text, adding no value. Hence, be specific in your answers and write what has been asked. 
• Ignoring the Word Limit: Students often think they will score higher if they write many words — it doesn't work. Whether you know a lot about the topics or not, write within the word limit given for that particular question. Sometimes, teachers get frustrated with this approach, and they deduct marks, so they try not to cross the word limit given. It is a good practice to write short sentences that convey your knowledge of the answers.
• Not Revising Your Answers: Our parents, teachers, and seniors have told us to review all the answers in the board exams before submitting the answer sheet. Thus, follow the same when you are about to submit your answer sheet. It will help you notice any improvement required in the answer sheet so that you can score higher marks.

How to Overcome the Fear of Competency-Based Questions

For the last few academic sessions, the competency-based questions are included in the annual board exams for both classes, eleventh and twelfth. Since it is a new format, many students are unfamiliar with the question format and have developed a fear of competency-based questions. Here are some strategies to help you overcome this fear and confidently answer them:

• Understand the Basics: Start by understanding what competency-based questions are and why they have been added to the board examinations. Once you understand the purpose, start with mastering the basics of all the concepts mentioned in your CBSE Syllabus.

• Build Confidence: Practising a variety of competency-based questions regularly from all the subjects can help you build confidence.

• Ask for Help: A few competency-based questions may appear challenging to you for various reasons — an unclear understanding of the question, lacking foundational knowledge, and inability to articulate your opinions clearly; however, consulting with a teacher or senior can help you deal with these issues.

• Self-Assess and Improve: Refer to the CBSE sample papers, previous year question papers, and online study resources to examine yourself for the competency-based questions. When you solve such questions, they help you understand the areas needed to improve, whether it is representing answers or writing them with clarity. Ensure you identify those areas and work on them to improve.

How Can Teachers Implement Competency-Based Questions?

Teachers have to spend hours crafting well-balanced questions to evaluate students’ learning outcomes while maintaining the CBSE guidelines. Here are some tips and strategies to implement competency-based questions:

• Prepare questions based on problem-solving, creativity, analytical thinking, and application of concepts.
• Familiarise yourself with the changes in the exam pattern and prepare lesson plans accordingly. Ensure you refer to the CBSE circulars and sample question papers to understand the structure and objectives of competency-based questions.
• Design questions that reflect real-life situations. For instance, use budgeting or measurement types of questions in Maths while environmental or technology context in Science subjects.
• Collaborate with other educators to exchange resources and ideas for competency-based assessments.
• Include competency-based questions in class tests, assignments, and mock exams.