ISC

Indian School Certificate

ISC stands for the Indian School Certificate, an examination taken by grade 12 students in India conducted by Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE). This examination is one of two exams conducted by CISCE, the other one being the Indian certificate of secondary education ICSE. The examination marks are awarded out of 100 marks and a pass certificate is given at the end of the examination. It is conducted annually and is one of the standards that many institutions of higher learning will use to choose the best candidates for their different programs. The medium of communication of the paper is English, except the Indian paper. For any application one makes to institutions of higher learning, one has to prove that he has been certified by the examination board. None of the two examinations are to be sat by private candidates. The CISCE board was set up in 1956 for the administration of examinations in India. It has since then grown to cover the rest of India and is based in the capital New Delhi.

The ISC candidates are no longer required to obtain A-level certifications after they have taken this exam since it is considered an equivalent to senior examinations in the University of Scotland. In other words, this is the only examination needed by anyone who wants to obtain a place in UK universities. You will not need to sit any more examinations when you want to join universities in the UK and many other European countries. Amazingly, there is no other exam in the world that gives the students a one way ticket to the universities in the UK and the rest of the commonwealth countries. While other students will have to bridge courses and obtain A-level certification from their respective countries, ISC students will not be required to do so.

Candidates wishing to sit for the Indian School Certificate Examination must have passed the Indian certificate of secondary education examinations and passed well enough to be given certificates. Students must have passed well in English and another language as well as four other main subjects to be allowed to pursue courses that will lead to the ISC examinations. The candidates who are physically and socially disadvantaged do not have to submit to the standards that have been set by the board for other students. Those who have passed in English but not a second language will be admitted provisionally in the first years of the course but will have to pass the second language of the Indian certificate of secondary education examination at the end of class 11 before going to class 12 to sit for the ISC examination. For those candidates who have sat other exams that are not under the jurisdiction of the CISCE board, they will be required to have passed in English and a second language that is not English as well as three other subjects.

There are some candidates who do not need to pass a second language at the class 9 and 10 level and are exempt of the CISCE standard. Those who come from foreign schools and who have passed well in English and any other four subjects that are accepted by the council are eligible. There are candidates with difficulties, who are also exempt of this standard. In other words they are not required to pass in a second language apart from English. However, they are required to write an application for the administration of the ISC examination and apply for the exemption. They have to explain in detail their situation when applying for the exemption. Exam results of the ISC examination will be made available from the website.

Last modified: 2011-04-10 23:50:44