Which board is better for career ICSE or CBSE?

This depends on your preferences for your current and future plans and aspirations. If you want to study all topics in depth then you can prefer ICSE but if you want to study all course content in compact manner than CBSE should be your preference. There are many other differences in terms of mode of instruction, range of subjects, marking scheme, etc that you can find on Jagran Josh.

Is ICSE harder than CBSE?

Although it depends on your likes and preferences, it can be said that ICSE is harder than CBSE. This is because ICSE has more extensive course contents than CBSE.

CBSE vs ICSE: Check the TOP 5 Differences and Similarities

By Pragya Sagar

Jul 13, 2023, 18:08 IST

CBSE vs ICSE: “Which board is the best: CBSE or ICSE?”, “What is the difference between CBSE and ICSE boards?” OR “Which board should I prefer to get more marks, CBSE or ICSE?"... The decision of choosing an education board is complex. Read this article to find out the TOP 5 differences between CBSE and ICSE board.

CBSE-vs-ICSE-Check-the-TOP-5-Differences

Parenting isn’t an easy task already. Add to it, the decision of choosing an education board and school that would serve your child’s future the best. When it comes to choices like this, where your little one can’t yet speak for themself, it becomes all the more important for you to make an informed decision.

Apart from various state education boards, there are primarily 4 - 5 other prominent education boards in India like National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), International Baccalaureate (IB) and International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). Among all these, CBSE and ICSE form the most popularly sought after education boards.

Therefore, in this article, Jagran Josh would help you figure out whether ICSE or CBSE would be the right fit for your child and your requirements.

What is CBSE?

CBSE stands for Central Board of Secondary Education. The board is a Government of India Education Board, approved by National Council of Education and Research Training (NCERT). Founded in 1929 as the Board of High School and Intermediate Education, it started functioning as CBSE in 1962. It promotes both public and private schools and the schools affiliated with CBSE also include all the Kendriya Vidyalayas, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and private schools. At school level, CBSE conducts two sets of examinations – All India Secondary School Examination or AISSE for class 10 students and All India Senior School Certificate Examination or AISSCE for class 12 students.

Pros and Cons of CBSE

Pros of CBSE

Compact curriculum

Schools readily available across India and also present in a few foreign countries

Both English and Hindi medium of instruction is approved

National-level competitive exams are often based on CBSE’s curriculum which is recognised by NCERT

Affiliated to the Government of India

Private candidates are also allowed

Cons of CBSE

Lack of practical and application based knowledge, more focus on the theoretical knowledge

Lack of regional focus in terms of content because the syllabus is standardised nationally

Hindi language is more focused upon and non-Hindi speakers can find it difficult

Mostly focused on Mathematics and Science subjects

What is ICSE?

ICSE stands for Indian Certificate of Secondary Education. ICSE is actually the exam conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations for class 10 students. Thus, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations or CISCE is a non-governmental, private school education board established in 1958. At school level, the CISCE conducts three examinations annually, namely, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE - Class X; The Indian School Certificate or ISC - Class XII and the Certificate in Vocational Education CVE - Year 12.

Pros and Cons of ICSE

Pros of ICSE

Elaborate and comprehensive curriculum

Equal focus on subjects from all streams

Regular periodic assessments

CISCE syllabus is recognised outside India as well

Curriculum is designed to prepare students for various international courses, competitions and examinations

Cons of ICSE

The syllabus is vast and can be complex for many candidates

Mode of study is only English

The competitive exams in the country are not based on CISCE’s curriculum

The cost of education is often higher than the CBSE and state board schools

CBSE vs ICSE: TOP 5 Differences

1. Medium of Instruction

Medium of instruction forms an important aspect of consideration while choosing education boards.

CBSE approves and promotes both English and Hindi medium instruction. All its prescribed textbooks are available in both the languages in physical as well as digital forms.
ICSE’s mode of education is strictly English only.

2. Syllabus

If observed in detail, the differences in syllabus for the board is vast and easily evident.

CBSE Syllabus

CBSE has a compact structure in all its courses, especially upto class 10th. The topics covered aren’t immensely detailed. Alongside 44 Language (L) subjects and 12 Academic electives (A2), the 3 main subjects (A1) are Mathematics, Science and Social Science.

Related:

CISCE: ICSE and ISC Syllabus

Meanwhile, both ICSE and ISC have extensive syllabus with each topic covered in depth. Even upto class 10, students are offered more than 30 courses where English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, History, Civics, Geography constitute the main subjects besides other Indian and foreign languages and other vocational and skill based electives.

The quality of education imparted by ICSE in English Language and Literature is highly appreciated nationwide because of the general notion that ICSE board focuses more on teaching English .

Related:

In fact, often a topic of comparison and jokes among teenagers and young adults are the differences in English syllabus and the overall vast course content of ICSE against CBSE.

3. Monetary prospects

If discussed in terms of scholarships availed in school itself -

CBSE board, as the government’s educational board, offers several scholarships of various range, magnitude and timeline.

Meanwhile, ICSE (CISCE) board by itself does not offer any scholarships but the affiliated schools are free to offer scholarships schemes as and when they deem fit.

4. Career prospects

If discussed in terms of entrance exams for colleges and universities -

CBSE course content is more in sync with common entrance exams for fresh school students in India like NEET-UG, JEE (main and advanced), CUET UG, CUET UG, etc. This can be attributed to the fact that the syllabus for these tests is of 10+2 level and more or less NCERT based.

ICSE course content, with more focus on quality English and detailed and analytical approach toward all subjects, forms the suitable educational board for students who plan to appear for IELTS, TOEFL, MCAT, GRE, GMAT, etc.

Please note that this is by no means a strict bifurcation of the kind of education the students from CBSE and ICSE students can pursue. This is only an overall analysis. All students are capable of and free to pursue any stream they like and are qualified for.

If discussed in terms of higher education in India and abroad -

CBSE board is accepted and more common (and preferred) all across India owing to its course content which aligns with common Indian entrance tests.

ICSE board is accepted in India but less common when compared to CBSE. Nevertheless, ICSE is preferred in foreign universities and its pedagogy supports students who pursue higher education outside India.

5. Availability

According to the CBSE board, the number of schools affiliated to CBSE in India is more than 24000.

More than 200 schools affiliated to CBSE are present in 26 countries.

The number of schools affiliated to CISCE in India is more than 2000.

Schools affiliated to CISCE are present in India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and UAE.

CBSE vs ICSE Board: Which is Better?

Criteria	CBSE Board	CISCE Board
Name	Central Board of Secondary Education	Council for The Indian School Certificate Examinations
Exams	ALL INDIA SECONDARY SCHOOL EXAMINATION [AISCE] (10th) ALL INDIA SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION [AISSCE] (12TH)	ICSE (10th) ISC (12th)
Number of schools	Over 24000 schools in India , 200 schools outside India	Approximately 2750 schools in India and abroad
Availability	Present all across India and also in 26 foreign countries	Present in India and also in 5 countries outside India
Administrative setup	The Chairman is the Chief Executive of the CBSE Board, assisted by eight Heads of Departments. The Secretary (School Education and Literacy), Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India is the Controlling Authority of the Board who appoints the Chairman and Heads of Departments.	Mr. Frank Anthony (November 1958 – December 1993) - the Founder Chairman Dr. G. Immanuel (12th November 2014 till date) - the Chairman of CISCE Mr. Gerry Arathoon (27th April 2012 till date) – Chief Executive & Secretary
Medium of Instruction	English and Hindi	English
Latest pass percentage	93.12% (10th) 87.33% (12th)	98.94% (10th) 96.93% (12th)

Similarities Between CBSE and ICSE

Both CBSE and ICSE boards are recognised by schools, colleges and other educational institutes around India.

Both CBSE and ICSE students can appear for various entrance examinations conducted across India for higher education

Both CBSE and ICSE offer its candidates a wide range of subjects to choose from which ensures their expanding horizons.

Both CBSE and ICSE are constantly updating and modifying their curriculum to match with the dynamic world.

Both CBSE and ICSE are focused on providing quality education and holistic development through a plethora of additional courses, skill subjects, etc.

The CBSE vs ICSE debate is a long going one. The end to this debate does not seem any close either. While both the boards have their own distinctive features, which board fulfils your requirements can be decided only by you. The referee to the game of CBSE vs ICSE is only you. The pros and cons of the boards are totally subjective to your needs. So, depending upon your present and future plans, you can choose whether CBSE or ICSE is the better fit for you.

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