CBSE Class-11 New Stream Selection Rules

The New Education Policy-2020 has suggested eliminating rigid stream selection rules. We know that there are three streams in class 11 and the choices to select subjects are limited. Students have to select subjects within the stream only. Thus, if you are taking Science Stream, you have no option to take History as a subject. In the same way, there is no provision to have Chemistry with Sociology.

But the new rules have revered everything. Now there are no rigid streams. Hence, CBSE students can take any subject from any stream. It means, now there is no relevance of streams in CBSE class 11 and 12.

CBSE Circular on stream selection clarifies that students are allowed to offer any combination of subjects without any streaming, hence schools should also follow the same. (see page no. 10 first paragraph of the circular).

Freedom from Streams

If you read this circular with CBSE curriculum document 2021-22, you will find that page number 18 clearly mentions that there is no specific stream. Students can select subjects from group-A and group-S. Here, group-A has all elective subjects from all three streams.

However, there are some minor restrictions on combinations of subjects like you can not take Maths and Applied Maths together. Same way, you can not take Computer Science and Informatics Practices together. Besides these genuine restrictions, all subjects are now open to all students without any streaming.

The Ground Reality

Don’t forget that you will have to face entrance exams to get admission to different courses even after this freedom. If you would like to take admission in MBBS but have not studied PCB in class 12, you won’t be eligible for admission. But yes you have some liberty to take subjects like English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Sociology. Here the fifth subject can be of your choice from any stream.

In the same way, Engineering aspirants will have to take PCM and English/Hindi and they can now choose fifth/sixth subjects from any stream.

So, basically, you are bound to take some essential subjects but 5th and 6th (if any) subjects can be from any stream. Thus, the freedom to choose subjects across the steams has its own limitations.

Combination of Subjects

As discussed above, the combination of subjects must be in line with your career choices. Otherwise, you will face problems while applying for the course of your choice. Humanities is getting good advantage of this change. Now students from Humanities can choose subjects from commerce and science stream too. And even some universities have already started cross streaming of subject combinations.

CBSE Class 11 and 12 Study Material

Doesn’t matter any combination of subjects you choose, you can always study through myCBSEguide App. It is the only mobile app that is very specifically designed for CBSE students. It offers all major subjects for all the streams. If you don’t have an android phone, you can access myCBSEguide Student Dashboard on any platform.

We provide CBSE Sample Papers, Revision Notes, MCQs, NCERT Solutions, Previous Year Papers and related study material that will certainly help you score good marks in your exams.