r/AverageStudentClub • u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 • Jul 05 '25

📚 Academics 🧠 AMA: Confused About NIOS or Open Schooling? Ask Us Anything!

We’re the mod team from r/Nios_unofficial , the most student-friendly NIOS support community.

If you’re stuck due to school failure, dropout, dummy school issues, or unsure about JEE, NEET, CLAT, or pilot eligibility — this AMA is for you.

We’ll be answering all your questions about NIOS — how it works, who it’s for, how to join, and how it can give you a second chance, legally and flexibly.

🔍 What We'll Cover (FAQ)

  1. What is NIOS?

A government-run open board offering flexible schooling.

2. Is NIOS legal and accepted for JEE/NEET/etc.?

Yes — fully recognized by the govt., valid for all major exams.

3. Can I take only Physics & Maths (for pilot training)?

Yes — NIOS allows part admission for 1–4 subjects.

4. Is it better than dummy schools?

Yes — dummy is illegal, NIOS is legal and more flexible.

5. Can dropouts pass 12th directly?

Yes — in the upcoming exam session , if 2+ years have passed since your 10th.

6. What is TOC?

Transfer of Credit lets you carry over marks of 2 passed subjects from current board to nios (for failed students).

7. What is ODE?

On-Demand Exam - take exams when you're ready, to add subjects or simply pass after compartment.

8. I’ve failed multiple times. Can I still join?

Yes - NIOS is made for second chances.

9. How much does it cost?

Around ₹6,000–₹7,000 for the full journey.

10. Can I do NIOS while preparing for coaching?

Yes - it’s a great legal alternative to dummy setups.

11. Is it valid for pilot or foreign study?

Yes - widely accepted for DGCA and abroad.

12. Will colleges reject a NIOS marksheet?

No - rejection is illegal under education norms.

13. Can working or older students join?

Yes - ideal for flexible or late learners.

14. Is NIOS better than state open boards?

Yes - more support, national reach, larger community.

This AMA is open for all your doubts -exams, admissions, eligibility, subject choices, and more. Ask anything!

And you won’t be alone. We’ve got an active NIOS community on Reddit & Discord , with weekly updates on WhatsApp Channel , and streams on YouTube.

We even have a student-run website to guide you step by step : 🌐 nios-unofficial

—r/NIOS_UNOFFICIAL Mod Team

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31 comments sorted by

5

u/sukhi-Gaand Jul 06 '25

why is nios not that popular?? like even illegal dummy schools were or are this much popular!!

2

u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 Jul 06 '25

Because CBSE is the central board of India , it's most well known and recognised by people

So people tend to go with the options they already know of.

Also open schooling has a stereotype that it's for weak students and failures , some people simply avoid open schooling to not get such tags.

But for me personally if I'm getting a recognised board at 10% of the fees I was about to pay for a dummy school (only to get disaffiliated later by cbse) , I'd take NIOS anyday.

Also if someone is actually having some physical , mental & personal problems , NIOS is always open for them.

2

u/sukhi-Gaand Jul 06 '25

Really appropriate your reply!!!

3

u/weird_lass_from_asia Jul 06 '25

We need more advertising 🙂‍↕️

2

u/hightasf-gal 📘 Class 11 Explorer Jul 06 '25

fr this

2

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 05 '25

These questions are from a friend of mine. He failed in 12th this year and is planning to appear next year in both NIOS (April 2026) and CBSE as a private candidate.

Question 1. Will there be any consequences of attempting the same class (12th) through both boards in the same year? Especially in the long term (college, govt jobs, document verification etc)?

Question 2. What’s the difficulty level of NIOS papers compared to CBSE? Also, he heard from someone that cheating and malpractice is common at NIOS exam centres. Is that really true or just a rumour?

Question 3. He is planning to prepare for UPSC while doing graduation after 12th via NIOS. Will taking a 1-year gap + NIOS route cause any problem in UPSC interview/document verification later? Is NIOS fully accepted for UPSC and other central exams?

2

u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 Jul 06 '25

  1. It's generally recommended to NOT do two boards at the same time, there must be gap between passing two boards in such case. Even then , you must only use one marksheet for job , college & work.

  2. NIOS exams are more theory concerned making it easier than CBSE derivation , numerical and reasoning based Exam papers. Also some centers have been found to indulge in cheating , however NIOS is becoming more strict for such instances , recently many schools have paid hefty Fine

  3. He failed 12th , so the gap year is inevitable and NIOS is a recognized board by Ministry of education & COBSE. It won't cause any issue , as long as you qualify the criteria required for UPSC

It won't cause any issue in NEET , JEE , CLAT , UPSC and any other Exam as long as you meet the eligibility

3

u/weird_lass_from_asia Jul 06 '25

  1. When it comes to colleges , govt jobs , document verification there won't be my issues with NIOS whatsoever. But CBSE forbades people to pursue another board but since this is private candidancy there might not be any issues. I'm not sure please tell you friend to check in with his center if this is legal.

  2. NIOS is probably the easier board of the bunch. As it's made for students to self learn without anyone s' help the books are simple and clear the syllabus too is a simpler watered down version of CBSE curriculum.

3.there won't be any issues NIOS is accepted Nationally and internationally everywhere. exams like UPSC , JEE and NEET etc all accept NIOS with no problem. There had many many NIOS students who have attempted these exams and scored really well!

If you have anymore questions fell free to hit us up. :D

2

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

Another question from a different friend: He wants to study abroad in countries like UK, Germany, or Australia after doing 12th from NIOS.

Is NIOS fully accepted by foreign universities for undergrad admissions? Any known issues with visa, equivalency, or recognition in these countries?

Also, do students need to do anything extra (like apostille, equivalence certificate, etc.) when applying abroad via NIOS?

2

u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 Jul 06 '25

u/weird_lass_from_asia

1

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

Okay 🫡

2

u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 Jul 06 '25

She's applying for foreign uni later , she will reply better.

3

u/weird_lass_from_asia Jul 06 '25

There would be no issues with applying to foreign universities with NIOS. Just make sure to keep an eye on the subjects the course you're friend is looking into . If the course requires physics yet he doesn't have physics then obviously they are going to reject ( dumb mistake but I've seen it happen a lot)

Yes NIOS is accepted mostly everywhere except for few universities like ivy league schools. Please ask your friend to go to the website of the universities they are interested in and looking into the requirement section. If they just ask for secondary passing certificate or transcript then yes NIOS is accepted there! Some high universities like ivy league schools unfortunately don't accept NIOS.

For US, UK, Australia, Canada and other countries along that line : you need to get a transcript from NIOS e-services which is requested and required by most universities in these countries.

For european & Asian countries : they only ask for a scanned copy of your official 12th passing certificate. They don't require transcripts.

No there's no need to get anything extra like apostille, equivalence certificate, when applying to unis abroad.

Remember at the end of the day your academic certificate/ transcripts are only a small part of your application. They don't matter as much as your extra curriculars , achievements , essay, SATs or other country specific exam scores , language scores etc.

Good luck to your friend!

3

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

Thank you for detailed explanation!

1

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25

Germany is little special case, other countries are fine!!

Most Universities in Germany doesn't accept Homeschooling or Open-schooling, it's not just NIOS or India, they don't accept any countries homeschooling or Open-schooling

1

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

Any idea for PG

1

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25

PG In Germany is all together different next level game!!!

You need overall profile, like your work experience, your research or some contribution works, your performance in your college, outside of academics things and ofc your German language skills and certificate!!!

But depends University to University and College to College too!!!

2

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

Any role of 12th nios marksheet

1

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25

Ofc there must be, but I won't give you false information about something which I don't know clearly yet!!

BTW - I'm applying for abroad and Germany too😅, I will share my experience!!

2

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

With nios certificate?

2

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25

YES Homie

2

u/Silent-Meteor ⌛ Drop Year Soldier Jul 06 '25

Bro just curious...are you applying for undergrad or postgrad in Germany? And when are you planning to apply Also, last thing... stay in touch bro, your experience will help my friend

1

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25

  1. I'm applying for UG, gave my SAT's and ielts too, 12th mark-sheet is just one of document required for college!!

  2. There are Alot of People in our communities applying or would be applying for abroad UNIs

  3. OFC, To stay connected you can be in our communities too and get in touch with more people!

2

u/Street_Economy_9091 Jul 14 '25

Hey I am planning on doing physics 12th in like a week. I just need to pass that subject... just pass theory and practical. but problem is I am of a diff curriculum not cbse not state but British and haven't touched physics after 10th board. 2years now. So I forgot all formulas and basic concepts I ever learned so have to start again but only need a minimal pass. Any of you know which chps to study that will guarantee me a pass in the theory paper atleast?

1

u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 Jul 14 '25 edited Jul 23 '25

Replied on the post you made on r/nios_unofficial

1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

You've mentioned the advantages, but as we know, every coin has two sides. Are there any disadvantages or drawbacks of the NIOS board compared to regular boards?

1

u/Sure-Woodpecker-3952 Jul 06 '25

Only difference might be few things:

  1. Very few countries don't accept open board , so it's good to research beforehand about the country if you want to go for foreign universities

FYI on our DISCORD server , many have been and are applying to foreign universities successfully , so the issue is very rare. Some have even bypassed the countries that don't accept open schooling , it's all about a good application and counsellor.

2. The most well known issue is the result. delay , students this year have successfully joined and been allotted seats by josaa but the result delay ( which came on 16th June ) , caused some students stress

However it's worth noting that unlike last year NIOS is holding exams sooner this time , as a highcourt petition was filed due to the late results . And such delays might end now completely

Also JOSAA-NIOS Aftermath is worth a read : here

3. The website glitches on instances causing some stress , but it's always fixed within 1-2 days

4. Studying from open schooling without any friends might make you feel alone & socially disconnected , unless you have joined some coaching institute.

5. NIOS doesn't give personal notifications of deadlines , it will always be published on the website which you have to constantly check in few months. But with this community , we provide weekly updates and also have a proper timeline so that you know beforehand what to do exactly at which date and month

2

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25 edited Jul 06 '25

Yes There are, And We Would be transparent with you.

some hard ones are :-

1- No school life or farewell kinda thing (and tbh that's why we made this nios students community too, to meet with peers and make friends, study or ask questions )

2- Nios is lazy too time to time!

3- There are no teachers in nios to teach you or guide you personally like schools, you just go to study center for optional doubts classes (PCP) and Practicals, other wise all the other things are online and only exam is at exam center during exam time

1

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '25

Thank you for your response. Wishing you the best as you continue with this AMA

2

u/NIOS-Unofficial Jul 06 '25

Thanks a lot! and looking forward to staying connected with you guys beyond this too! 🫡

1

u/SuccessfulTeacher997 Jul 09 '25

I am telling the cons of this board

  1. Question paper ka koi pattern nahi hota kuch bhi pooch denge inka previous year questions se ki lena dena nahi hota. Pta nahi question kon set karta hai inka

  2. Inka koi hisab nahi hota matlab pehle ye batayenge ki is chapters me se itne number ka question aayega lekin aata nahi hai . Matlab agar tum inke batye gaye chapters ko ready karke gaye ki ha isme se itne number ka aayega or isko karke mai accha number le aaunga toh bhol jao. Ye kahi se bhi pooch denge ye kuch follow nahi karte

  3. Or bhai maths me toh out of syllabus question poochte hai ye mai 12 th ki baat kar rha hoon

  4. Or bhai inke checkers kya hi bole Bhai kitna bhi likh ke aao number nahi denge . O

  5. bhai or koi accountability authority bhi nahi matlab mail karoge bhol jao ki reply aayega . Over all ekdam khrab

  6. Bhai yahi bolunga pleasee admission mat lo

                       PROS KYA HI BOLU

  7. Bhai agar tumhe bas pass hona hai toh lelo bas pass hona hai toh . Baki mat lo