Appearing for class 10 and 12 board exams twice a year will not be mandatory for students and the option is being introduced to reduce stress caused by the fear of single opportunity, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said. Pradhan said the issue of ‘dummy schools’ cannot be ignored and the time has come to have a serious discussion about it. “The students will have the option of appearing for the (class 10 and 12 board) exams twice a year just like engineering entrance exam JEE. They can choose the best score… but it will be completely optional, no compulsion. “The students often get stressed thinking they lost a year, their chance is gone or could have performed better… the option is being introduced to reduce the stress caused by the fear of single opportunity,” Pradhan said. “If any student feels that he is completely prepared and is satisfied with the score in the first set of exams, he can choose not to appear for the next exams”, he said.