There are many views on NIOS and as a parent of twin boys studying in 10th std., I was quite confused. Both my Sons study quite well, and score around 90% in their class examinations. They are giving their 10th Board in March 2021. I was exploring NIOS for them as they could have better balance while preparing for IIT JEE.

In order to clear our doubts, my wife, I and both our boys went to Regional center, Bangalore. We could meet the Regional Director, Mr. Satish and he answered each and every question patiently and clearly. We were very happy to meet him.

A few points that might help you in taking decision based on our discussion with him.

1. NIOS has its own syllabus based on NCERT guidelines. They print their books based on that. The hard copy of the book will be mailed to you over post and the soft copies are available in the NIOS website. There are also video lectures available on the net. There are TV programs on a daily basis for secondary and Sr. Secondary. There is a toll free number that you can use to call the teacher and the teacher will answer your question during the live class. As far as the preparatory materials are concerned there is absolutely no concern.
2. The difficulty level is equivalent to CBSE and neither more nor less.
3. There is no 11th in NIOS. It is directly 12th. But no need to worry that the portion will be vast covering both the years. In every subject there are chapters marked only for TMA (Tutor Marked Assignment). Questions will not come from these chapters for public exam. Hence I believe that the portions will be manageable in public exam.
4. The TMAs are pre-defined by NIOS. Hence it can be planned well and completed unlike regular schools where children have no idea of what homework from which subject is coming next.
5. Apart from April/October schedule, On demand examinations are conducted every month. And a student can write a subject any number of times and the highest mark will be considered as the final for that subject.
6. We enquired many top colleges and they all accept NIOS. We called the college’s admission department directly and checked. Moreover no college can say that they will not consider NIOS. The colleges are supposed to wait for results from all the boards. NIOS results takes 45–60 days from the examination date and comes only by June end. However if someone completes 4 subjects before itself they will have the results for these subjects well in advance. So stress level will be very less. But yes, the consolidated mark sheet and certificate can be obtained only after completing the 5th subject.
7. There are 30 hrs of live interaction with the teachers in study center for each subject where students can clear any doubts. For subjects having practicals another 5 extra hrs is provided.
8. 20–30% of students even crack IIT JEE.
9. Good marks can be scored in NIOS if they study regularly. Is is NOT the case that the syllabus is tough or the correction is strict. But if the students take it lightly then it can be tough. There is no one to drive the students to study and self-discipline is definitely required.

So we decided to opt for NIOS for our children. As said earlier, all the points are based on the discussion with the Regional Director only. I can possibly update more may be in the mid-way and after my children complete their Sr. Secondary and get into a college.