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Classroom Sims

What India’s students think

Aggregate misconception data across all Classroom Sims deployments. This data is available for public research.

Note: Figures shown below are representative sample data. This will update live as more schools deploy.

Growing
Total quizzes deployed
Growing
Total students reached
Growing
Total misconceptions detected
10
Top misconceptions mapped below

Top 10 Most Common Misconceptions

Ranked by frequency across all deployments, Class 6–10

1
Physics — Gravity Class 8–10 Very Common

Heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones

78% of students showed this misconception
2
History — Medieval India Class 6–8 Very Common

Maurya and Gupta empires are from the same period

72% of students showed this misconception
3
Mathematics — Multiplication Class 6–7 Very Common

Multiplying always makes numbers bigger

69% of students showed this misconception
4
Geography — Monsoon Class 7–9 Common

Monsoon rains originate from the Bay of Bengal only

61% of students showed this misconception
5
Civics — Fundamental Rights Class 8–10 Common

Fundamental Rights are absolute and cannot be restricted

58% of students showed this misconception
6
Chemistry — Atoms Class 9–10 Common

Electrons travel in fixed circular orbits

55% of students showed this misconception
7
Geography — Rivers Class 6–8 Moderate

Rivers always flow from north to south in India

47% of students showed this misconception
8
Mathematics — Fractions Class 6 Moderate

A larger denominator means a larger fraction

43% of students showed this misconception
9
Biology — Photosynthesis Class 6–7 Moderate

Plants get their food from the soil

41% of students showed this misconception
10
History — Independence Class 8–10 Less Common

India gained independence solely due to the Non-Cooperation Movement

34% of students showed this misconception

Misconception Distribution by Subject

Subject breakdown of all detected misconceptions

34%
Science
24%
History
20%
Geography
15%
Mathematics
7%
Civics

Grade-Level Patterns

The most prevalent misconception at each class level

Class 6
Biology

Plants get their food from the soil

Class 7
Geography

Monsoon originates from the Bay of Bengal only

Class 8
History

Maurya and Gupta empires coexisted

Class 9
Physics

Heavier objects fall faster

Class 10
Civics

Fundamental Rights cannot be restricted

What India’s Students Actually Think

Insights drawn directly from the data

78% of Class 8 students confuse the Maurya and Gupta empires as being from the same historical period.
Students in Class 10 consistently believe heavier objects fall faster — a Galilean misconception that persists despite direct instruction.
The most persistent misconception in Mathematics is that multiplying always makes numbers bigger — this affects 69% of Class 6–7 students.
Geography misconceptions spike in Class 7 when monsoon systems are introduced — 61% of students attribute monsoon only to the Bay of Bengal.

Methodology

How misconceptions are detected

Diagnostic MCQs

Each question has 4 options. Three of the four distractors correspond to known misconceptions. Choosing a distractor maps to a specific conceptual error.

Explain-Back Grading

The final question asks students to explain the concept in their own words. Responses are graded for conceptual accuracy — not grammar or language.

No PII — Aggregate Only

No student names or identifiers are stored. All data in this report is aggregate — count of responses per misconception per topic.

For Researchers

This data is available for academic research. Contact us for de-identified datasets suitable for IRB review. We actively collaborate with NCERT, IITs, IIMs, and State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs).

Contact for Research Collaboration