CBSE to conduct Class 10 board exams twice a year from 2026 session

Under the new CBSE rules aligned with the NEP, students must appear for the first board exam in February and may opt to improve scores in the second exam in May

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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday said it has approved norms to conduct Class 10 board exams twice in an academic year from 2026.

 

According to the approved norms, the first phase will be conducted in mid-February, with results announced in April. It will be followed by the second phase in May, with results declared in June.

 

CBSE examination controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said it will be mandatory for students to appear for the first phase, while the second phase will be optional. “Students will be allowed to improve their performance in any three subjects out of science, mathematics, social science and languages,” he added.

 

This approval comes months after the examination control body released a draft policy for stakeholder feedback in February this year.

 

The change in norms aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP), which recommends eliminating the “high-stakes” aspect of board exams by allowing students to take the exams on up to two occasions during an academic year. 

 

The approved norms also state that Class 10 students from winter-bound schools will have the option to appear for the board exams in either phase.

 

The new scheme, however, has faced some criticism from the opposition, with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports raising concerns over the policy.

 

In its recent report, the parliamentary panel led by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh stated that the draft notification leaves room for question paper leaks and other irregularities, particularly because non-core subjects could be examined over two to three days.

 

According to the draft scheme, core subjects such as science, mathematics, social science, Hindi and English would have fixed examination dates in both sessions. Exams for other subjects, except regional and foreign languages, would be conducted two to three times based on student preferences. 

 

The draft scheme also states that students would be allotted their examination day based on a formula devised by the CBSE and the subject combinations they have opted for.

 

“Students will not be given a choice to select the dates of examinations and question papers of these subjects will be taken back from the students after the examination is over,” the draft scheme states.