Results for the February exam are expected in April, while results for the May round will be declared in June.
New Delhi: In a significant shift towards reducing exam stress and increasing academic flexibility, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that students of Class 10 will be allowed to appear for board examinations twice in a year, starting from the academic session 2025-26. The change, aligned with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to ease the “high-stakes” nature of board exams.
This reform will give students a chance to improve their performance in up to three subjects among Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Languages. The first board exam will remain mandatory for all students and will take place in mid-February as per the current schedule. The second exam, which will serve as an improvement opportunity, will be conducted in May.
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CBSE, in a statement, clarified that only students who appear in at least three subjects in the first exam will be eligible to sit for the second attempt. Students absent in more than two subjects will be categorised as “Essential Repeat” and will have to take the main exam the following year.
In cases where a student’s result is declared as ‘Compartment’ in the first attempt, they will be permitted to reappear in the second round under the Compartment category. Similarly, students aiming to improve performance or who passed through subject replacement will be eligible for the second attempt under specific criteria.
For sports students whose examination dates clash with official events, the board has allowed them to appear in the second exam. Students in winter-bound schools will have the option to choose between the two sets of exams. Children with special needs will continue to receive accommodations for both attempts.
Importantly, the syllabus and the examination scheme will remain the same for both attempts. Students will be assessed on the full year’s syllabus in both rounds. Internal assessments, however, will be conducted only once — before the first board exam.
In terms of administrative procedures, CBSE said that submission of the List of Candidates (LOC) for the first exam will be mandatory for all students. A separate LOC will be submitted for the second exam, but no fresh candidates will be allowed. Subject changes between the two exams will not be permitted except under special policy exceptions.
The results for the February exam are expected in April, while results for the May round will be declared in June. A student’s performance in the main exam will be uploaded to DigiLocker and can be used for provisional admission to Class XI. The final passing certificate and merit certificate, where applicable, will be issued after the declaration of the second exam results.
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Students failing to qualify in the first exam will be eligible for provisional admission to Class XI, with confirmation subject to results of the May exam. Post-result facilities like photocopies, verification, and re-evaluation will only be available after the second examination results are released.
The CBSE has emphasised that this step is intended to make the exam process more flexible, reduce anxiety, and move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, without compromising on rigour or academic standards. This change is expected to bring a much-needed cultural shift in the way board examinations are perceived and experienced by lakhs of students across the country.
