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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has proposed conducting Class 10 board exams twice a year starting from the 2025-26 academic session. The board has published draft norms on its official website and has invited feedback from schools, teachers, parents, students, and the general public.
Stakeholders can submit their suggestions by March 9, 2025, before the final decision is made.
Why Two Board Exams?
This change aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends giving students an opportunity to improve their performance in board exams. The idea is to reduce the pressure of a single high-stakes exam by allowing students two chances in an academic year.
“To avoid the high-stakes aspect of board exams, students will be allowed to take Class 10 exams twice in a school year—one main examination and one for improvement,” CBSE stated.
CBSE Class 10 Exam Schedule for 2026
First Phase: February 17 – March 6, 2026
Second Phase: May 5 – May 20, 2026
Total students registered for 2026: 26.6 lakh
Draft policy available on: cbse.gov.in
Students will be allowed to take the exam twice, and the best score will be considered.
What Happens If You Fail the First Exam?
Students who do not qualify in the first phase (February-March 2026) can still be admitted to Class 11 provisionally. However, their admission will be finalized based on their second exam results.
Students failing in 1 to 5 subjects in Phase 1 will be placed under the "Improvement Category" and will have another chance in July 2026.
A merit certificate will be issued only after the second examination.
How to Submit Feedback on the Draft Policy?
The CBSE has urged stakeholders to review the draft policy and submit their feedback by March 9, 2025.
Visit the official CBSE website (cbse.gov.in) to submit suggestions.
Final decisions will be made after considering public feedback.
