Two CBSE Class 10 board exams from 2026 | Latest Update

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released a draft policy stating, from 2026, students of class 10 can appear for board examinations twice to enhance their performance. The first board exams will commence on February 17, and the second one from May 5. Both the exams will be held on the entire syllabus. Practical or internal assessment will be carried out only once. This is in line with the goal of the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) to provide space for students who are going through difficulties like exam stress or illness.

CBSE has made this draft policy public and the Board will receive feedback from all concerned like teachers, parents, schools, students and the public up to March 9, this year.

For the 2026 board examinations, the list of candidates will be prepared by the end of September 2025 and more than 26 lakh students are expected to write the examinations. 

Every student has the opportunity to sit for the second examination. One can opt out of the second examination, if needed. For the second test, a candidate list will be provided as soon as the results of the first test is released and for all those who are willing to be exempted from the second test can do it at this time. Second test can be applied for those willing to improve the result or employ it as an additional test. No special test will be conducted under any condition.

No passing certificate shall be given subsequent to the outcome of the first exam. Passing certificates shall only be provided to the students following the announcement of the second examination results. If any student does not wish to sit for the 2nd exam, results found in the DigiLocker for the first exam may be utilized for their class XI admission.

Mark Sheet / Passing Certificate shall contain marks gained in the first examination, second examination, marks gained in practical/internal assessment and grades. Best of the two marks shall also be mentioned.

From the students’ perspective this proposal is immensely useful. The immediate and obvious reason for following this exercise is to decrease the stress of the students.

Let us examine some of the reasons behind the stress. Oftentimes, the reasons for the stress are not under the control of the students and they are only a victim of fate.  We must keep in mind that we are considering 26 lakh students spread over India, living in very dissimilar environments – geographically, socially and economically. A majority of them undergo various kinds of problems during examinations.

It is a vital consideration to reach on time for the examination. There are numerous people who have to cover long distances to reach the examination centers. Local problems usually impact the transport system. Students are exposed to undue stress if there is any disruption to the local transport system because of issues such as environmental or social disruptions.

Another very crucial element that influences the performance of the student is the mental well-being of the student during the test. We well understand that if a student is not physically fit because of an illness, this will impact the performance. However, what about the mental status? If a close relative of the student such as father, mother or sibling is hospitalised in critical condition and the student will have to go in and out of the hospital, then what will be his mental state to appear for the examination? Imagine that a death has occurred in one’s own home during the examination time. Even the best prepared candidate will not be able to give their best in such conditions. There are numerous such problems a student might encounter. These are not the fault of the student. Grades earned under such circumstances do not truly depict the student’s potential.

When the whole future of a student depends on a single examination, one can understand the stress that is building up in their mind and it can lead to a breakdown. The opportunity given to a student to write the examinations two times is indeed very helpful to overcome such difficult situations and reduce the stress.

We must see the fact that the entire exercise undergoes a very close schedule because the two exams are carried out very closely covering some 26 lakh candidates distributed all over the country.

The scripts of the exam must be assessed, marks entry has to be made, required checking has to be implemented and a lot more. The effort made by the CBSE and work undertaken by the teachers and the administrative staff are worth appreciating. Students and parents should be grateful for their hard work.

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