The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has proposed a significant dual board exam plan for class 10th students in 2026. According to the draft released by the board, CBSE will conduct dual examinations for Class 10 students in February, and May for 10th board students. The official notice released by the board states that the draft policy was developed after wider discussions. The board has also announced CBSE class 10 exam dates for the next year. The draft is open to suggestions from the stakeholders till March 9, 2025. Based on the suggestions received, it is likely to review and finalise the norms before the start of the new academic session for class X students in April.
Exam to be conducted in February, and May
According to the draft guidelines, CBSE class 10th board exams will be conducted in two phases - the first phase of the class 10th board exam will be conducted from February 17 to March 6, while the second will be held from May 5 to May 20. In both cases, the exam period has been reduced to 16 to 18 days, which is around half the current exam duration of 32 days. With this change, students can expect to have only one or two days between their exam papers, depending on the subjects they choose. This will significantly reduce the current intervals, which can extend up to six or even ten days. The results for the first phase of the exam are expected to be announced by April 20, while the results for the second phase will be declared by June 30.
CBSE allows students to skip specific subjects
Students will also have the option to appear for both examinations if they wish. Additionally, students will be allowed to skip specific subjects in the second attempt if they are already satisfied with the scores they have achieved in the first examination as well as particular subjects in the first attempt as well. Students who choose to participate in both phases of the exams will receive marksheets reflecting their best scores.
Full syllabus to be covered
"Both the examinations will be conducted on full syllabus and the candidates will be allotted the same examination centres in the two editions. Exam fees will be enhanced and collected for both exams at the time of application filing," a senior board official said.
"The first and second editions of the board exams will also act as supplementary exams, and no special exams will be conducted in any circumstances," the official added.
No supplementary exams
The Board has clarified that no separate supplementary exams will be conducted under this system. Instead, the second session of the Board examination will serve as the supplementary exam for those who wish to improve their scores.
Registrations in September
"The list of candidates (LOC) will be finalised in September of the preceding year. This means that for the February 2026 exam, the list will be finalised by September 2025.
No new candidates will be allowed to register for the May 2026 exam if they were not part of the September 2025 list," the official said, reported PTI.
Students can change their subject choices
"Once the LOC is finalised, candidates will not be permitted to change their subjects. However, there is some flexibility in subject selection. If a candidate wishes to modify their subject choices, they can skip a subject in the first examination (February-March) and opt for a different subject in the second examination (May). However, if a candidate completes all subjects in the first exam, they will have to take the same set of subjects in the second exam if they choose to reappear," the official added, reported PTI.
No separate certificates
The Board has also decided that for practical and internal assessments, the evaluation will be conducted only once per academic year. No separate certificates will be issued after the completion of the first examination in February-March. "The final passing certificate and marksheet will be issued only after the May examination. This document will include the marks obtained in both exam sessions (if the candidate appeared in both) as well as the best of the two scores for each subject," the official said.
(With inputs from agencies)