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When the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) starts conducting two board examinations for Class 10 students in 2026, all pupils must take the first set of tests.
Students will then be given the option to enhance their performance, but they must choose three subjects from science, mathematics, social science, and the two language papers, according to the CBSE’s final policy for two board exams, revealed on Wednesday.
So far, the CBSE has implemented a system that allows students to take development tests in two papers. The new policy allows students to choose to enhance their performance in three disciplines.
CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh attributed the decision to make the first exam mandatory and to limit the number of papers that a student can give in the second exam to a need to ensure seriousness of the main exam. “There has to be a practical limitation imposed to inject seriousness into the main exam, which is the first exam. The child should attempt the first board exam seriously,” he said, pointing out that the second exam is a “optional, additional opportunity for the purpose of improvement”.
If a student does not appear in three or more topics on the first exam, they will not be allowed to take the second exam. They will only be able to take the exam the following year, under the ‘important repeat’ category.
Students from winter-bound areas, such as Ladakh, parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh, will be exempt.
“There may be snow in parts of the country in February. If students in these areas are not able to make it for the first exam, they can choose to appear for only the second set of exams,” Singh said.
In line with NEP 2020
The decision to offer two board exams is in line with the NEP 2020, which envisions one main examination and one for improvement ‘to eliminate the high stakes aspect of board exams’.
The first exam, as in previous years, will be held in mid-February. The first exam results will be revealed in April. The student will then be able to decide whether or not to give the second exam, and a list of applicants for the second exam will be prepared separately. The second exam will be place in May, and the results are anticipated in June. The higher of the two scores will count toward the final result.
Students who did not pass the first exam can retake it in the ‘compartment’ category.
Singh stated that the second exam results will be announced no later than June 30. This differs from the current practice, in which students submit improvement papers in July and receive results in August.
The CBSE intends to eventually extend its two-board test arrangement to Class 12. When it occurs, the results of the second Class 12 exam would most likely be released on June 30, bearing in mind the marks required for college admission.
After conducting two board exams for Class 10, CBSE presented a draft scheme in February of this year and solicited input. Overall, 64% of students agreed, according to Singh.
The draft policy does not state that the first exam would be mandatory for all pupils. It also did not limit the amount of subjects on the second exam.
Source: IE
