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New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued detailed clarifications on the two-board-exam system that will commence from the 2025-26 academic year. CBSE chairman Rahul Singh said that nearly 40 per cent of Class 10 students may opt for a second attempt to be conducted in May to improve scores.
The clarifications were shared during a webinar to address widespread confusion among students, parents and teachers about eligibility, exam structure and evaluation as per the new system.
CBSE Class 10 second board exams in 2026 will be held only for subjects that have an external assessment component of more than 50 per cent, the board confirmed. Practical exams will be held only once and will not be repeated.
Chairman Rahul Singh stated, 'It is estimated that around 40 per cent of the candidates would appear in each of the main subjects in the second board exams at maximum,' adding that this change is made to reduce teachers’ evaluation workload.
Students who fail to appear in three or four subjects during the first phase will not be allowed to sit for the second phase exams. The List of Candidates (LoC) registration for the second attempt will open for 10 to 15 days immediately after the first-phase results are declared.
The first phase of CBSE Class 10 board exams scheduled from February 17 to March 10, 2026 will generate approximately 1.5 crore answer books for evaluation. In contrast, phase two evaluations are expected to involve only 20 to 30 lakh answer books due to the optional second attempt policy. CBSE officials said this reduction is among the key objectives behind introducing two exam phases.
CBSE exam controller Sanyam Bhardwaj clarified a major concern, stating that the first exam phase is compulsory for all students. 'The first board exams are compulsory for all students who will not be getting an option to sit for any one of the two phases'
Only students who wish to improve their performance in any three subjects which include science, mathematics, social science, or languages can apply for the second board exams. He further added that students placed in compartments will not be allowed the second chance. He also confirmed that 'special board exams for sports and olympiad students will be held along with the second exams.'
