CBSE Board Exams 2026 Twice a Year for Class 10, 12
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The Central Board of Secondary Education drafted a scheme to conduct the CBSE 10th board exam twice a year, starting from 2026. The stakeholders were able to submit their feedback on the drafted scheme by March 9, 2025. The CBSE will administer the twice a year for CBSE 10th exam, while the CBSE 12th exam will be held once only. The board will conduct the Class 10th and Class 12th exams on the first Tuesday after 15 February.
This Story also Contains
- CBSE Class 10 Board Exams Twice a Year - Latest Updates
- CBSE Board Exam 2026 Draft Date Sheet
- CBSE Board Exam 2026 Subject Scheme
- CBSE Board 10th 2026 Twice a Year - Expected Changes & Details
For the academic year 2026, the CBSE 10th first exam will be held from February 17 to March 6, 2026, and the second exam from May 5 to May 20, 2026. Whereas, the 12th CBSE board exam will be held from February 17- April 4, 2026. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The complete details of the CBSE two-time board exam system are available here.
Download CBSE Twice a Year Exam Scheme PDF
The new format of holding board exams twice a year is applicable for the Class 10 students in all the schools affiliated with the CBSE board. The aim behind conducting exams twice a year is to reduce the stress among students by providing multiple opportunities to perform well. Get all the latest developments and details on this news from this article.
CBSE Class 10 Board Exams Twice a Year - Latest Updates
- CBSE has published a draft scheme. From 2026 onwards, the CBSE Class 10 examination will be held twice a year, first in mid-February and second in May.
- CBSE board 10th 2026 exam overview:
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- It is mandatory for the students to appear in the CBSE 10th 1st board examination. From the academic year 2026, the CBSE board 10 exam 1/ exam 2 will act as an improvement/supplementary examination.
- Any student who passed but wants to improve their performance in any of the three subjects (Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Languages), or a student who failed one or two subjects in the CBSE class 10 phase 1 examination, will be eligible to appear in the 2nd examination.
- Students who fail phase 1 but clear the phase 2 exam will be eligible to apply for admission in class 11. Students can also choose not to appear for the CBSE 10th phase 2 exam 2026. However, the board will conduct the practical/ internal assessment once before the theory exam. The facility to reappear in the examination is for the theory paper only.
- If a student won't appear in three or more subjects in the first phase examination will have to repeat the year. They will be placed under the "Essential Repeat" category.
The CBSE 10th board exam centre for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 examinations will remain the same.
CBSE Sports/Special Category
- No separate board exam for sports students: As per the draft scheme, the board will not conduct a separate board exam for CBSE Class 10 students. Students can choose to appear in the 2nd examination whose subject coincides with their sports event.
- The CWSN candidates' facilities will be the same as it is now for both exams.
- Students from winter-bound schools will be able to choose to appear in either of the two examinations in the offered subjects.
CBSE LOC
The board will collect the CBSE LOC from August 29 to September 30, 2025 without any late fee. Refer to the table below for dates.
Particulars Date CBSE LOC submission starts August 29, 2025 Last date for LOC submission September 30, 2025 Last date for LOC submission with a late fee October 3 to 11, 2025 Students will have to fill out the LOC for the 2nd examination separately.
No new names or subject changes will be allowed to the LOC for the second examination after the submission. However, LOC will be reopened by the board for a second examination immediately, for five days after the result declaration.
No subject change will be allowed from the 1st exam to 2nd exam except permitted as per policy.
- The CBSE examination fee will be enhanced and collected twice for both examinations at the time of filling the LOC for the first time. The fee will be non-refundable.
CBSE Result
- For the academic year 2026, the board will announce the CBSE 1st phase exam result on April 20, 2026 and the 2nd result on June 30, 2026.
- Students will be able to download the CBSE 1st exam result from DigiLocker. They can also use the online result for admission to class 11 if they choose not to appear in the 2nd exam.
- All the candidates will be issued passing documents and merit certificates after the second examination result only.
- Photocopy, verification and re-evaluation of the result will be made available after the declaration of the 2nd exam result for both 1st and 2nd board exams.
CBSE Board Exam 2026 Draft Date Sheet
CBSE Class 10 Draft Date Sheet 2026:
Events CBSE Class 10 dates LOC By end of September 2025 CBSE Phase 1 exam date February 17 to March 6, 2026 CBSE Phase 1 result date April 20, 2026 Admit cards April 22, 2026 LOC (Open for 5 days for Phase 2) April 25, 2026 Phase 2 exam date May 5 to May 20, 2026 Phase 2 result date June 30, 2026 CBSE Class 12 Draft Date Sheet 2026:
Events Dates CBSE 12 Exam date 2026 February 17- April 4, 2026 Result date May 20, 2026 Supplementary exam date July 15, 2026 Supplementary result date August 15, 2026
CBSE Board Exam 2026 Subject Scheme
The CBSE Chairperson, Rahul Singh, clarified that there will be no change in the number of academic subjects for board exams 2026. The subject scheme will remain the same as the current year.
The board has grouped subjects into two categories, regional and foreign language groups, except for Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi and English subjects. To pass the CBSE class 10 examination, students must clear all 5 subjects. However, if they fail in any one subject, they can re-appear for it in the phase 2 exam under the "Improvement Category". Check out the CBSE board subject group 2026 as per the draft below.
Groups | Subjects |
Language-1 | English (101, 184) |
Language-2 | Hindi (002,085) |
Elective-1 | Science (086) |
Elective-2 | Mathematics(041,241) |
Elective-3 | Social Science(087) |
Regional And Foreign Languages Group | Rai(131), Gurung(132), Tamang(133), Sherpa(134), French(018), Sanskrit Communicative(119), Sanskrit(122), Urdu Course-A(003), Bengali(005), Tamil(006), Marathi(009), Gujarati(010), Manipuri(011), Urdu Course-B(303), Tibetan(017), German(020), Bhoti(088), Telugu-Telangana(089), Bodo(092), Tangkhul(093), Japanese(094), Bhutia(095), Spanish(096), Kashmiri(097), Mizo(098), Bahasa Melayu(099), Thai(136) |
Remaining Subjects Group | Elements Of Book Keeping & Accountancy (254), Introduction To Fin. Markets(405), Banking & Insurance(411), Marketing & Sales(412), Elements Of Business(154), Retail(401), Physical Activity Trainer(418), Security(403), Automotive(404), Introduction To Tourism(406), Front Office Operations(410), Beauty & Wellness(407), Health Care(413), Agriculture(408), Food Production(409), Apparel(414), Home Science(064), Multi-Media(415), Data Science(419), Electronics & Hardware(420), Design Thinking & Innovation(422), Computer Applications(165), Information Technology(402), Artificial Intelligence(417), Multi Skill Foundation Course(416), Foundation Skill For Sciences(421), Painting(049, National Cadet Corps (Ncc) – 076, Hindustani Music Per Ins(036), Carnatic Music Vocal(031), Carnatic Music Mel Ins.(032), Carnatic Music Per. Ins.(033), Hindustani Music Vocal(034), Hindustani Music Mel Ins(035) |
CBSE Board 10th 2026 Twice a Year - Expected Changes & Details
In line with the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the Ministry of Education is expected to introduce a New Curriculum Framework (NCF) that will significantly alter the examination format, subject choices, and language requirements for students. Here are the details of what can be expected:
Bi-annual Board Exams: Starting from the 2025-26 academic session, the CBSE will conduct two sets of board exams each year. This year, the first exam will be held from February 17 to March 6, 2026, and the second exam from May 5 to May 20, 2026.
Flexibility for Students: The bi-annual board exam format will not be mandatory for all subjects. Students can choose to appear in subjects they feel more prepared for, and only the best score from the two attempts will be used to calculate the final CBSE result for 2026. This system aims to reduce exam-related stress and provide multiple opportunities to improve.
Streamless Subject Choices: The new curriculum framework will introduce greater flexibility in subject selection. The traditional streams of Arts, Science, and Commerce will be replaced by four groups of subjects, allowing students to choose subjects across disciplines, thereby offering a more multidisciplinary approach.
Language Requirements: As per the NEP 2020, students in Classes 11 and 12 will be required to study two languages, with one of them being an Indian language, as detailed in the final NCF document.
No Open Book Exams for Class 10th
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct a pilot open book examination (OBE) exclusively for Classes 9 and 11. Although the board's governing body approved the OBE plan for all secondary classes (Classes 9 to 12) in December 2023, the board has now decided not to pilot the project for Class 10 in the 2024-25 academic year.
Read the Latest News on CBSE Open Book Exams Here.
CBSE Class 12th Syllabus: Subjects & Chapters
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Will the practical exams be held twice a year as well along with the theory exams?
A:
CBSE is likely to conduct practical exams for subjects with practical components twice a year, along with the theory exams. Students will be required to appear for practical exams in both sessions to complete the assessment process for these subjects.
Q: Why is CBSE conducting 10th board exams twice a year?
A:
Conducting class 10th CBSE board exams twice a year will provide students with an opportunity to improve their scores and reduce exam stress. This system also allows students to perform better by giving them a chance to reappear in exams if needed.
Q: Will CBSE conduct board exams 2 times a year?
A:
As per the new draft policy, the CBSE board exams for class 10 will be held twice a year, while the class 12 exam will remain the same and be conducted once a year.
Q: Will the syllabus for CBSE board exams twice a year be different?
A:
The Class 10th and 12th CBSE syllabus for both sessions of CBSE board exams will be the same. Students will be required to study the entire syllabus irrespective of whether they are appearing for one or both sessions.
Q: Are students required to appear for both sessions of CBSE board exams?
A:
No, students have the option to appear for either one or both sessions of the CBSE board exams. It is not mandatory to appear for both sessions.
Q: How will the marks be calculated if a student appears for the CBSE board exams twice a year?
A:
If a student appears for the board exams twice in the same academic year, the higher score obtained in either attempt will be considered for calculation. The board will use the marks obtained in the better attempt for final evaluation.
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Hello,
Since you have passed 10th and 12th from Delhi and your residency is Delhi, but your domicile is UP, here’s how NEET counselling works:
1. Counselling Eligibility: For UP NEET counselling, your UP domicile makes you eligible, regardless of where your schooling was. You can participate in UP state counselling according to your NEET rank.
2. Delhi Counselling: For Delhi state quota, usually 10th/12th + residency matters. Since your school and residency are in Delhi, you might also be eligible for Delhi state quota, but it depends on specific state rules.
So, having a Delhi Aadhaar will not automatically reject you in UP counselling as long as you have a UP domicile certificate.
Hope you understand.
Hello,
You can access Free CBSE Mock tests from Careers360 app or website. You can get the mock test from this link : CBSE Class 12th Free Mock Tests
Hope it helps !
Yes, it is possible for a student who has done their 12th grade already to take upto 4 exams of their requirement. This is possible through the NIOS, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OPEN SCHOOLING. Get more info about the exam and the board through the following link.
For CBSE the PREVIOUS YEARS PAPERS can be accessed through the following link for the Concerned subjec by careers360.
Consequently Careers360 does also have a chapter wise scheme of PYQs, you can access the STUDY MATERIAL (PYQs.) from the following link -
https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-question-bank
Thankyou.
Hello,
Sorry, but JoSAA does not accept marks from two different boards for the same qualification during counselling. However, you can use your NIOS marks to meet the JEE Main/Advanced eligibility criteria if they are better than your CBSE marks. You can use your NIOS marks for the eligibility check, but when presenting your documents, you may be required to present both marksheets and the one with the higher marks for each subject will be considered.
I hope it will clear your query!!
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