The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that Class 10 students will be required to appear in the first board examination once the new two-exam system is introduced in 2026.
The board clarified that students who fail to attempt three or more subjects in the first examination will be placed in the “Essential Repeat” category and will be eligible to appear for the main board examination only in the following academic year. They will not be allowed to directly take the second exam.
CBSE issued the clarification after receiving queries from schools and parents regarding whether students could skip the first exam and appear only for the second. Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj stated that appearing in the first exam will be compulsory for all students.
Students who pass the first exam will be allowed to improve their marks in up to three subjects — including Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and languages — during the second examination. Candidates who receive a compartment in the first exam will also be eligible to appear in the second exam under the compartment category.
The board further stated that students will not be allowed to add additional subjects after passing Class 10, nor will requests for relaxation in these rules be considered.
The new two-exam system, proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to reduce exam stress, improve learning outcomes, and make the assessment process more flexible while maintaining academic standards.