June 26, 2025 - The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) announced on June 25 that it will conduct Grade 10 Board exams twice a year starting from 2026. Approving the model of holding exams in two sessions, the Board said that the first exam will be conducted in February and the second in May. Results for the February exam will be declared in April, while the results for the May exam will be released in June.

This has been done with the aim to provide students an opportunity to improve their performance through the second exam. If a student appears in both exams, the higher of the two scores will be considered final.

CBSE's Controller of Examinations, Sanyam Bhardwaj, said it will be mandatory for students to appear in the first exam. Participation in the second exam will be optional, intended for those who wish to improve their scores.

According to the new rules, internal assessment will be conducted only once a year.

As per the draft prepared by CBSE in February, the first Grade 10 Board exam will be held between February 17 and March 6, while the second exam will take place between May 5 and May 20. Regions which have severe winter conditions, such as Ladakh, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, will have the option to choose either of the two exams. This decision will be made by the schools.

Key Points:

• The first exam will be considered the main exam, and the second will be a retake or improvement exam.
• Students will not be allowed to change subjects in the second exam.
• Both exams will cover the same curriculum - the full syllabus will be included.
• If a student does not appear in at least three subjects in the first exam, they will not be allowed to sit for the second exam.
• Students will be allowed to improve their performance in any three subjects from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Languages.
• For students appearing in both exams, the exam centre will remain the same for both attempts.
• Exam fees for both sessions will have to be paid at the time of registration.