CBSE Class 10 Exam New schedule 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will introduce a new system allowing Class 10 students to appear for board exams twice in an academic year, starting from 2026, officials told PTI on Wednesday.
Under the new structure, the first exam will be held in February and will be mandatory, while the second exam in May will be optional for students who wish to improve their performance. This change is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), which recommends reducing exam pressure by offering students a second attempt within the same academic year.
CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said, “The first phase will be conducted in February and second in May. The results for the two phases will be announced in April and June, respectively.”
“It will be mandatory (for students) to appear for the first phase while the second phase will be optional. Students will be allowed to improve their performance in any three subjects out of science, mathematics, social science and languages,” he added.
For winter-bound schools, students will be allowed to appear in either of the two phases.
The internal assessment will continue to be held only once during the academic session.
CBSE had released the draft norms in February and invited feedback from schools, teachers, and other stakeholders. The final approval comes as part of efforts to make board exams less stressful.
Last month, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also announced that CBSE will conduct Class 10 board examinations twice a year starting in 2026, in a bid to create a more stress-free learning environment.
Speaking at the NDTV Education Conclave, the minister said, "This move aims to mitigate exam-related stress among students and is a key step towards implementing the National Education Policy (NEP). By allowing students to appear for exams twice, similar to the JEE Main format, they will have the flexibility to choose the better score."
"The feedback I've received indicates students are happy with the decision to hold board exams twice a year," he added.
He further emphasised that this reform is a major step toward a stress-free learning environment and a more balanced evaluation system.
