The year 2025 saw major reforms in India's school education system, particularly the CBSE Class 10 board examinations. One of the most significant changes was the introduction of two annual opportunities to take the board exam, aimed at easing pressure and reducing stress on students.
Class 10 is seen as a turning point for students as it influences future academic and career choices across engineering, medical, arts, and other fields. Aiming for high scores continues to be important for students aspiring to join top institutions in India and abroad.
The foundation built until Class 10 shapes a student's long-term academic journey. A shift toward conceptual learning over rote memorisation remains essential for better outcomes.
Two Board Examinations From 2026
Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the reform seeks to lower the high-stakes nature of board exams. Students will appear for one main exam and may take a second attempt for improvement.
The goal is to offer flexibility, introduce choice, and adopt a best-of-two system, while gradually reducing pressure and dependence on coaching. Boards may also explore semester/modular exams, two-level assessments in subjects such as Mathematics, and redesigned papers with objective and descriptive components.
Scheme Of Two Board Examinations
General Conditions
- All students must appear in the first board exam.
- Passed students may improve up to three subjects from Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and languages.
- Students absent in three or more subjects in the first exam will not be allowed in the second exam and will be placed in the "Essential Repeat" category.
- Students in the Compartment category may take the second exam under the same category.
- Additional Subjects will not be allowed after passing class 10, students will not be allowed in stand-alone subjects.
Special Category
- Sports students may take the second exam for subjects clashing with events.
- Winter-bound schools may choose either exam cycle.
- The facilities extended to CWSN candidates will be extended in 2nd examinations also.
Internal Assessment
Conducted once before the main exam.
Examination Schedule
- First exam: Mid-February
- Second exam: May
Eligibility
- First Exam: Fresh Class 10 students, second-chance compartment, previous-year essential repeat, improvement candidates.
- Second Exam: Improvement (up to 3 subjects), First/Third chance compartment, Compartment + Improvement, and improvement after replacement of subject.
Result Declaration
Results will follow Examination Bye-Laws.
- First exam results: April
- Second exam results: June
- Main exam performance will be available in DigiLocker for Class 11 admissions if students skip improvement.
- Passing documents and merit certificates will be issued after the second exam.
Post-Result Facilities
Re-evaluation, verification, and photocopy facilities will be available only after the second exam results.
Admission To Class 11
Students not qualified in the main exam may take provisional admission. Final admission will depend on second exam results.
Expert Opinion
"The move was introduced to reduce pressure and encourage better learning. While widely welcomed, it also sparked debate among students, parents, and teachers. It has clearly been one of the most discussed education reforms of the year," said Mr Praneet Mungali, Trustee, Sanskriti Group of Schools.
"The two-term approach divided the academic year into Term 1 and Term 2, reducing the burden of a single high-stakes exam. Covering smaller portions of the syllabus allowed students to divide their study load and understand concepts more thoroughly," he added.
Teachers found the system helpful as well, enabling them to teach steadily and devote more time to each topic. Schools gradually adopted more practical, application-based teaching-using real-life examples in Mathematics, simple experiments in Science, and activity-based learning across subjects.
This shift also encouraged competency-based assessments, project work, and continuous evaluation. These approaches moved the system closer to the vision of the NEP 2020, emphasising understanding over memorisation.
