The Central Board of Secondary Education has introduced several changes in CBSE board exams 2026 for class 10 and 12. CBSE conducts board exams in the months of February and March every year. However, the board has introduced a two-exam policy for class 10 from the academic year 2025-26.
Other changes introduced by the CBSE board includes mandatory 75% attendance, Open Book Assessment for class 9, special provisions for the students participating in national/ international sports and international level olympiads. CBSE has also removed the provision of the additional subject as private students for passed out students of the CBSE 10th and 12th board exams.
CBSE 10th exam 2026 will be conducted in February and May 2026 while the CBSE board class 12 exams are expected to be scheduled in February – March 2026
CBSE Board Exam 2025-26 – Class 10th & 12th Exam Rule Changes
Students appearing for the CBSE 10th, 12th exam 2026 can check the new exam rules applicable from the academic year 2025-26.
Two-Exam Policy for Class 10
CBSE will be conducting two board exams for class 10 from the academic year 2025-26. Under this new policy, the first board exam for class 10 will be conducted in February and the second exam will be held in May 2025. The first exam will be mandatory for all the students while the second exam will be for improvement. The internal assessment will be conducted only once. There is no change in exam pattern syllabus and marking scheme as of now.
Minimum 75% Attendance
CBSE has made it mandatory for the students to maintain at least 75% attendance for appearing in the upcoming board exams. Students failing to achieve the minimum attendance criteria will be placed in the “Essential Repeat” category. Such students will have to repeat their class for one more academic year.
Linking of APAAR IDs
While registering for the CBSE board exams 2025-26 Class 10, 12, the APAAR IDs of the students must be linked. This mandatory linking of APAAR IDs will ensure the goal of ‘One Nation, One Student ID’ launched by the government.
APAAR stands for Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry. It is a specialized identification system designed for all students in India.
Relaxations for Sports Students
Students participating in national/international sports events and international level olympiads are entitled with certain special provisions by the CBSE board. If the board exam date clashes with the sport event, students can get their exam scheduled on a later date. They must submit the proofs of the events duly signed by the concerned authorities.
Removal of Additional Subject for Private Candidates
From the academic year 2025-26, CBSE has removed the provision of additional subjects as private students for the passed out students. Earlier, CBSE board 10th, 12th students could appear for additional subjects for two years after they had passed their board examinations. For appearing in additional subjects, passed out students of class 10 or 12 had to apply as private candidates. However, now this provision has been scrapped by the CBSE board.
For more information on CBSE board exams 2026, students can check the official website, cbse.gov.in.
