CBSE shakes up Class 10 board exams: Two chances a year from 2026
Big news for Class 10 students—CBSE is rolling out two board exams each year starting 2026, aiming to make things less stressful and more about real understanding (not just cramming).
Over 45 lakh students will see this change, which follows the National Education Policy's push for smarter learning.
What's changing with the exams?
You'll take one main board exam, and if you want to boost your marks in up to three subjects, there's a second shot within the same year.
Missed or didn't clear the first round? You can still catch up through "Essential Repeat" or Compartment options—so no wasted academic year.
It's more about skills than memorizing
Half of your paper will now be competency-based questions—think MCQs, case studies, and data interpretation.
The rest is split between select-response and short/long answer questions.
The goal: test how you think and apply knowledge, not just what you can memorize.
Subjects split up—and attendance matters
Subjects are getting divided too: Science becomes Biology, Chemistry, Physics; Social Science splits into History, Geography, Political Science, Economics.
To sit for these boards, you'll need at least 75% attendance in Classes 9-10 plus completed internal assessments.