CBSE two-board plan: Class 10 first exam mandatory; missing 3 subjects may land students in ‘essential repeat’

The Central Board Of Secondary Examination (CBSE) has made it mandatory for Class 10 students to appear in the first board examination under its new two-board-exam policy. The board said that students who do not appear in at least three subjects in the first board exam will be placed in the “essential repeat” category.

The board issued the clarification after receiving several requests stating that, for various reasons, Class 10 students may not be able to appear for the first board exam and should therefore be permitted to take the second board exam instead.

"It is mandatory for all the students to appear in the first board examination. All passed and eligible students will be allowed to improve their performance in any of the three subjects out of Science, Mathematics, Social, Science and languages," PTI quoted CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj as saying.

He added, "If a student has not appeared in three or more subjects in the first examination, then he or she will not be allowed to appear in the second examination. Such students will be placed in the "Essential Repeat" category and can take the examination only next year in the main examinations in the month of February next year."

What are biannual exams?

The biannual exam system introduced by CBSE for Class 10 from 2026 will give students two chances each academic year to take their board exams. The February exam will be compulsory for all students, while the optional May exam will allow them to improve their scores.

The CBSE released the draft norms in February last year and placed them in the public domain to seek feedback from stakeholders. The National Education Policy proposes that students be allowed to sit for board examinations on up to two occasions in a school year to reduce exam-related stress.

Reintroduction of On-Screen Marking (OSM)

Meanwhile, in a major change to its evaluation process, the CBSE has announced that it will reintroduce On-Screen Marking (OSM) for Class 12 Board examinations starting in 2026. The move is intended to improve efficiency, transparency, and accuracy in the assessment system, according to ANI.

Under OSM, answer sheets are scanned and evaluated digitally by teachers on computers, with the software automatically calculating the marks.

According to a circular dated February 9 and sent to principals and heads of all CBSE-affiliated schools, the Board clarified that while Class 12 answer scripts will be assessed through this digital method from 2026 onwards, Class 10 answer scripts will continue to be evaluated in the traditional physical format for the time being.

The CBSE will conduct the Secondary and Senior Secondary Board Examinations 2026 for students from over 31,000 affiliated schools across India and in 26 countries abroad between February 17 and April 10.

Approximately 46 lakh students are set to take the examinations at more than 8,074 centres in India and abroad.

In the circular, the Board stated that as part of its ongoing efforts to improve efficiency and transparency, it has decided to implement OSM for the evaluation of Class XII answer books starting with the 2026 examinations. It also clarified that the evaluation of Class X answer books will continue in the physical mode as in previous years for 2026.

The circular further explained that OSM is a digital system in which scanned copies of students’ answer sheets are assessed by teachers on computers, with the software automatically calculating the marks and thereby removing the possibility of manual totalling errors.

CBSE stated that the new system is anticipated to offer several benefits, including "elimination of totalling errors, automated coordination reducing manual intervention," and “faster evaluation with wider teacher participation”.

The Board also mentioned that under the OSM system, teachers would be able to assess answer sheets from their own schools while continuing with their regular responsibilities, resulting in savings in travel time and expenses. It added that "post-result verification of marks will no longer be required" and emphasised that the digital evaluation process would lower manpower needs and support environmental sustainability.