CBSE's New Exam Structure: Board Exams to be Held Twice a Year in 2026

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made some major changes in the CBSE examination 2026. In the academic year 2026, the board will conduct the CBSE 10th board examination twice a year, while the CBSE 12th exam will be held once a year. The board introduced the twice-a-year examination scheme to help and reduce the stress among students.

The CBSE 10th first exam will be held in February-March 2026, and the second exam in May 2026. Whereas, the 12th CBSE board exam will be held in February-April 2026. The CBSE syllabus will also be grouped into two major groups (regional and foreign languages in one group, and the remaining subjects in one group). Read further to learn in detail about the changes in the CBSE board exam 2026.

About Twice-A-Year Examination in CBSE 2026

The Central Board of Secondary Education will conduct the CBSE 10th board examination twice a year.

• As per the CBSE twice-a-year scheme 2026, the 1st phase exam will be held from February 17 to March 6, 2026, while the phase 2 exam will be held from May 5 to May 20, 2026.

• It is mandatory for the students to appear in the CBSE 1st phase board examination.

• The 2nd board examination will act as an improvement/ supplementary. Any student who wishes to improve their performance in any of the three subjects (Science, Maths, Social Science and Language) or failed in one or two subjects will be eligible to appear in the 2nd exam.

• If a student won't appear in 3 or more subjects in the 1st phase exam, then they will not be allowed to appear for the 2nd examination. They will have to repeat the academic year and will be put under the “Essential Repeat” category.

CBSE Board Exam 2026 Dates

Below, we have provided the CBSE board exam 2026 dates as per the twice-a-year examination scheme. Students can use it as a reference to understand the timeline of the exam.

CBSE Class 10 Draft Date Sheet 2026:

CBSE Class 12 Draft Date Sheet 2026:

Changes in LOC Submission

• The LOC will be completed by September end of the previous year from the year of conduct of the examination.

• The list of Candidates (LOC) for the second examination must be filled in separately.

• No new names or subject changes will be allowed after the submission of the LOC after the first examination.

• For the second examination, the board will open the window for LOC for 5 days after the declaration of the first phase result.

Exam Fees Increased

• The CBSE examination fee will be collected twice for both the examinations at the time of filling the LOC for the first time.

• Students must know that the examination fee will be non-refundable.

No Special Examination in 2026

In the academic year 2026, the CBSE 10th phase 1 and 2 exams will both act as an improvement/ supplementary examination. Students who are unable to pass the first examination will be eligible to appear for the second exam. The board will not conduct any special examination. The CBSE marksheets will include the phase-wise marks along with the “best of the two marks”.

Practical Examination to be Held Once a Year

The board will conduct the CBSE practical exams and internal assessment once a year before the theory exam. The facility to reappear for the examination is made available for the theory papers only.

No Change in CWSN Facilities

As per the CBSE twice-a-year scheme, there will not be any change in the CWSN candidates' facilities. It will remain unchanged for both exams.

No Separate Exam for Sports Students

Sports students will be able to appear in the 2nd board examinations for class 10 in subjects whose exam coincides with their sports events. The board will not conduct any separate examination for them.

CBSE Subject Group 2026

The CBSE board examination for classes 10th and 12th will be held as per the CBSE syllabus 2026. The board has grouped the syllabus into two major groups (regional and foreign languages in one group, and the remaining subjects in one group) except for Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi and English.

• The board will conduct the Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi and English exams on a fixed day as done currently.

• The regional and foreign language exam will be conducted on a single day.

• The remaining subject exams, such as Data Science, will be conducted 2 to 3 times. The board will allot exam dates based on the subject combination taken by the student. However, students will not be given a choice to select the dates of examinations.

Facility to Appear in CBSE 1st and 2nd Exam 2026

First Exam 2026:

• The first exam will be the main exam, and it will be mandatory for all students.

• Fresh CBSE 10th students will be eligible to appear for the examination.

• It will also act as a second chance compartment/ improvement examination.

• Students under the category “Essential Repeat” of the previous year can attend the CBSE 10th board exam.

Second Exam 2026:

• The second exam acts as the compartment and improvement examination.

• Students can appear for the 2nd exam under the improvement category in up to 3 main subjects (Science, Maths, Social Science and Languages).

• Improvement for the students who passed the first exam through the replacement of the subject can appear in the 2nd exam.

CBSE Passing Criteria 2026

The passing marks will remain the same, i.e., 33%. To pass the examination, students will have to score the passing marks in all 5 subjects. However, in case a student fails to score the required CBSE passing marks in any one to five subjects in the first examination, then they will be placed under the "improvement category".

CBSE Result 2026

• After the declaration of the CBSE result 2026, the board will issue the passing documents and merit certificate after the second examination only.

• The CBSE 1st phase result will be made available online through DigiLocker. Students will be able to use the provisional marksheet for admission to class 11 if they do not wish to appear for the second examination.

• In case a student is declared passed by replacing the 6th/7th subject, then they will be eligible for the improvement exam in any one or two failed subjects in the second examination.

• Photocopy, verification and re-evaluation of the CBSE 10th board exam result will be available after the declaration of the 2nd board exam result for both 1st and 2nd phase exams.