Parliament Question: Implementation of CBSE Two Board Exam Policy for Class Ten

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5785 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 Implementation of CBSE Two Board Exam Policy for Class Ten 5785. Shri Janardan Singh Sigriwal: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has implemented a Two Board Exam Policy for Class ten students from this year under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, in the country, if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the said policy provides options for students to appear in two board exams in a single academic year in the country and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether any guidelines have been issued to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and other boards regarding the structure, syllabus uniformity and evaluation process for these two exams and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether the policy aims to reduce stress and improve performance for Class ten students including provisions for the best score to be considered for certification and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the timeline for nationwide rollout of this policy in all affiliated boards along with any challenges faced in its implementation and the steps taken by the Government to address them and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (e): Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced the Two-Board examination policy for Class-X from 2026 Examinations, where Class-X students have a second opportunity to improve their performance in upto 03 subjects. Features of the policy are as given below: i. It is mandatory for all the students to appear in the first Board examination. ii. 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. iii. If a student has not appeared in 3 or more subjects in first examination, then s/he will not be allowed to appear in the 2nd 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.iv. For students whose result in the first examination is Compartment, such students will be allowed to appear in second examination under Compartment Category. As per policy, students of Class X who have appeared for the Main Examinations in February/March are eligible to appear for the Second Board Examinations in the month of May. The syllabus for the Two Board Examinations is the same. The structure of examination & evaluation pattern for both the Examinations is the same. The policy has been released through notification dated 25.06.2025 (refer to https://www.cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/documents/Notification_Two_Board_Examinations_Class _X_2026_25062025.pdf ). Two Board Examination policy in class X is based on the recommendations of NEP2020 to provide another opportunity to students to improve their performance. The better performance out of the two examinations will be considered for result preparation. Education being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India, schools other than those owned or funded by the Central Government fall within the jurisdiction of their respective State Governments. The Government of India, through the Ministry of Education, has established four National-level Boards, namely the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board, Ujjain, and the Bhartiya Shiksha Board, Haridwar. In addition to these, States and Union Territories have established their own recognised Education Boards. A comprehensive list of such Boards is available at: https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/List_School_Boards.pdf All these Boards function within the legal and regulatory framework of their respective States, ensuring compliance with applicable education laws while providing standardised examination services. This federal structure enables States to address their specific educational requirements and local challenges, while remaining aligned with national education policy objectives and constitutional provisions relating to elementary education. *****