The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday approved guidelines to conduct board examinations twice a year for Grade 10 students.

The draft rules for this initiative were initially published in February and have now been finalised.

This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP), which aims to reduce the high-stakes nature of board exams. The policy states, “To reverse these harmful effects of the current assessment system, board exams will be redesigned to encourage holistic development; students will be able to choose many of the subjects in which they take board exams, depending on their individualised interests.”

Under the new system, effective from 2026, Class 10 students will be allowed to take the CBSE board exams twice in an academic year.

It will be mandatory for students to appear in the first phase of the exam, scheduled for February. The second phase, set for May, will be optional and available for those wishing to improve their scores.

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