Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE recently released draft rules regarding two board examinations for Class 10 students. In the circular released, the central board has announced its intention to conduct CBSE Class 10 Board Examinations twice from 2026 onwards. However, there is a lot of confusion regarding the CBSE Two Board Draft rules, that seem to be causing some panic with parents.
The biggest concern raised was regarding the ‘change in subjects’ offered by CBSE and even ‘making of Hindi compulsory’ as second language. Well, that is not the case. The reason of confusion stems from the CBSE Class 10 Date Sheet shared by the board for next year.
CBSE Two Board Exams Draft Rules: Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Are the subjects or syllabus changed for next year CBSE Class 10 Board Exams under Two Board Rule?
No. The list of subjects for next year’s Class 10 Board Examination remains the same. The syllabus also remains the same. As per the notice released, there are no changes in the syllabus either. There is a rumour that some of the regional languages have been removed but that is not the case.
A total of 84 subjects are offered in Class 10. These subjects have now been categorized into three main categories – for ease of scheduling and not on the importance of the subject. These are
- Main Subjects – English, Hindi, Mathematics, Science and Social Science
- Regional and Foreign Languages (to be conducted in one single day)
- All other subjects – to be conducted across 2 to 3 days to accommodate students’ choices
Q. Is Hindi now compulsory for Class 10 Board Exams?
No. Hindi is not compulsory. The subject combination rules for CBSE Class 10 board examinations remain the same. Students can choose any two languages. As per the rules, one of the languages should be either Hindi or English. The other can be any of the two or regional or foreign languages.
The confusion regarding Hindi being made compulsory is because of the date sheet which has a fixed date for English and Hindi.
Parents and students need to understand that the CBSE Class 10 Date sheet has been modified to accommodate two board examinations from next year. In order to manage the logistics and squeeze the vast number of subjects offered by the board.
Since the number of students opting for Hindi as second language as compared to other regional languages or foreign languages are much higher, a designated day has been allotted to Hindi along with the other main subjects of Mathematics, Science, Social Science and English.
As for the other languages, all the other regional languages and foreign language would be conducted on a single date – as per the draft rules. Please note, this has been done keeping in mind that students would choose either one regional or foreign language. Hence, in order to use less days and complete the examination in a shorter schedule, only one day has been allocated for all regional/ foreign languages.
Q. Are two board exams compulsory?
No. Students have an option of appearing for either of the two board examinations. The first phase would be conducted from February 17 to April 4, 2026 while Phase II will be conducted from May 5 to May 21, 2026. Students will have an option of
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- Appearing for either or both of the Feb and May examinations
- Appearing for February Exams and opting out of May Exams – window for LOC will open after declaration of Phase I examinations
- Phase II examination will also work as supplementary examinations or improvement exams is students so wish
- Supplementary examinations will be conducted in July, as is the case
Draft rules do not clarify whether students can choose to appear only for May examination instead of February examination. The LOC or examination forms will be filled by September. Students, however, will have an option of choosing not to write two exams and can choose only to appear for one.
Q. How would the marks be decided?
CBSE will release the result of the Phase I examination in April itself. Once the results are released, students will have the option of appearing for or choosing to opt out of the Phase II examination. Students will also have the option of choosing to appear for a specific exam (like improvement) instead of all the subjects. This option is open for students for both May as well as the supplementary exams that will be conducted in the month of July.
What is important to know is that passing certificate and final marksheet will be released after the second phase. After phase I, CBSE will only release Marksheet. The passing certificate, irrespective of whether student appears for either one or both the board will be released.
Q. Are the rules final?
No. The rules released for conduct of two board exams are draft rules. CBSE has sought response and feedback from all stakeholders regarding the same. In case a parent, student, teacher or stakeholder is not convinced by the Draft Rules for Two Board Exams, they are requested to send their feedback to the board. Direct link to share feedback will be available till March 9, 2025.
Q. What is the CBSE Class 10 2026 Date sheet? Is it final?
Tentative schedule (CBSE Class 10 2026 Date Sheet) for the two board examinations to be conducted next year have been attached along with the draft rules. The direct link is also provided here.
Parents and students may please note that schedule may be changes. Also, CBSE will be conducting the exams of ‘other subjects’ (other than languages, Science, Mathematics and Social Studies) will be scheduled on 2 or three days. The students, however, will be allotted only one day for appearing for that examination.
The final schedule for all students (barring the main and language subjects) hence, will be available only with the admit card of the student. Dates for the examination will not be changed under any circumstances.
Q. What happens for Sports Candidates?
Since CBSE is planning to conduct the board examinations twice, no special exams will be conducted for CBSE for students appearing for any sports event (which is the practice at present). The students will have an option of appearing for in the other phase for the subject they miss, if any.
Q. Are there any rules for CWSN category students for two board exams?
CBSE has clarified that all the facilities available to students under CWSN category will continue. As such the facility like extra time, scribe, special exemptions, all will remain the same.
Q. Can students change the subjects?
No. CBSE has clarified that students will not be allowed to change the subjects after the LOC is submitted. They can, however, request for a change in the subject when the LOC opens again after Phase I results are declared.
This, however, is conditional to the extent that the student does not appear for the originally chosen subject in Phase I. In case the student appears for a certain combination in Phase I, he/she cannot change and opt for another subject.
In case of any further query or clarity, you can reach us on X (Twitter) with #CBSETwoBoards and #AskKanika. We will try to explain the same or get answers from CBSE on the concerns raised.