CBSE Class 10 second board exam eligibility checker
My child is in CBSE Class 10. After the first board exam result, can they take the second board exam in May, in which category, and in which subjects?
Only students who sat the first Class 10 board exam can take the second one. If your child passed, they may retake up to three of Science, Mathematics, Social Science and the languages to improve the score. With a compartment result, they take those subjects again in the second exam. Missing three or more papers in the first exam rules the second exam out, whatever the reason: CBSE puts the student in Essential Repeat, and they sit the main exam the following February. This checker applies those rules, and the subject-replacement rules, to your child's result one subject at a time.
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 30 June 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
Rules from the February 2026 notification and the 2026-27 LOC circular. No 2027 second-exam notice or date sheet was listed on cbse.gov.in on 30 October 2026. Re-check when CBSE issues the 2027 second-exam LOC circular.
Key dates and rules
- First board exam
- Compulsory for every Class 10 student. A student can't skip it and take only the second.[1]
- Improvement limit
- Up to 3 subjects, chosen from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and the languages[1]
- Absent in 3 or more subjects
- No second exam, for any reason. The student is placed in Essential Repeat and sits next February's main exam.[1]
- Subject change between the exams
- Not allowed, except Mathematics Standard (041) to Basic (241) and back[2]
- Subjects you can take in the second exam
- Only those the school filled in the first exam's LOC[2]
This checker runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It applies CBSE notification No.31 dated 14.02.2026 and Annexures C and G of the LOC circular dated 17.09.2026 to the result you enter. The school files the second-exam LOC, and CBSE's result decides the category.
The two Class 10 board exams in 2026
How the second exam went in 2026
| Category (CBSE's wording) | Who it is for |
|---|---|
| (a) Improvement category up to 3 main subjects | Students who passed the first exam that year and want a better score in up to three of Science, Mathematics, Social Science and the languages |
| (b) First/Third chance compartment | Students placed in Compartment in the first exam that year, or in the previous year's exam |
| (c) Compartment + Improvement | Students placed in Compartment who also want to improve a subject other than the compartment subject |
| (d) Improvement for the students passed by the replacement of the subject | Students who passed because a skill subject or a seventh-subject language replaced a failed subject |
CBSE's notification of 14 February 2026 lists these four categories, and Annexure C of the LOC circular explains them. Schools enter these students as category FS (regular candidates) in the second-exam LOC.[2]
| Failed subject | Replaced by | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| One of Science, Mathematics or Social Science | The skill subject taken as the optional 6th subject | The student passed the skill subject |
| A language among the first five subjects | The language taken as the optional 7th subject | The student passed the 7th language, and Hindi or English is still a passed language in the five after the swap |
From the 'Important Instructions in view of Two Board Examination in Class X' in the LOC circular (Annexure G, items g and h).[2]
Since 2026, Class 10 students in CBSE schools get two board exams in one year. The first, in February and March, is compulsory. The second, in May, is optional and open only to students who sat the first. In 2026 the main exam ran from 17 February to 11 March and the second from 15 to 21 May. Main results came out on 15 April and second-exam results on 18 July. CBSE has not published the 2027 dates yet (checked 3 October 2026).[5]
The school files a fresh list of candidates (LOC) for the second exam once the first exam is over. A student can only pick subjects that were in the first LOC, so the subject codes your child's school fills in this October matter. Both exams cover the full syllabus. A student who has passed cannot add a new subject or take a stand-alone subject.[2]
A student who did not appear in three or more subjects of the first exam cannot take the second exam. CBSE's notification of 14 February 2026 says this holds 'because of any reason', and that it will not respond to requests to bend it. Such a student is placed in Essential Repeat and sits the full exam the next February.[1]
The checker says 'not stated' instead of guessing in these cases. The notices list no second-exam category for a student who fails three or more subjects; bye-law 41.2 speaks of compartment for a candidate failing in two of the five. They don't say how a student absent in one or two subjects is treated, whether a compartment student's improvement subjects count toward the limit of three, or which subjects a category (d) student may improve. If one of these applies to your child, ask the school's exam in-charge to check with the CBSE regional office.[3]
CBSE's press release of 18 July 2026 says that for regular students 'the better of the two performances is considered for preparing the final result'. It does not say whether that is worked out subject by subject, so this page doesn't build a final marksheet. In 2026, 5,13,955 students sat the second exam for improvement and 3,08,095 of them (59.95%) did better than in the main exam. In the compartment category, 52.40% passed, up from 48.68% in 2025.[5]
For a subject taken in both exams, CBSE's post-result notice of 5 August 2026 lets a student get the scanned answer books of both, but verification or re-evaluation for only one of them, chosen before applying. Once one answer book is picked, CBSE won't take a request for the other in that subject.[6]
In March 2023 CBSE renamed the compartment exam the 'supplementary examination' and said only the name changed. Circulars still use both words. For Class 10, the second board exam now takes in the compartment candidates.[4]
Tips and tricks
- Go through the subject codes in this October's LOC with your child. The second exam can only include subjects from the first LOC, and the one switch allowed is Maths Standard (041) to Basic (241) or back.[2]
- Don't count on a medical certificate if your child is ill during the first exam. Absent in three or more subjects means no second exam, whatever the reason.[1]
- Choose up to three improvement subjects from Science, Maths, Social Science and the languages, starting with the ones where the marks fell furthest short.[1]
- When the results are out, decide which of the two answer books you'd want verified in a subject before applying. CBSE allows verification or re-evaluation for only one of them.[6]
- Circulars use "compartment" and "supplementary" for the same exam. A notice using either word means the same thing.[4]
Questions people ask
Can my child skip the first exam and take only the second?
No. The first board exam is compulsory for every Class 10 student, and only students who sat it can take the second.[1]
How many subjects can be taken for improvement?
Up to three, chosen from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and the languages.[1]
My child failed one subject. Do they have to wait a year?
No. A student whose result is Compartment can take the second exam in May under the compartment category.[1]
Can my child switch from Maths Standard to Basic for the second exam?
Yes. Mathematics Standard (041) to Basic (241), and back, is the only subject change CBSE allows between the two exams.[2]
Can a student add a new subject in the second exam?
No. CBSE does not allow additional or stand-alone subjects after a student passes Class 10, and the second exam takes only subjects filled in the first LOC.[2]
What if my child was ill and missed three papers?
They can't take the second exam. CBSE's notification says this applies whatever the reason. The student is placed in Essential Repeat and sits the main exam the following February.[1]
Can the second exam lower my child's marks?
CBSE's press release of 18 July 2026 says that for regular students the better of the two performances is considered for the final result. It doesn't say whether that's worked out subject by subject.[5]
Connected pages
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Official and partner links
- Official bodyCBSE notification on the two Class 10 board exams (PDF)No.31/CBSE/CE/2-Board Examination-X/2026, dated 14.02.2026
- RelatedCBSE post-result facilities, main and second exams 2026 (PDF)CBSE/Coord/Verification/Class-X/2026-27, dated 05.08.2026
Sources
- Two Board Examinations in Class X from 2026: Clarification, notification No.31/CBSE/CE/2-Board Examination-X/2026 dated 14.02.2026, Central Board of Secondary Education. p. 1, points 1-6. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Submission of List of Candidates for the Main Examinations 2027, circular CBSE/LOC/X-XII/2026-2027 dated 17.09.2026: p. 2 items A-C, Annexure C (categories of students, Class X) and Annexure G (Important Instructions in view of Two Board Examination in Class X), Central Board of Secondary Education. pp. 2, 24-25, 38. Accessed 3 October 2026.
- CBSE Examination Bye-laws: Scheme of Examinations and Pass Criteria, Rules 41.1 and 41.2 (archive copy), Central Board of Secondary Education. Accessed 3 October 2026.
- Renaming of Compartment Examination as Supplementary Examination, CBSE/COORD/EC-Dec-2022/ITEM-3.08/2023 dated 10.03.2023, Central Board of Secondary Education. p. 1. Accessed 3 October 2026.
- Press release: CBSE Declares Class X Second Board Examination Results 2026, dated 18.07.2026, Central Board of Secondary Education. p. 1. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Post-result declaration facilities to the students of Class X, Main and Second Board Examinations 2026, notice CBSE/Coord/Verification/Class-X/2026-27 dated 05.08.2026, Central Board of Secondary Education. pp. 1-4. Accessed 3 October 2026.
Found an error or a newer rule? Tell us through the corrections page. Updated 30 October 2026.