The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is introducing a major change in 2026 by conducting two board exams for Class 10 students. The first phase of exams was held from February 17 to March 10, with results declared on April 15. The second board exams will begin from May 15, 2026.
According to official data, over 6.68 lakh students have registered for this second attempt. Among them, 402,643 are male candidates, 266,209 are female candidates, and 2 fall under the ‘Other’ category.
CBSE 10th 2nd Board Exams 2026: Exam Pattern and Subject Choices
The second board exams mainly focus on core subjects like Mathematics and English, followed by language papers and elective subjects. This system is designed to help students improve marks in subjects where they underperformed earlier.
In terms of subject selection, most students are appearing in multiple subjects:
- Around 2.79 lakh students have chosen two subjects
- Nearly 1.97 lakh students opted for three subjects
- About 1.92 lakh students are appearing in one subject only
Improvement vs Compartment Candidates
A large number of students are taking this opportunity to boost their scores rather than just pass:
- 5.25 lakh students registered for improvement exams
- 85,285 students are appearing for compartment exams
- 57,914 students fall under both categories
Most Popular Subjects in CBSE 10th 2nd Board Exams 2026
The data shows that Science is the most opted subject, with over 4.74 lakh students reappearing for it. This is followed by Mathematics (Standard and Basic), Social Science, and English Language & Literature
Other subjects include Hindi, Sanskrit, regional languages, and electives like Artificial Intelligence, IT, and Home Science, though these have comparatively fewer registrations.
CBSE 10th 2nd Board Exams 2026: Exam Schedule and Timing
CBSE released the official date sheet on April 23. The exams will be conducted from May 15 to May 21, 2026. Major subjects like Mathematics and English will be held on the first day, while Social Science is scheduled for the last day.
Most exams will take place from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, while some shorter papers will end at 12:30 PM.
