The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is mulling to conduct exams twice a year for Class 10 and 12 students from 2026. The board will soon make the proposal public to elicit feedback from stakeholders, sources told The Indian Express.

The board is currently working on the logistics of holding two exams annually, including restructuring the academic year to accommodate both sets of exams without disrupting undergraduate admissions.

This move is part of the government’s efforts to implement the National Education Policy 2020, which aims to transform the education system in India. This change aims to reduce students’ stress and provide them with an opportunity to improve their scores.

According to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the new system will allow students to sit for the Class 10 and 12 board examinations twice a year, starting from the academic year 2025-2026. The Minister on February 18 held detailed deliberations with the Secretary School Education, CBSE chairperson and other officials of the Ministry and CBSE.

Creating a stress-free learning environment for students has been an important focus of the Government. Examination Improvement and Reform is a key step towards this. Taking this a step forward, held detailed deliberations with Secretary School Education, CBSE Chairperson and… pic.twitter.com/Ph5wxSjNcp

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) February 18, 2025

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Currently, Class 10 and Class 12 students take their exams in February-March, with results out in May. If they are not happy with their performance, they can try to improve in one subject through supplementary exams in July. Besides, students who did not clear their papers can also sit for these exams.

But here’s the thing: the National Education Policy 2020 wants to move away from high-pressure exams and give students more chances to succeed. To make this happen, the Education Ministry has asked the CBSE to come up with a plan for biannual board exams, starting from 2026. This means students will get to take their exams twice a year.