Centre contemplates second CBSE board exam for class 12 in June
The NEP 2020 has proposed the change from examinations that cover bulky syllabus to having two board exams in a year to reduce the burden on the students.
The Indian Express reported indications that the central government is planning to conduct a second CBSE Board Exam for students in Class 12 studying in CBSE schools, based on the National Curriculum Framework for School Education. This additional examination is planned to be administered in June, starting from 2026 onward, if the proposal is implemented.
In accordance with the current CBSE syllabus and guidelines, students in Class 12 normally write a board examination once a year, normally conducted in February–March. These exam results are usually released in May. If students do not score as expected, they are allowed to take what is locally known as supplementary courses in one subject, usually in July. This year, the supplementary exams were conducted on the 15th of July.
Introduction of Dual CBSE Board Exams
According to The Indian Express newspaper, in accordance with this policy, the Ministry of Education has tasked CBSE with preparing an action plan for holding two board exams per year for candidates in Class 12 in the academic year 2026. The National Education Policy 2020 has proposed the change from examinations that cover bulky syllabi to having two board exams in a year to reduce the burden on the students. This effort will increase students’ options for proving their knowledge and ease the stress caused by a single examination.
On a more specific note, the first exam under the two-board exam system is seen to be early this year, from February to March, while the second round will be in June. Also, Class 12 students may be able to take what is known as’supplementary examinations’ or ‘improvement examinations’ for any or all subjects. This is a new provision that will enable a Class 12 student to appear for more than one subject for supplementary or improvement examinations, as the case may be.
The CBSE expects that it will take around 15 days to conduct the second phase of the board examinations and roughly 1 month to total up the results. Thus, if such exams are carried out in June, then it is anticipated that results will be released in August. Taking into account the timetable of the entrance examinations and the load on teachers for the evaluation, the government has suggested that the first board examination should not take place before February. Moreover, the government presupposes that not all students will take the second board examination, which will reduce the load on teachers in the form of grading.
Long-term Vision and Flexibility
According to the NCFSE, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020, it recommends that every student should have the chance to take board exams twice annually, with their highest score being taken into account.The NCFSE stated, “In the long term, being able to take a subject board examination immediately after the’school term’ (i.e.,’semester-wise’ or ‘on-demand’ board examinations) will be made available.”
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