Best of two

From 2026, CBSE Class 10 has two board exams: the main one in February and March and the second board exam in May. A student can sit some subjects in both. The result then keeps the better of the two.

"the better of the two performances is considered for preparing the final result"

That is from CBSE's press release of 18 July 2026, on the first second-exam results.

A small example

Say your child scores 61 out of 80 in the Social Science paper in February. In May it is 55. The 61 counts, so trying again did not cost any marks. If May had given 68, the 68 would count.

What best of two does not cover

• The school marks. Internal assessment is held once, before February, so there is only one score to use.
• A missed May paper. In 2026, if the fee was paid but a student did not sit it, the February result was final.
• Checks after the result. For a subject sat twice, verification or re-evaluation can be asked for on one answer book only.

Under CISCE's regulations for the 2028 exam, ICSE has a similar rule for its improvement exam: the higher of the two marks is final. The two board exams covers the whole CBSE scheme.

About the author

Mohit Sardana

Chief Architect

An engineer (B.Tech, Computer Science) with over 20 years of preparing students for entrance exams, including as Dean at FIITJEE and Vice-President at Aakash. He is the chief architect of the TRUpreBoards evaluation engine.

Mohit Sardana on LinkedIn