Compartment exam

In CBSE Class 10, a subject needs 33% of the board paper and 33% of the school marks. These are the passing marks. When a subject falls short, its result reads Compartment. It means the subject is still to be cleared. It is a result with a next step, not an end.

"For students whose result in the first examination is Compartment, such students will be allowed to appear in second examination under Compartment Category."

That is from CBSE's notification on the two board exams. The second board exam is held in May, so the subject can be cleared in the same year.

A small example

Say your child passes four subjects in the main exam in February and March but falls short in Science. Science shows Compartment. Your child can sit Science again in May. In the same sitting, your child may also try to improve another subject.

Does ICSE have a compartment exam?

ICSE does not use the word. A result of Not Qualified means the student has not passed. Under CISCE's regulations for the 2028 exam, such a student can sit the improvement exam in up to three subjects scored below 33%. What the passing rules actually say covers both boards.

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.

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