CBSE Class 10 Exam 2026: First Exam Mandatory, Missing 3 Subjects May Result In ‘Essential Repeat’

CBSE Class 10 students missing 3 or more subjects in the first exam will be placed in ‘Essential Repeat’ and can appear only next February.

CBSE Class 10 students missing 3+ subjects will be placed in ‘Essential Repeat’ for next year’s exams

Source : freepik

CBSE Class 10 Exam 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified the rules for Class 10 board examinations starting 2026. With the first exam scheduled to begin tomorrow, students seeking to skip it or directly appear in the second exam have been informed of strict eligibility criteria. 

Mandatory First Examination 

CBSE has made it clear that all students must appear in the first board examination. PTI quoted CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj stating, "It is mandatory for all the students to appear in the first board examination. All passed and eligible students will be allowed to improve their performance in any of the three subjects out of Science, Mathematics, Social Science and languages." 

What Happens if Students Miss 3 or More Subjects 

Bhardwaj further added, "If a student has not appeared in three or more subjects in the first examination, then he or she will not be allowed to appear in the second examination. Such students will be placed in the 'Essential Repeat' category and can take the examination only next year in the main examinations in the month of February next year." 

This means that students missing three or more papers will have to wait for next year’s main exams, with no exceptions. 

Eligibility for Second Examination and Improvements 

CBSE has outlined the categories under which students can appear for the second exam: 

• Improvement in up to three main subjects 

• First or third chance for Compartment 

• Compartment plus Improvement 

• Improvement for students who passed by subject replacement 

Students in the Compartment category can appear for the second exam, while those aiming to improve scores in up to three subjects are also eligible. However, no stand-alone additional subjects will be allowed after passing Class 10. 

CBSE emphasised that requests for exemption from these rules will not be entertained. 

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