The Central Board Of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday issued detailed guidelines for principals and heads of affiliated schools regarding the submission of the List of Candidates (LOC) for the Class 10 second board examination 2026.
The examination fee payment for Phase 1 will take place from around noon on April 16, 2026, to April 20. During Phase 2, both LOC submission and fee payment can be completed between April 16 and April 20. For those who miss the earlier deadlines, Phase 3 will allow LOC submission and fee payment with a late fee from April 21 to April 22, 2026.
Board’s key instructions regarding the second examination
Students who missed the first phase still have the opportunity to apply and pay the required fee, while those already registered only need to complete the payment.
Candidates may also withdraw if they choose not to appear. A change in Mathematics is permitted, from Standard to Basic and vice versa, but no other subject changes are allowed. Students can improve their performance in up to three subjects, while those in the ER category are not eligible.
Compartment candidates can appear as per existing rules through their schools. CWSN students will continue to receive existing benefits, though no new registrations will be accepted. If a student is absent in the second exam, the result of the main examination will be considered final. The syllabus will remain the same as the Main Exam 2026, and no changes will be permitted after the submission of the LOC.
“It is expected that the schools will read the guidelines carefully, collect the correct data of the students and submit the same correctly and strictly as per schedule,” CBSE mentioned in a statement.
Second Board examination
In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Class 10 students will have the opportunity to enhance their scores in up to three subjects through a second board examination scheduled for May.
As the the Class 10 first exam results were declared on April 15, Wednesday, students can now decide whether they wish to appear for the second board examination. As per the March 17 notice, schools will submit the list of candidates for all interested students. Those opting for the second exam should note that changing subjects will not be permitted. Additionally, the Board will not allow any corrections in a student’s data between the first and second examinations.
The CBSE implemented the Two Board Examination policy starting from the 2026 exam session, following a notification issued on June 25 last year.
Who is eligible?
According to CBSE, the following students are eligible to appear for the second Board exam:
“Candidates of the session 2024-25 who have been placed in compartment. (Third Chance Compartment). Candidates of the session 2024-25, who are eligible but did not appear in Board’s Main Examinations 2026. (Third Chance Compartment).”
According to the official document, all students who have passed and are eligible can improve their performance in up to three subjects chosen from Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and languages.
Who is not eligible?
Students who did not appear in three or more subjects in the 2026 main examination, those who failed in three or more subjects in the first exam, and students placed in the ER category are not eligible.
Meanwhile, as per the official document, candidates opting for the second board examination are required to pay an examination fee of ₹320 per subject, which amounts to ₹960 for three subjects per student.