CBSE Class 10 Second Board Exam 2026: Who is Eligible? (Official Rules)

Recently CBSE has released a notification in which it has been clarified that who can appear for the CBSE Class 10 2026 Second Board Exam. All the students wanting to know in detail about whether they are eligible to appear for the Second Board Exam 2026 should read this article till the end. This article covers all the necessary and official rules/updates that you need to know if you are planning to appear for the CBSE Class 10 2026 Second Board Exam.

The CBSE Class 10 Second Board Exam has gained a special importance among the Class 10 students particularly after the difficult paper of Class 10 Maths on 17th February 2026. The CBSE Board has issued a clarificatory notification on 14.02.2026 regarding which students are eligible to appear for the CBSE Class 10 2nd Board Exam.

Quick Eligibility Checking

Your 1st Board Exam Result / Status	Can You Take the 2nd Board Exam?	What Category Do You Fall Under?
Passed all 5 subjects	Yes	Improvement
Result is "Compartment"	Yes	Compartment / Compartment + Improvement
Did not appear in 3 or more subjects	No	Essential Repeat
Want to take a brand new, extra subject	No	N/A (Stand-alone subjects not allowed)
Skipped the 1st Board Exam entirely	No	N/A (1st exam is mandatory)

The CBSE had to issue this notification as many students were making requests to the CBSE Board wherein they mentioned their inability to appear in the First Class X Board Exam 2026, so they requested to appear directly in the Second Class X Board Exam 2026. However, the CBSE has taken a strict view of this and released the said notification.

The notification clarifies that the CBSE Class 10 Second Board Exam 2026 is only meant for those students who have appeared in the First Exam and now want to either improve their marks or pass in the failed subjects.

Depending on your first exam results, here is how the eligibility works:

• Scenario 1: You Passed All Subjects (Improvement) If you appeared in the first exam and successfully passed all five subjects, you are eligible to appear in the Second Board Exam to improve your marks. You can choose to rewrite the exam for up to 3 main subjects (out of Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and Languages).
• Scenario 2: You Failed 1, 2 or 3 Subjects (Compartment) If you appeared in the first exam but failed in 1, 2 or 3 subjects, you will be placed in the Compartment Category. You are eligible to take the Second Board Exam to pass those specific failed subjects. You can also combine this with improvement exams for passed subjects, as long as the total number of exams you take in the second round does not exceed three.
• Scenario 3: You Missed 3 or More Subjects (Essential Repeat) This is a critical rule: If you do not appear for 3 or more subjects, you will be officially declared "Fail" or "Essential Repeat." You cannot appear in the 2nd Board Exam. You will have to repeat the academic year and take the main board exams again next year.

Exam Category	Maximum Subjects Allowed	Allowed Subject Types
Improvement (Already Passed)	Up to 3 main subjects	Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and Languages
Compartment (Failed 1, 2 or 3)	The failed subject(s)	The specific subject(s) marked as Compartment
Compartment + Improvement	Up to 3 subjects total	Combination of the failed subject(s) and subjects you want to improve

CBSE Two Board Exam Policy Official Notice	Click Here
What Happens If You Fail in One or More Subjects in CBSE Class 10?	Click Here

Read the Official Notification Here:

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