As many as 1,752 students across government schools in Chandigarh have registered for the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) Class 10 second board examination, scheduled to begin May 15, according to data from the UT education department, with the Maths paper on the opening day carrying particular weight after the subject’s Basic variant drew sharp criticism during the main examination in March.
The second board, a first time reform this academic cycle under which CBSE allows students to retain their best score across two attempts, start with Mathematics. Students who appeared for Mathematics Standard may opt for Mathematics Basic in this attempt, and vice versa, an option that has assumed added significance after teachers and students alleged that this year’s Basic paper was trickier, lengthier and more application-heavy than Standard, defeating the very purpose of the easier variant. The dual-level Mathematics scheme was introduced by CBSE in 2019 to reduce academic stress and offer flexibility. The exams run through May 21, ending with Social Science. English is on May 16, Science on May 18, and languages including Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu on May 19.
The second board is also open to students who simply want to improve their scores, not just those who failed. As per CBSE guidelines, passed students may appear in up to three subjects from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Languages. Students in the compartment category are also eligible. However, those in the Essential Repeat (ER) category are not. Students whose names were not submitted in the first phase of the List of Candidates could still register, while those already enrolled had the option to withdraw. CBSE has clarified that if a student registers and pays the fee but does not appear, their main examination result stands as final. The second board will be held on the same syllabus as the main examination.
{{/usCountry}}The second board is also open to students who simply want to improve their scores, not just those who failed. As per CBSE guidelines, passed students may appear in up to three subjects from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Languages. Students in the compartment category are also eligible. However, those in the Essential Repeat (ER) category are not. Students whose names were not submitted in the first phase of the List of Candidates could still register, while those already enrolled had the option to withdraw. CBSE has clarified that if a student registers and pays the fee but does not appear, their main examination result stands as final. The second board will be held on the same syllabus as the main examination.
{{/usCountry}}The registration numbers come against the backdrop of a strong overall performance by Chandigarh government schools in the main Class 10 results, where the overall pass percentage rose to 88.25% in 2025-26, up from 81.18% last year.