Registration for CBSE Class 10 second exams begins from March 18
Only those students who appeared in the first board examination held between Feb 18 and Mar 11 will be eligible to sit for a second examination
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday asked schools to submit by March 31 a tentative list of candidates who would like to appear for the second board examinations to be held for class 10 students in May, saying the candidates would have to pay the requisite examination fees only after the results are declared.

A CBSE circular said the first list of candidates, or LOC, would help CBSE give a sense of the number of students who would like to appear for the second round of examinations and the subjects in which they want to appear.
To be sure, only students who appeared in the first board exam held between February 18 and March 11, are eligible to appear for the second exam.
“All passed and eligible students are allowed to improve their performance in any of the three subjects out of science, mathematics, social science and languages,” CBSE exam controller Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj said in the circular.
Students who have not appeared in three or more subjects in the first examination are not eligible to appear in the second examination.
The second board examination for Class 10 students will be conducted under the same syllabus as the first.
According to the CBSE schedule, schools must submit the list of candidates for the second exam to CBSE from March 18 to March 31.
Once the results are declared, students will have five more days to register for the second board examinations in the second phase and pay the fee. Those who miss this deadline will get two more days in the third phase to register, but will have to pay a late fee of ₹2,000.
For students in India, the fee is ₹320 per subject ( ₹960 for three subjects). In Nepal, the fee is ₹1,100 per subject ( ₹3,300 for three subjects), while students in other countries pay ₹2,200 per subject ( ₹6,600 for three subjects).
In its circular, CBSE told principals to ensure timely compliance with the timeline so that the board can make “foolproof preparations for the examination”.
Schools have also been advised to guide students about the rules and the “use of this facility only in dire need”.
The board also clarified that no new candidates will be added after the LOC for the second examination is submitted.
It also said that subject change will not be permitted between the two exams, except as allowed under policy in the case of Mathematics.
Students placed in the compartment category will be allowed to appear, but will have to submit their LOC afresh. The board also noted that “examination centres would be limited in number” and once allotted, centres will not be changed.
There will be no provision to improve internal assessment marks as “it is a yearlong exercise”, the circular added.
ABOUT THE AUTHORSanjay MauryaSanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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