CBSE: No new exam in Gulf, results on basis of average score

CBSE cancels Class 10 board exams in the Middle East due to conflict, opting for formula-based results from completed assessments.

Published on: Mar 20, 2026, 04:46:01 IST

By Sanjay Maurya

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New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday announced a special assessment scheme for Class 10 students in the Middle East after cancelling the remaining board exams due to the prevailing conflict situation in the region. The board will not hold fresh examinations and will instead declare results using formula-based evaluation.

CBSE: No new exam in Gulf, results on basis of average score

Marks will be calculated from the papers a student has already taken and applying averages of best-performing subjects where exams were missed.

According to CBSE, examinations conducted between February 17 and February 28 across more than 150 affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were completed as scheduled. These included six major subjects such as Mathematics, English and Science, along with 16 language papers and 22 skill-based subjects.

The board has divided students into five categories based on the number of exams they appeared for including those who took all papers, and those who appeared in four, three or two subjects, as well as private candidates under the compartment category.

“The result of students who have appeared in all exams will be based on their performance in those examinations,” said CBSE examination controller Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj.

CBSE has made it clear that results prepared under this scheme will be treated as final. No additional or special examinations will be conducted outside the second board exam cycle.

The results for students in the Middle East will be declared along with those in other regions.

Students will, however, have the option to improve their scores through the second board examinations scheduled in May. Schools have been asked to submit a tentative list of candidates (LOC) by March 31, while examination fees will be collected after the results are declared. The second exam will follow the same syllabus as the main board exams.

The board said a separate assessment scheme for Class 12 students will be announced later.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay 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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