The second round of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 10 board examinations is set to begin on May 15, with 1,752 students from government schools in Chandigarh registered to appear, according to data from the UT Education department cited by Hindustan Times.
Second attempt begins with Mathematics
This marks the first year of a reform that allows students to appear for board exams twice and retain their best score. The exams will open with Mathematics, a subject that has drawn attention after concerns over the difficulty level of the Basic paper during the main examination in March.
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Under the current system, students can switch between Mathematics Standard and Mathematics Basic for the second attempt. The flexibility has gained importance following feedback that the Basic paper was unexpectedly challenging, reportedly longer and more application-focused than anticipated.
Flexible scheme for improvement
The second board is not limited to students who did not pass. Those who cleared the exams can also appear to improve their scores. As per guidelines, students who have passed can choose up to three subjects from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and Languages.
Students in the compartment category are eligible to sit for the exams, while those placed in the Essential Repeat (ER) category are excluded. The board has also allowed fresh registrations for students whose names were not included in the initial List of Candidates. Those already registered were given an option to withdraw.
CBSE has clarified that if a student registers and pays the exam fee but does not appear, the result from the main examination will be treated as final. The syllabus for the second board remains unchanged.
Exam schedule and recent performance
The exams will continue till May 21, concluding with Social Science. English is scheduled for May 16, followed by Science on May 18 and language papers, including Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, on May 19.
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The second round comes after improved performance by Chandigarh government schools, with the overall pass percentage rising to 88.25% in 2025–26 from 81.18% the previous year.
