In a major student-friendly move, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that Class 10 students participating in national or international sports events and Olympiads on a regular basis will be permitted to take their board exams in May 2026 if their event dates clash with the February session.
Until now, students who missed their board exams due to such engagements had to go through a separate and uncertain process to appear for special exams. Under the new policy, there will be no separate “special examinations” sessions — they will now be conducted along with the Second Board Examinations, to be held in May 2026.
The CBSE Class 10 exams will now be held in two phases — February and May. Students who are dissatisfied with their February results will also have the chance to reappear in May for improvement. Importantly, CBSE has formally recognised sports and Olympiad participation as part of the regular curriculum, integrating co-curricular excellence into mainstream academics.
Official approval and school submission
Students opting for the May session must receive official approval from CBSE through their schools. Institutions have been instructed to submit the list of eligible participants along with main exam applications by the informed deadline.
For students appearing under the compartment category, CBSE clarified that if they choose the May session, their compartment exams will be conducted in February/March of the following year.
With over 30 lakh students expected to appear for the 2026 CBSE board exams, this two-session format is seen as a progressive step towards flexibility, ensuring that young achievers in sports and Olympiads are not disadvantaged academically.