The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will begin the submission of List of Candidates (LOC) for the Class 10 second board examination scheduled for May 2026 from Wednesday, according to a circular issued by the board on Tuesday.
The second board exams are held in the same academic year allowing students to improve marks soon after the main exams.
Only those students who appeared in the first board examination held between February 18 and March 11, will be eligible to sit for the second board examination.
“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. However, students who have not appeared in three or more subjects in the first examination are not eligible for a second examination.
The syllabus remains the same as the first examination.
As per the schedule, the first phase of LOC submission (the process in which schools send the official list of candidates to CBSE for registering students) will be open from March 18 to 31.
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), while students in other countries will pay ₹2,200 per subject ( ₹6,600 for three).
Subsequent phases of registration will begin after the declaration of results of the first board examination, with a provision for a third phase “with late fee”, under which ₹2,000 per candidate will be added to the total amount.
CBSE has directed schools to submit LOCs “for all desirous students” and asked principals to ensure timely compliance so that the board can make “foolproof preparations of 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 further clarified that no fresh candidates will be added after the submission of the LOC for the second examination. 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.
