CBSE Class X Second Board Exam 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education has reported 6,68,854 registrations for the second board examination of class 10, for which the application process will close on April 22, 2026, including the late fee phase. The data captures participation in compartmentalization, improvement and combined categories under the revised examination system.Out of the total registrations, 85,285 candidates are appearing in the compartment category while 5,25,655 students have applied to improve their performance. A further 57,914 candidates opted for both compartment and improvement, reflecting the utilization of multiple opportunities provided in a single academic session.Registration process and eligibility frameworkThe second exam is part of the board’s two-exam structure as per the National Education Policy 2020. Students who clear the first exam are allowed to re-appear in up to three subjects including science, mathematics, social science and languages to improve their scores.Submission of list of candidates and payment of examination fee was done in three phases. The process began on March 18, 2026, followed by scheduled windows in April, and concluded with a fee submission period ending on April 22, 2026.Candidates placed in the compartment category after the first examination are also accommodated in this cycle. The board has confirmed that the best score obtained in both the examinations will be reflected in the final mark sheet cum certificate.Gender distribution and candidacy patterns.Gender wise distribution 2,66,209 female candidates and 4,02,643 male candidates registered for the second examination with two candidates listed under ‘other’ category.Of the regular candidates, 1,92,508 have chosen to appear in one subject. Another 2,79,227 candidates have registered for two subjects while 1,97,119 students will appear in three subjects.Private candidates form a smaller segment, 8,323 for third chance and 1,442 for first chance. The total number of private candidates is 9,765.Subject preferences and enrollment trendsThe subject-wise data shows that science has the highest number of candidates at 4,74,491. Mathematics standard follows with 3,68,843 registrations, while Social Science has 1,54,619 candidates.There are 1,78,878 candidates in Mathematics Basic and 98,536 candidates in English Language and Literature. Language subjects such as Hindi Course-A account for 29,860 registrations, while several regional languages including Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam, and Bengali also contribute to the total.The number of foreign languages and specialized subjects such as French, German and Japanese is relatively small. Other subjects, including music, painting, home science, and emerging courses like artificial intelligence, show minimal participation.Exam Timeline and Result DeclarationThe second board exam is scheduled to be held from 15 May 2026 to 21 May 2026. Date sheet has already been released after completion of all preparation procedures including data processing of candidates.The first exam was held from 17th February 2026 to 10th March 2026 with the result declared on 15th April 2026. A total of 24,83,479 candidates had registered, out of which 24,71,777 appeared and 23,16,008 passed, giving a pass percentage of 9%.The results of the second examination will be declared by the end of June 2026 as per the examination regulations. Final Passing Certificate and Merit Certificate will be issued after the declaration of these results, both will include the best performance in the examination attempt.
