National Education Policy : Draft scheme for two examinations, class X from 2026

National Education Policy : Draft scheme for two examinations, class X from 2026

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) includes several key recommendations for examinations in India aimed at transforming the assessment system to promote holistic learning. Some of the highlights are:

Holistic Assessment: Emphasis on formative assessments over summative assessments to evaluate student understanding and skills continuously throughout the year.

Reduction of Rote Learning: Encouragement to move away from rote memorization towards understanding concepts and critical thinking.

Assessment Reforms: Introduction of a more flexible examination system that includes a variety of assessment methods, such as projects, presentations, and portfolios.

Board Exams: The policy suggests that board examinations should be made easier and conducted in a manner that assesses real understanding and application of knowledge rather than just theoretical knowledge.

Multiple Entry and Exit Points: A provision for students to have multiple opportunities to take exams, allowing for flexibility in their academic journey.

National Assessment Centre: Establishment of a National Assessment Centre to assess the quality of education and ensure uniform standards across states.

These recommendations aim to create a more inclusive, flexible, and learner-centered examination framework in India.

PARA 4.37 OF NEP-2020

While the Board exams for Grades 10 and 12 will be continued, the existing system of Board and entrance examinations shall be reformed to eliminate the need for undertaking coaching classes. To reverse these harmful effects of the current assessment system, Board exams will be redesigned to encourage holistic development; students will be able to choose many of the subjects in which they take Board exams, depending on their individualized interests. Board exams will also be made ‘easier’, in the sense that they will test primarily core capacities/competencies rather than months of coaching and memorization; any student who has been going to and making a basic effort in a school class will be able to pass and do well in the corresponding subject Board Exam without much additional effort. To further eliminate the ‘high stakes’ aspect of Board Exams, all students will be allowed to take Board Exams on up to two occasions during any given school year, one main examination and one for improvement, if desired.

PARA 4.38 OF NEP-2020

In addition to introducing greater flexibility, student choice, and best-of-two attempts, assessments that primarily test core capacities must be the immediate key reforms to all Board exams. Boards may over time also develop further viable models of Board Exams that reduce pressure and the coaching culture. Some possibilities include: a system of annual/semester/modular Board Exams could be developed – that each test far less material, and are taken immediately after the corresponding course is taken in school – so that the pressure from exams is better distributed, less intense, and less high-stakes across the Secondary Stage; all subjects and corresponding assessments, beginning with mathematics, could be offered at two levels, with students doing some of their subjects at the standard level and some at a higher level; and Board exams in certain subjects could be redesigned to have two parts – one part of an objective type with multiple-choice questions and the other of a descriptive type.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE CBSE ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF NEP-2020

• 1. A draft scheme for the conduct of 2 Board examinations for Class X has been developed.
• 2. It is proposed that the scheme be implemented from the 2026 examinations of Class X.

ANALYSIS BEFORE DEVELOPING SCHEME FOR THE TWO EXAMINATIONS

Class – X-2025

Class – XII-2025

Duration for the conduct of both Class X and Class XII Exams = 55 days

Spread of examinations – India and 26 countries abroad

Class X – 2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROPOSED SCHEME

1. Class X and Class XII examinations will begin on the first Tuesday after 15 February.

2. It is expected that in Class X, in 2026, about 26.60 Lakh students and in Class XII, about 20 Lakh students will appear in the examinations.

3. Both the examinations will be conducted on the full current syllabus and the text-books.

4. Except Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi, English, rest of the subjects are grouped in the following manner:-

• (i) A Regional and Foreign languages in one group
• (ii) Rest of the subjects in one group

5. Examination of Science, Maths, Social Science, Hindi and English will be conducted on a fixed day as done currently.

6. Examination of Regional and Foreign Languages will be done in one go on a single day.

7. *Examination of remaining subjects will be conducted 2 times to 3 times based on the choices of the students on 2 or 3 days. Meaning thereby, the Data Science examination will be conducted on two or three days. The students will be allotted the day of the examination based on the formula devised by the CBSE and the subject combination offered by the student. Students will not be given a choice to select the dates of examinations. The question papers of these subjects will be taken back from the students after examination is over.

8. Subjects groups will be as follows for 2026:-

9. The indicative schedule of the examinations is as given below

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