Students reluctant to appear for CBSE Round II exams, schools report low interest
Telegraph | 28 March 2026
CBSE schools said only a few among their Class X students had so far expressed willingness to appear for a second board exam to improve their performance.
At South Point, it is 70 out of 800; at Mahadevi Birla World Academy - 20 out of 210; “only a handful” out of 470 at Delhi Public School Ruby Park; 16 out of 200 at The Newtown School were some of the responses.
The last date for schools to submit the list of candidates in the first phase is March 31, and some schools have given students until the weekend.
The schools’ window to enrol for Round II opened on March 18.
Students have the freedom to decide whether they want to appear for the second board exam after the declaration of the first exam results.
“We expect to get a more realistic picture after the Class X results are out. Students can always reconsider their decision,” said Jaidev Ghosh, the South Point principal.
Students can enrol or withdraw from the list even after the publication of their Class X results.
The CBSE is introducing the two-board exam policy this year. It will allow students to improve their performance in up to three subjects among science, mathematics, social science, and languages.
All passed students would be allowed to improve their performance, and it is mandatory to appear in the first exam to be eligible for the second.
The board has asked schools for an initial list of candidates and the subjects in which they wish to appear to ensure “foolproof preparations” for the exam, the board had said.
“We have received a few entries so far for the first level. The moment students finish Class X, they move on to preparation for Class XI, and they don’t want to spend time restudying the Class X syllabus,” said Joyoti Chaudhuri, the principal of Delhi Public School, Ruby Park.
Many students aspiring to secure engineering or medical seats are more focused on competitive exams than on revisiting the Class X syllabus, said teachers.
The first board exam ended on March 10, and several schools plan to start the new Class XI academic session in the third week of April.
The second board exam is scheduled in May, the board has said.
“If they decide to appear for the second board exam, they will be caught between Class X and XI and might find it difficult to balance. If they get their subjects and stream of choice, they feel it is better to move on with Class XI. They prefer to move forward rather than look back,” said Anjana Saha, the principal of Mahadevi Birla World Academy.