CBSE changed many rules of board exams, from paper pattern to internal assessments, now exams will be like this

This time many major changes have been made regarding the CBSE board examinations of 2026. These changes extend from answer writing to copy checking, grading system and examination pattern. Based on the notifications issued by CBSE throughout the year, this information is very important for students and parents. The purpose of the new rules is to make the examination more transparent, easier and better so that students can prepare for the examination without confusion. Below all the changes are explained in simple language in paragraph form.

The biggest change has come in the section arrangement in the answer sheet of Science and Social Science. Now if the student writes the answer to any question in the wrong section, then that answer will not be checked. For example, if a student writes the answer of Section ‘A’ in Section ‘C’, he will not get any marks. Due to this, students will have to be extra careful while writing copy. This step of CBSE has been taken to bring discipline and clarity among the students.

The second major change has come about conducting the examination in two phases in February and March. In February, only main subjects will be examined, while in March, practical and internal assessment based subjects will be taken. This model has been adopted so that students get more time to prepare for main subjects and the pressure of practicals can be balanced separately. The board believes that this will reduce the burden of examinations and the performance of students will improve.

The third change is regarding 75% attendance being mandatory. Now students will need minimum 75% attendance to appear in the board exam. If the attendance is found to be less than this, the admit card will not be issued to the student. However, in case of serious illness, accident, competitive examinations or any special circumstances, exemption can be granted on the recommendation of the Principal. This rule will encourage students to come to school regularly.

The fourth major change is related to the improvement in the grading system. The grading method will be made more transparent from 2026. Now the marking will be based not only on the scores of the children but also on the average performance of that subject in the entire country. The advantage of this will be that students will not suffer in case of difficult papers and grading will remain balanced.

The fifth change is related to making copy checking high-tech and more accurate. Now the board will use digital tools, barcode system and double level checking in checking the copies. Its purpose is to ensure that no student is treated unfairly and the possibility of mistakes in marking is reduced to an absolute minimum. With this, results will also be declared faster than before.

The sixth and most important change is regarding the new pattern question papers. The board has announced that more than 50% of the questions in the 2026 exam will be skill-based, analytical and case-study type. This will eliminate the tendency to memorize and develop understanding among the students. This will make studies more interesting and will also help in competitive examinations.