Starting from the academic session of 2024-25, students commencing their class X and XII examinations, will be able to participate in the multiple board form. According to the Ministry of Education the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will implement the new format for the first exams in 2025, with the exception of the unique circumstance in 2021 when the exam was divided into two due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The newly introduced twice a year board exams for Class X and XII will not be mandatory. The initiative is taken to reduce stress among students who are concerned about missing a single chance. If a candidate feels adequately prepared and content with the results from one set of exams, they have the option to opt out of appearing for the subsequent exam.
In 2023, the CBSE boards saw a combined total of 38.82 lakh candidates, with 21.86 lakh candidates for Class X and 16.96 lakh candidates for Class XII.
The initial set of board exams for 2025 is anticipated to occur in November-December 2024, followed by the second set in February-March 2025. The final results and merit list will be determined based on the highest scores obtained from these two examination periods.
Significantly, the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF) was established in August 2023 on the vision outlined in the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020. The announcement regarding the introduction of a multiple exams format was made by the Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan.
As outlined in the Ministry of Education’s National Curriculum Framework (NCF), those involved in developing and evaluating board papers will be required to undergo university-certified courses before undertaking these responsibilities.
