Changes Coming to CBSE Boards? Highlights from the Latest CBSE Webinar

Recently, CBSE held an important webinar to make sure everyone was on the same page.

On February 13, 2026, CBSE's senior officials, including Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj (Controller of Examinations), CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, and Joint Secretary Manish Agarwal, addressed principals, teachers, and exam centre superintendents across the country. The webcast ran for over two hours and covered everything from how answer sheets will be evaluated to how schools must handle question papers.

If you're a student preparing for your boards, we are going to give you a clear breakdown of what was shared and what it means for you.

Joint Secretary Manish Agarwal opened the session by outlining its purpose. This wasn't just a routine meeting. CBSE organised this webinar specifically to:

Given that the 2026 board exams involve over 46 lakh students, more than 31,000 affiliated schools, and 8,074 exam centres across India and 26 countries, a coordinated session like this was necessary.

Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj walked through the three major changes introduced this year.

Class 10 students will have the opportunity to appear for board exams twice this academic year. The first exam begins February 17 and wraps up by March 11, 2026. The second exam is scheduled from May 15 to June 1, 2026.

The results of both exams will be considered for the final merit list, and the better score will count. So if you sit for the second exam and don't perform as well, there's no penalty. Your stronger result is what goes on record.

This is a significant student-friendly move. One difficult day no longer determines everything.

This is the biggest change on the evaluation side. For Class 12, answer books will no longer be physically distributed to teachers. Instead, all answer sheets will be scanned centrally and uploaded to a secure digital server. Evaluators will then assess the scripts on their screens through a secure portal.

CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh explained it clearly during the session: answer scripts won't be distributed school-wise anymore. Everything goes through the central server.

What this means for students:

CBSE also announced that teachers will receive proper training before evaluation begins, along with short instructional videos and practice scripts to familiarise themselves with the system.

NOTE: Because of this digital shift, there will be no marks verification for Class 12 in 2026 onwards. The traditional process of requesting a marks recount no longer applies. However, re-evaluation is still available if you apply for it; the digital evaluation marks will be reviewed.

For Class 10 students appearing for Science and Social Science, the answer booklets have been divided into separate sections based on subjects.

You are required to write your answers in the correct section. Subject-specific teachers will evaluate each section separately, which improves the overall quality and accuracy of marking.

This might sound like a small change, but it is not. Writing a Biology answer in the Physics section, for instance, can lead to it going unevaluated. Please be careful about which section you are writing in.

Just to give you a sense of how big this exercise is:

This is why CBSE is investing so heavily in digital systems. The scale makes manual processes prone to errors.

CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh was firm on this. Schools must follow all SOPs without exception. Key points he emphasised:

Mobile phones are strictly prohibited inside exam halls. Students must reach their exam centre on time. The Controller of Examinations specifically directed students on punctuality.

CBSE addressed the issue of misinformation during the webinar as well. Every year, rumours about paper leaks and exam cancellations spread on social media, causing unnecessary panic among students.

CBSE's clear message: rely only on official communication from cbse.gov.in. Do not share or engage with unverified information. If you see something suspicious online, ignore it and check the official website.

CBSE also addressed parents directly during the session. Parents are expected to be aware of the rules and regulations set by the Board and guide their children to appear for the exam with integrity. Any form of malpractice has serious consequences. It's not worth it, and parents play a role in making sure students understand that.

Here's everything you need to remember:

You've already done the hard part by preparing. Now it's about going in calm, following the rules, and giving it your best. CBSE has put a lot of thought into making this process fair for everyone. Trust the system, trust your preparation.

All the best for your exams.