The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is set to introduce the first-ever multiple board exams in 2025, the Times of India reported citing a senior officials at the Ministry of Education.

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, in a 2023 interview with TOI, said about the twice a year exam format, “Which means this will be adopted from the 2025 board exams for Class X and XII. This will be effective from the present Class IX and XI students.”

According to officials that TOI talked to from the Ministry of Education, the first of the 2025 board exams is anticipated to be held in November-December 2024, with the second exam scheduled for February-March 2025.

Twice a year exam not mandatory

The final result and merit list will be based on the scores of the best two exams, providing students with flexibility and reducing the pressure associated with a single exam opportunity.

TOI added that the new system of conducting exams twice a year for class 10 and 12 will not be mandatory. The anonymous official told TOI that if a candidate is well-prepared and satisfied with the score obtained in one set of exams, he has the option not to appear for the second set. “The system aims to reduce stress on students who fear missing out on a single opportunity,” the official told TOI.

In the 2023 CBSE board exams, approximately 38.2 lakh students participated in the class 10 and class 12 exams.