this central board of secondary education (CBSE) has introduced better marking rules as part of the new two-board examination system for Class 10, which will be implemented from the 2026 academic session. This rule provides students with the opportunity to improve their performance in board examinations without the risk of losing marks.Under the new system, students can appear for board exams twice in the same academic year. All 10th grade students are required to take the first exam; the second exam is optional. It is suitable for students who want to improve their grades or those who are clearly failing in subjects. Two exams were also conducted this year. Students who have taken the test twice must know better scoring rules.The biggest advantage of the Better Marks Rule is that CBSE will only consider the higher marks obtained in each subject while preparing the final results.
How the Better Fractions Rule Works
Students will first appear for regular board examinations held at the end of the academic session. After the results are released, students who are not satisfied with their results can choose to take a second exam in selected subjects.If a student appears for both exams, CBSE will compare the scores in each subject. The higher score will be recorded on the final score sheet.For example, if a student scored a 72 in math on the first exam and an 85 on the second exam, the final score sheet will show a score of 85. However, if a student’s second test score is lower, the first test score will remain the same.This means students can take the exam a second time without worrying about losing the points they already earned.
Rules apply to each topic separately
Better marks rules are applied on a subject-by-subject basis. Students can improve their grade in one subject while retaining their original score in another. For example, if the second attempt results in a higher score in Science but a lower score in English, CBSE will record the improved score in Science and retain the previous score in English.Therefore, the final score sheet will include the best score obtained in each subject in both examinations.
Measures to reduce exam stress
Better marking rules are a key feature of CBSE’s new assessment system, fully aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.The committee’s purpose is to reduce the stress associated with one high-stakes exam by giving students another chance to perform better during the same academic year.Previously, students who wanted to improve their grades or failed a subject often had to wait for make-up exams or the next academic session. The new system allows them to improve performance without losing valuable time.
