Over the past few academic cycles, CBSE has moved well beyond exam reform. The board shifted to on-screen evaluation of Class 12 answer sheets in early 2026, expanded digital infrastructure through DigiLocker and the APAAR ID system, among other things. Multilingual instruction, aligned with national education policy, was formally pushed to affiliated schools. Psychosocial counselling support was operationalised as a board-level initiative. Taken together, these changes took to system-level restructuring, not just a revision of how students are tested, but of how the board administers schooling itself.At the same time, changes in examination scheduling — particularly the introduction of two board exams for CBSE Class 10 from 2026 — are expected to directly affect result timelines. With phase 1 CBSE results scheduled as early as April and digital evaluation systems being scaled up, the board is positioned to declare outcomes earlier than in previous years. Together, these measures signal an attempt to reduce exam pressure, streamline evaluation, and align with the National Education Policy (NEP).Here’s a broad timeline of major changes announced by CBSE over the past few years:2026: Two board exams for Class 10 and expansion of digital evaluation systemsThe most significant structural reform comes into effect in 2026, with CBSE introducing a two-exam system for Class 10 board examinations. Under the scheme notified in June last year, Class 10 students are required to appear for phase 1 exams held between February 17 and March 6, 2026. A second phase, scheduled from May 5 to May 20, is optional and allows students to improve scores in up to three subjects. The higher score between the two attempts will be considered final.ALSO READ | How two Class 10 Board exam sessions will be structured?The policy also defines eligibility boundaries. Students absent in three or more subjects in CBSE phase 1 are not permitted to appear in phase 2, while compartment candidates from Phase 1 can use the second phase as a supplementary attempt. Internal assessments will continue to be conducted once annually.While Class 12 remains on a single-exam format for now, CBSE has indicated that a similar system may be introduced from the next cycle onwards.Story continues below this adAlongside exam restructuring, CBSE has expanded on-screen marking of Class 12 answer sheets, moving toward fully digital evaluation in select workflows. Results of phase 1 are being made available through Digilocker to facilitate Class 11 admissions without waiting for the second phase.The board has also rolled out psycho-social counselling support programmes from January 2026, reflecting a parallel focus on student well-being amid increased exam flexibility.Latest in 2026: CBSE issues notice on new curriculum, adds ‘compulsory third language’CBSE has also introduced a new curriculum framework for subsequent academic sessions, bringing in changes to language policy and subject requirements at the secondary level. Under this, a third language will become compulsory from Class 6, in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with students required to study at least two Indian languages as part of a three-language formula.While this will be implemented in a phased manner, it sets the stage for the third language to eventually become part of the Class 10 board examination structure by 2031.Story continues below this adALSO READ | CBSE New Curriculum: Compulsory third language in Class 6, vocational education a must in Class 9-10The new framework also makes vocational education, art education, and physical education mandatory for Classes 9 and 10, with vocational education set to become a board or annual examination subject from 2027–28, while the other components will continue to be assessed internally.In addition, CBSE has expanded subject choices by offering all scheduled Indian languages and has outlined a broader restructuring of secondary-level learning in line with competency-based and multidisciplinary approaches.2025-26: Skill education mandate, new electives, and AI curriculum frameworkFrom the previous academic session, CBSE has made skill education mandatory for Classes 6 to 8, requiring schools to set up Composite Skill Labs and integrate vocational exposure into the curriculum. This is aligned with the broader emphasis on applied learning and early exposure to skills under national policy frameworks.Story continues below this adAt the senior secondary level, new vocational electives such as Land Transportation Associate, Electronics and Hardware, Design Thinking and Innovation, and Physical Activity Trainer have been introduced. Students from computer-related streams have also been given the option to take an additional elective, expanding subject flexibility.ALSO READ | AI & Computational Thinking now part of school curriculum for Classes 3 to 8In October last year, CBSE and the Ministry of Education also announced an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Computational Thinking (CT) framework for Classes 3 to 8, to be implemented from 2026–27.The framework proposes integration of computational thinking concepts in early grades and a more structured AI component from middle school onwards, with NCERT tasked with developing learning materials and teacher training modules.Story continues below this ad2024-25: Competency-based assessment reaches 50% and new textbooks introducedIn April 2024, CBSE increased the share of competency-based questions (CBQs) to 50% for both Class 10 and Class 12 board exams. This marked a shift in paper design, particularly for Class 12, where the weightage of long and short answer questions was reduced to 30%, down from 50% in earlier formats. Objective-type questions continued to account for 20%.ALSO READ | CBSE changes Class 11, 12 question paper formatThe same academic year also saw the introduction of new NCERT textbooks for Classes 3 and 6, aligned with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. Schools were instructed to discontinue older editions for these classes, while rationalised textbooks introduced in 2022 continued for other grades.A bridge course was developed to support the transition, particularly for Class 6 students entering a revised curriculum structure.2023-24: Shift toward competency-based testing and foundational stage reformsCBSE began increasing the proportion of competency-based questions in the 2023–24 board exams. For Class 10, CBQs accounted for 40% of the paper, while for Class 12, they formed 30%. This marked the first major step toward reducing reliance on rote-based written responses and introducing application-based assessment formats such as case studies and source-based questions.Story continues below this adOn the curriculum side, the board adopted the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) 2022, initiating the transition to the 5+3+3+4 school structure.This included the formal introduction of Balvatika (pre-school stages) within CBSE-affiliated schools and modifications to affiliation norms to accommodate early childhood education.In July 2023, CBSE also issued directions to schools to consider multilingual instruction, encouraging the use of Indian languages listed in the Eighth Schedule as mediums of teaching across classes. This aligned with NEP 2020’s recommendation on language flexibility in school education.2022-23: Return to single board exam and syllabus rationalisationIn 2022–23, CBSE reverted to a single annual board examination system, ending the two-term structure that was temporarily introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The year-end exam once again covered 100% of the syllabus for both Class 10 and Class 12.Story continues below this adAt the same time, NCERT implemented a rationalisation of textbooks, reducing syllabus content by approximately 25–30% across multiple classes. Several chapters across subjects — including history, political science, and science — were removed.CBSE directed affiliated schools to follow the revised textbooks, and these rationalised versions continued to be used in subsequent years until newer curriculum-aligned books began to be phased in.Broader changes in assessment systems, digital infrastructure, and regulationAlongside changes in exams and curriculum, CBSE has introduced multiple parallel reforms in assessment and governance. The SAFAL (Structured Assessment for Analysing Learning) programme has been expanded from a pilot in 2023 to thousands of schools, covering Grades 3, 5, and 8 through digital diagnostic testing.The Holistic Progress Card (HPC) framework has also been rolled out in stages, replacing traditional report cards with competency-based evaluation formats.Story continues below this adDigital infrastructure has been scaled through platforms such as Pariksha Sangam, where registration for Classes 9 and 11 is now mandatory, and students are assigned an APAAR ID, creating a unified academic record. CBSE has also introduced a ‘School Academic Performance Report Card‘, providing institution-level performance analytics for affiliated schools.On the regulatory side, affiliation processes have been updated through successive versions of the SARAS portal, and the School Quality Assessment and Assurance Framework (SQAAF) has been made mandatory for affiliation-related applications. New bye-laws for branch schools and updated compliance requirements have also been introduced.Parallel changes in teacher training, eligibility, and moreTeacher capacity-building has been another area of focus. CBSE has aligned its training programmes with NEP 2020 requirements, mandating continuous professional development hours and expanding subject-specific training modules, particularly around competency-based education.In September the previous year, a Supreme Court ruling made the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) mandatory for all teachers, including those already in service. This significantly expands the scope of teacher certification and standardisation across CBSE-affiliated schools.