The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is implementing stricter rules against cheating for the 2026 board exams. Students caught using unfair means will face more severe consequences, making it harder to pass.
Stricter Penalties for Cheating
Previously, a student caught cheating in one subject had that subject’s result canceled. However, many students passed by using marks from additional subjects, often called sixth or seventh subjects, to meet the minimum passing criteria. CBSE records from the 2025 exams show 30% to 40% of candidates flagged for unfair means passed this way.
This policy has now changed. Under the new rules, if a student is caught cheating in any subject, that subject’s result will be canceled. The canceled result will not be replaced by marks from another subject.
Students who are caught cheating will have their result for that specific subject placed in the compartment category. This means they must retake the exam for that subject to pass.
These new regulations apply to both CBSE Class 10 and Class 12 exams starting in 2026 .
Class 10 Marksheet Redesign
The CBSE is also redesigning the Class 10 marksheets to reflect the new examination system. This system involves two rounds of exams.
The updated marksheets will clearly show results from both the first and second board exams. They will also display the final result, which will be based on the best performance across the two exams.
A proposal suggests shifting the Internal Assessment marks column. It may move from the Main Exam section to the Final Result section on the marksheet.
Exam Schedule
Board exams for both Class 10 and Class 12 began on February 17, 2026 . The examinations will continue until March.