The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by Union Government of India. There are approximately 21,271 schools in India and 220 schools in 28 foreign countries affiliated to the CBSE.[1][2] From 309 schools in year 1962, as on year 2019, CBSE has 21,271 schools and 228 schools in 25 foreign countries. All schools affiliated to CBSE follow the NCERT curriculum.[3]

The first education board to be set up in India was the Uttar Pradesh Board of High School and Intermediate Education in 1921, which was under the jurisdiction of Rajputana, Central India and Gwalior.[4] In 1929, the government of India set up a joint Board named “Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Rajputana”. This included Ajmer, Merwara, Central India, and Gwalior. Later it was confined to Ajmer, Bhopal and Vindhya Pradesh. In 1952, it became the “Central Board of Secondary Education”.

CBSE conducts the final examinations for Class 10 and Class 12 every year in the month of March. The results are announced by the end of May.[5] The board earlier conducted the AIEEE Examination for admission to undergraduate courses in engineering and architecture in colleges across India. However, the AIEEE exam was merged with the IIT-Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) in 2013. The common examination is now called JEE (Main) and is henceforth conducted by National Testing Agency.

CBSE also conducts AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test) for admission to major medical colleges in India. In 2014, the conduct of the National Eligibility Test for grant of a junior research fellowship and eligibility for assistant professor in institutions of higher learning was outsourced to CBSE.[6] Apart from these tests, CBSE also conducts the Central Teacher Eligibility Test and the Class X optional proficiency test.[6] With the addition of NET in 2014, the CBSE has become the largest exam conducting body in the world.[6][7]

On 10 November 2017, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared a proposal for the creation of a National Testing Agency (NTA) serving as the premier autonomous body for conducting entrance examinations in the country. Beginning in 2018 various exams previously conducted by the CBSE were transferred to the NTA including National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), Joint Entrance Examination – Main, National Eligibility Test, Central Universities Common Entrance Test and others.[8]

Class 10
For promotion from Secondary level (Class IX-X) to Senior Secondary level (Class XI-XII), a student must obtain, for all subjects (or best 5 if 6 subjects are taken), 33% overall, without any minimum theory mark requirement. Originally, the passing criteria were set such that a student had to get 33% in both the theory and practical components. However, an exemption was initially granted for students writing the exam in 2018 as they went through the old CCE system in the previous year.[9] However, CBSE later extended this relief for students writing the exam from 2019 and later as well.[10] For a student who does not manage to pass up to two subjects, he/she can write the compartment in those subjects in July. For those who fail the compartment, or those who fail in three subjects or more, he/she must rewrite all the subjects taken in the next year.

Class 12
For class 12 students the promotion criteria are 33% overall, with 33% in both theory and practical examinations (if applicable). For a student who does not manage to pass on exactly one subject, he/she can write the compartment for that subject in July. For those who fail the compartment, or those who fail in two subjects or more, he/she must rewrite all the subjects taken in the next year.