Board examination marks could soon carry greater significance in admissions to medical and engineering courses, with the Centre reportedly considering a proposal to assign 50% weightage to board scores alongside entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE.

The proposal is part of a broader set of education reforms aimed at reducing the pressure associated with high-stakes examinations and making the admission process more balanced.

Education Ministry panel reviewing admission reforms

According to sources, the proposal is being examined by the Ministry of Education’s nine-member committee that was constituted last year. The panel was tasked with studying students’ growing dependence on coaching institutes, the rise of “dummy schools”, and concerns over fairness in major entrance examinations.

The committee is exploring several measures to improve the existing admission system while reducing the emphasis on a single examination.

Why the reforms are being considered

The discussions come in the wake of multiple controversies involving the examination system, including reported evaluation errors and paper leak incidents. These developments have sparked a wider debate over the credibility and reliability of high-stakes entrance examinations.

To address these concerns, the committee is considering giving 50% weightage to board examination marks in the admission merit process.

Other changes under consideration

Apart from increasing the role of board examination scores, the panel is also examining several other reforms.

These include aligning entrance examinations more closely with school syllabi to reduce students’ dependence on coaching centres, allowing multiple attempts for entrance tests, and gradually introducing adaptive, on-demand computer-based examinations.

Current admission process

At present, admissions to medical and engineering programmes are primarily based on candidates’ performance in entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE. Students are also required to secure the prescribed qualifying marks in their board examinations to become eligible for these entrance tests.

The proposed reforms are currently under consideration, and no final decision has been announced.

The Maharashtra Teacher Eligibility Test (MAHA TET) 2026, scheduled to be conducted on June 28, has been postponed following allegations of a question paper leak. The decision was announced after police uncovered material suspected to be linked to the examination during a raid in Thane district.

Authorities said the suspected leak came to light during an early morning operation in Bhiwandi, where individuals were allegedly found in possession of question papers that matched the actual examination material. Three people have been arrested in connection with the case, while further investigations are underway.

The Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE) subsequently decided to postpone the examination to maintain the integrity and transparency of the recruitment process. Officials stated that a fresh date for the examination will be announced later. Candidates will be required to download new admit cards once the revised schedule is released.

According to officials, more than six lakh candidates were expected to appear for the examination across 1,700-plus centres in the state. The postponement, announced just a day before the test, has affected thousands of aspirants preparing for teaching positions in Maharashtra schools.

The incident has once again raised concerns over the security of competitive examinations in the state, with opposition parties criticising the government over recurring allegations of paper leaks.

Students awaiting the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 10 second board examination results may not have to wait much longer, as the board is expected to announce the scorecards soon. However, CBSE has not yet confirmed the exact date and time for the declaration of results.

More than 6.8 lakh students reportedly appeared for the optional second board examinations conducted from May 15 to May 21, 2026, under the newly introduced two-exam system for Class 10 students. The results are expected to be published on the official portals, including cbseresults.nic.in and cbse.gov.in.

How to check CBSE Class 10 second board result 2026

Once announced, students can access their scorecards by following these steps:

1. Visit the official CBSE result website, cbseresults.nic.in.
2. Click on the ‘Secondary School Examination Results 2026 – Phase II’ link.
3. Enter the required credentials, including roll number, school number and admit card ID.
4. Submit the details to view the result.
5. Download and save the scorecard for future reference.

Apart from the official websites, students will also be able to access their marksheets through DigiLocker and the UMANG application. Some reports also suggest that results may be available through SMS services.

Better score to be considered in final marksheet

CBSE has adopted a “best-of-two” policy under the new examination framework. This means that for students who appeared in both phases, the higher score obtained across the two examinations will be considered for the final marksheet and certificate.

The second board examination was optional and primarily intended to offer students an opportunity to improve their performance without waiting for a separate improvement examination cycle.

Students are advised to regularly check official CBSE websites for authenticated updates regarding the result announcement.