The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) this afternoon declared the Class XII main examination results for the 2025-26 session, recording an overall pass percentage of 85.20 per cent. The outcome marks the first full-scale implementation of On Screen Marking (OSM) for evaluation, a shift the board says has eliminated longstanding issues like totalling and posting errors.

Officials confirmed that over 17.68 lakh students appeared for the exams this year, held between February 17 and April 9. The number is a slight increase from last year's 16.94 lakh. While the pass percentage has dipped from 2025's 88.39 per cent, the board stressed that the digital evaluation process has made results more accurate and transparent.

A digital-first evaluation

The board evaluated a staggering 98,66,622 answer books using OSM. According to CBSE, the system allows evaluators to mark digital copies of answer sheets from anywhere in the country, removing the need to physically transport lakhs of scripts to designated centres.

"We have trained nearly 70,000 evaluators for this shift," a senior official said. "The system flags incomplete checks and ensures every answer follows the marking scheme. Human intervention in manual addition is now zero."

Teachers across the country have largely welcomed the move. Many examiners told CBSE that OSM reduced their clerical workload, letting them focus on quality assessment rather than counting marks. The board claims daily evaluation capacity has also gone up, from 20-25 answer books in the old system to about 30 scripts per day now.

Regional performance and gender gap

Region-wise, Trivandrum topped the charts with a 95.62 per cent pass rate, followed by Chennai (93.84%) and Bengaluru (93.19%). Delhi as a whole recorded 91.97 per cent, with the east and west regions performing closely. Patna and Prayagraj were at the lower end with 74.45 per cent and 72.43 per cent respectively.

Girls continued to outperform boys. The pass percentage for girls stood at 88.86 per cent, compared to 82.13 per cent for boys. Transgender candidates recorded 100 per cent pass rate for the second year running. Students with special needs (CWSN) logged a 90.16 per cent pass rate, with over 5,700 such candidates appearing.

No merit list has been declared, continuing the board's policy to avoid unhealthy competition. However, merit certificates will be issued to the top 0.1 per cent of students who scored the highest marks in individual subjects. These will be delivered via DigiLocker.

Where to check results

Students can access their digital mark sheets through the CBSE website, results.nic.in, or directly via their DigiLocker accounts using Aadhaar or a PIN shared by schools. The Umang app is also an option. For students abroad, a separate support ticket system has been set up. Printed certificates will reach regular students through their schools in the coming weeks.