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.

While students checked their results today, behind the scenes, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) completed what it calls the world's largest On Screen Marking (OSM) exercise – evaluating nearly one crore answer books without moving a single physical script across a city.

The numbers are staggering. According to data released alongside the results, CBSE used 88,000 computers at over 6,000 evaluation centres to assess 98,66,622 answer sheets. Around 70,000 evaluators, assisted by 17,500 assistant head examiners and 3,889 head examiners, completed the process digitally.

Why OSM changes the game

For years, parents and students worried about totalling errors, lost answer books, or evaluator bias. The board claims OSM has addressed most of these. "The system ensures every answer is evaluated as per the marking scheme," the press release noted. "Evaluators award marks only through the digital interface – no manual addition, no lost pages."

Teachers who participated in the process told the board that the training, conducted by CBSE, was manageable and the interface user-friendly. One key advantage: evaluators can now work from their own schools, even abroad, without reporting to a central physical location. This, officials said, has dramatically cut down logistical costs and time.

Coordination with NTA and sports quota students

In a bid to reduce student stress, CBSE said it shared data with the National Testing Agency (NTA) well in advance. Students whose board exams were scheduled between April 2 and April 8 had their JEE Main dates adjusted to avoid clashes. Similarly, special examinations for students participating in national or international sports events were held on April 11 and 13, shortly after the main exams ended.

The board also released its date sheet unusually early this year. The first version came out on October 20, 2025 – 109 days before the first exam. A final version with minor corrections followed on December 31, giving students 47 days of clear preparation time.

Handling over 40,000 subject combinations

One often overlooked challenge: CBSE permits students to choose any combination of subjects, leading to over 40,000 unique subject combinations this year alone. Officials said scheduling errors were avoided by mapping every combination against available dates, and by avoiding major entrance exam dates.

A live webinar on February 13, 2026, attended by more than 4 lakh teachers and school staff from over 30,000 schools, was conducted to walk through examination policies. "Frequently Asked Questions" documents were also circulated to all examination functionaries.

What about West Asia and international students

Given the ongoing situation in some West Asian countries, CBSE decided to release results for students from that region simultaneously with the rest of India. Examinations that were cancelled there have not affected result timelines, the board clarified.

For schools abroad – CBSE now has affiliations in 27 countries from Japan to Ghana – access to the Parinam Manjusha digital repository has been extended. Schools can log in using credentials already shared to download their students' digital documents.

Eco-friendly and transparent

The board estimates the move to digital evaluation has saved massive amounts of paper. Beyond environmental benefits, officials say the transparency of the process – every click is logged, every mark is traceable – has improved trust among parents and students. While the pass percentage has dropped from the previous year, the board maintains that OSM has made results more accurate and fair.

Re-evaluation requests, if any, will now be handled online, with no scope for tampering or lost files. "This is a paradigm shift," the release concluded. "Results are now accurate, timely, and fair."