3 min readNew DelhiMay 13, 2026 12:20 PM IST
CBSE 12th Passing Marks: The Central Board of Secondary Education is expected to announce the Class 12 board examination results 2026 today. Once declared, students who appeared for the All India Senior School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) will be able to check their results through the official websites — cbse.gov.in and cbseresults.nic.in — DigiLocker, and UMANG platforms.
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Among the most common queries students have ahead of the result declaration is regarding the minimum passing marks required to clear CBSE Class 12 examinations. According to CBSE’s official passing criteria and curriculum guidelines for the 2025-26 session, students are required to secure a minimum of 33 per cent marks to pass a subject.
For subjects that include both theory and practical or internal assessment components, candidates must obtain 33 per cent separately in both sections. This means that merely clearing the overall aggregate may not be enough if the student fails to secure minimum marks in either theory or practicals individually.
Passing criteria for Science stream students
For Science stream students, subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology are generally divided into 70 marks theory and 30 marks practicals. In such cases, students must score at least 23 marks out of 70 in theory and around 9–10 marks in practicals to qualify. Mathematics and language papers, which usually carry 80 marks theory and 20 marks internal assessment, require approximately 26 marks in theory and 7 marks in internals.
Passing rules for Commerce and Humanities streams
Commerce and Humanities students also follow the same 33 per cent passing rule. Subjects such as Accountancy, Economics, Business Studies, History, Political Science, Geography, and Sociology generally include theory papers along with project or internal assessment components. Students must pass both sections separately wherever applicable. CBSE’s nine-point grading system also requires students to secure grades above the ‘E’ category to be declared pass.
Grace marks and special provisions
CBSE may also award grace marks to students who fall short of the passing criteria by a small margin. As per board norms, compensatory marks may additionally be granted in cases involving difficult papers, ambiguous questions, or errors in question papers.
West Asia examination cancellations and assessment policy
Separately, CBSE had earlier cancelled Class 12 board examinations at several centres across West Asian countries including Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE due to the prevailing regional situation. Thousands of students studying in CBSE-affiliated schools in these regions were affected by the disruption.
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To ensure that students are not academically disadvantaged, CBSE introduced a special assessment scheme for affected candidates. The board informed schools that marks would be calculated using a combination of internal assessments, practical performance, and examinations already completed by students before the cancellation of remaining papers. CBSE has said that results for affected students will also be declared on time along with the regular result schedule.