Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 16: In a significant move aimed at aligning State Board standards with national education boards like CBSE and neighbouring states, the Karnataka government has announced that the passing marks for SSLC and II PUC board exams will be reduced from 35% to 33%, starting from the current 2025–26 academic year.

The announcement was made by school education and literacy minister Madhu Bangarappa in a press briefing in Bengaluru.“This decision is intended to increase the pass percentage among students and ensure uniformity with national boards,” the minister stated, emphasising that the move also follows overwhelming public support.

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Revised passing criteria:

SSLC (Class 10)

• Current rule: Students must score a minimum of 219 out of 625 marks (35%) overall.

• New rule: Students will now need to score at least 206 out of 625 marks (33%) to pass.

• However, a minimum of 30 marks in each subject will remain mandatory.

II PUC (Class 12)

• Current rule: Minimum of 210 out of 600 marks (35%) required to pass.

• New rule: Students need to secure at least 198 out of 600 marks (33%) from 2025–26.

• Students must score at least 30 marks per subject, combining theory and internal assessments.

Public feedback drove the decision

Before implementing the change, the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) had released a draft notification inviting public opinion. The response was overwhelmingly in favour of lowering the pass percentage:

• 701 letters supported reducing the passing marks to 33%

• Only 8 letters opposed the move, favouring the 35% benchmark

Minister Bangarappa said the government has respected the majority view and decided to adopt the 33% standard from the 2025–26 academic year.

Exam reforms, webcasting and improved results 

The minister also highlighted recent examination reforms, particularly the use of webcasting during exams to curb malpractice. These measures, he said, had contributed to more transparent and efficient conduct of board exams this year. “Thanks to strict monitoring, including live webcasting, the SSLC exams were conducted smoothly, and the pass percentage rose to 79%, exceeding even the 75% target set by the chief minister,” Bangarappa noted.

Language marks cut still under review

While the passing mark change has been finalised, another proposed reform—reducing the maximum marks for first language papers from 125 to 100—is still under review. The government will seek public opinion before making a final decision.