CBSE Allows Basic Math Students To Choose Standard Math In Class 11 From 2025-26; Details Here

CBSE: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made a big change to its academic policy. Starting in the 2025–26 school year, students who took Mathematics Basic (code 241) in Class 10 will be able to pursue Mathematics Standard (code 041) in Class 11.

This modification is based on Circular No. Acad-03/2019, which was sent out on January 10, 2019, and created two levels of Mathematics—Basic and Standard—for the Secondary School Examination starting with the academic session that ends in March 2020. The 2019 rules said that Standard Math was for students who wanted to study math in higher classes and Basic Math was for children who didn't want to study math after Class 10.

Before, only students who had studied Standard Mathematics (041) in Class 10 may choose it in Class 11. Students who had only studied Basic Mathematics (241) were eligible to study Applied Mathematics at the Senior Secondary level. During the pandemic years, CBSE made an exception and let Basic Math pupils transition to Standard Math.

This relaxation is now permanent for the 2025–26 school year and beyond. Schools can let Class 10 Basic Math pupils choose Standard Math in Class 11 if the school is sure that the student is smart enough and able to handle the subject.

CBSE has also advised schools to tell parents and students about this change in policy so they may make smart choices. But it made it clear that once topic choices are sent in the List of Candidates (LOC), they can't be changed.

This guideline will be in place until the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) comes up with a new way to study.