Bihar Board Class 10 Grading System 2026: Grade Bands, CGPA Calculation and Percentage Formula

What Is the Bihar Board Class 10 Marking System?

The Bihar Board Class 10 (Matric) examination is scored out of 500 marks across five main subjects, with each subject carrying 100 marks. Your division and percentage are calculated on these five subjects, so the total that matters for your result is 500.

You also appear in an additional (optional) subject. This sixth subject does not add to the 500-mark total, but it is used for betterment — if you fail one main subject yet pass the additional one, the additional subject can replace it so you still qualify.

Within each 100-mark subject, marks are split between written (theory) and, where applicable, practical or internal-assessment components. Science and similar subjects carry an 80-mark theory paper plus a 20-mark practical, while language and social-science subjects are assessed entirely through the written paper. Your subject score is the combined total of these components, out of 100.

How Does the Bihar Board Class 10 Grading System Work?

BSEB places your marks in each subject into a fixed letter-grade band. The grade scale is absolute, which means a grade depends only on the marks you score, not on how other students perform. A score of 90% and above always earns an A1, regardless of the year.

The table below shows the grade bands BSEB uses for each 100-mark subject, with the indicative grade point and remark for each band.

The grade is shown alongside your numerical marks on the marksheet; it does not replace them. Bihar Board reports the actual marks, the division and the subject grade together, so colleges and recruiters can read your exact score.

This year’s results show how the bands play out in practice. In the 2026 cycle, 15,10,928 students appeared and 12,35,743 passed, for an overall pass percentage of 81.79%. Boys recorded 82.82% and girls 80.82%. By division, 4,43,723 students secured First Division, 4,75,511 Second Division and 3,03,103 Third Division. At the top, Pushpanjali Kumari and Sabrin Parveen jointly topped with 492 marks (98.4%), placing them firmly in the A1 band.

How Are Grade Points, CGPA and Percentage Calculated?

Bihar Board Class 10 does not issue a single CGPA the way CBSE does. Instead, your result is built around actual marks, a division and a subject-wise grade. There is no best-five-of-six averaging into one cumulative grade point that then gets multiplied by a fixed factor.

Your percentage is read straight from your marks, using the simple formula below.

Percentage = (Total marks obtained in 5 main subjects ÷ 500) × 100

For example, if you score 410 out of 500, your percentage is (410 ÷ 500) × 100 = 82%, which places you in First Division. Because BSEB already prints your percentage and division, you do not need any CGPA-to-percentage conversion factor.

If you want a quick quality read on your performance, you can average the grade points from the table above. An average grade point of 8 corresponds to consistent A2-level work across subjects, while an average near 9 reflects A1-level marks throughout. Treat this as an indicator only — your official standing is the division and marks on the marksheet, not an averaged grade point.

What Are the Pass Criteria and Division System?

To be declared passed in Bihar Board Class 10, you must clear two conditions at the same time. You need a minimum of 30 marks (30%) in every individual subject and a minimum of 150 marks in aggregate out of 500. Falling short of 30 in even one subject means you have not passed that subject, even if your total crosses 150.

Once you pass, your aggregate marks decide your division, as shown below.

If you fail in one or two subjects, you are not failed outright — you become eligible for the compartment (supplementary) examination. In the 2026 cycle, the compartment exams were held from 2 to 6 May 2026, and the compartment result was declared on 23 May 2026. Clearing the compartment lets you complete Class 10 in the same academic year without losing a full year.

What Is the Bihar Board Grace Marks Policy?

BSEB awards grace marks to help students who fall just short of passing. If you are short of the pass mark in a limited number of subjects by a small margin, the board may add grace marks so you can be declared passed. The exact number added is capped and is decided by the board each year.

A long-standing provision protects strong overall performers. If you score at least 75% in aggregate but fail in only one subject by not more than 10% of that subject’s marks, you are declared passed, and your division is fixed on your actual marks. Grace marks are applied to push a borderline student over the line, never to change a division you have already earned.

Absolute vs Relative Grading: How Is BSEB Different?

Bihar Board uses absolute grading, while some boards use relative or position-based grading. In absolute grading, your grade is tied only to your own marks, so the A1 band is the same 90%-and-above range every year. In relative grading, grade boundaries shift each year depending on the cohort’s performance.

This predictability is the practical advantage of the Bihar Board system — you can read the grade table before results and know exactly what marks you need for each band and division.