The performance of CBSE Class XII students in Tamil Nadu has seen a decline of at least 3 percentage points this year compared to the previous year. Teachers and school heads attribute this dip to tougher question papers, which led to lower average marks despite several students scoring above 95%.
Pass Percentage and Rankings
Tamil Nadu recorded a pass percentage of 95.25%, securing the fourth rank among regions, behind Lakshadweep, Goa, and Kerala. This marks a significant drop from 98.48% in 2025. The Chennai region, which includes parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, logged a pass percentage of 93.84%, down from 97.39% last year.
Student Performance and Gender Gap
In Tamil Nadu, 83,962 out of 88,146 students passed, while in the Chennai region, 95,979 out of 1,02,284 students cleared the exam. Girls outperformed boys in both categories, with a pass percentage exceeding 95%.
Even top scorers expressed disappointment and are considering re-evaluation in certain subjects. K B Pratibha, a student of Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram in Kilpauk, who scored 479 out of 500, said, "I feel slightly disappointed that I could not score more than 490. I got only 93% in physics and expected a centum in chemistry. I will apply for a scanned copy of my answer sheets and go for re-evaluation." Similarly, S Arutperunjothi, a student of PSBB Millennium School, who scored 484 out of 500, plans to apply for re-evaluation in chemistry, biology, and mathematics.
Challenging Subjects and Evaluation Method
Teachers noted that subjects like physics (in science) and accountancy (in commerce) were particularly difficult. R S Shanti, senior principal at Zion and Alwin Group of Schools and a physics teacher, explained, "In physics, there were more competency-based and higher-order thinking skill-based questions. The sets were challenging, with 30% to 40% of the question papers requiring high numerical ability. There was also increased weightage for case-study based questions, making it naturally challenging for students."
A section of school heads believes that the on-screen marking system (OSM) adopted this year may have led to stricter evaluation. A principal from a city school commented, "This time, the evaluation was digital. In manual correction, when a paper is difficult, teachers tend to be slightly lenient. That was not possible with OSM. We need to wait and watch the impact of OSMs."
Overall Assessment
Despite the dip, many educators consider the results satisfactory. P G Subramanian, principal of Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram, said, "There is a dip in average and centums in some subjects, but overall the results are good. Students who worked hard consistently have scored well."
