The Central Board of Secondary Education is a board of school education in India.The CBSE prepares the syllabus for students from Lower Kindergarten (L.K.G) to Class 12, for schools affiliated with it. It conducts two board examinations: the All India Secondary School Examination for Class 10 and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12, which is a school-leaving examination. It also prescribes the syllabi for these examinations, whose scores are necessary to gain admission in higher study institutes. Many private schools through the country affiliate themselves with the CBSE. The medium for education prescribed by CBSE is either English or Hindi.

CBSE All India Senior School Certificate Examination for Class 12 is widely recognised internationally for direct admission to university undergraduate courses.

CBSE also conducts the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) which is a common entrance examination on all-India basis for admission to engineering and architecture/planning programmes in the country. Similarly Pre-medical and Pre-dental Tests AIPMT (PMT/PDT) are conducted for medical and dental colleges after the 10+2 exams.

Despite being central boards and following the national curriculum, this board has few students; most students opt for their respective state boards. For example, Madhyamik (equivalent examination of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education) is taken by around 750,000 candidates while this examination has about 450,000 candidates. Main reason for lesser number of students is that most schools which are run by state governments are affiliated to their respective boards. Most Public and convent schools opt for either CBSE or ICSE.