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Over 16 lakh students to appear for Class 10 exams starting tomorrow
Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education to conduct Secondary School Certificate exams across the state from February 20 to March 18
Pune: A total of 16,15,489 students will appear for the Class 10 or Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations to be conducted by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) across the state from February 20 to March 18. The exams will be held through its nine divisional boards in Pune, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mumbai, Kolhapur, Amravati, Nashik, Latur and Konkan, acting chairperson of MSBSHSE Nandkumar Bedse said on Wednesday.
The students include 8,65,740 boys, 7,49,736 girls, and 13 transgender students. Students from 23,683 schools will appear for the exams at 5,111 centers across Maharashtra.
The timetable and hall tickets have already been published and distributed to all students. To maintain strict vigilance, 271 flying squads have been deployed, while 554 examination centres lack CCTV coverage. Out of 191 identified sensitive centers, 42 do not have CCTV, prompting authorities to shuffle staff from center heads to peons, following arrangements made for the exams, to ensure smooth and fair conduct of the examinations.
To reduce exam-related stress, the board has appointed 10 counsellors at the state level. Additionally, each divisional board will provide two district-level counsellors for students. The timetable has been designed in such a way that students do not feel stressed, ensuring a sufficient gap between two papers. Additionally, students will be given an extra 10 minutes after each exam, said officials.
This year, two students from the Pune division with visual impairments will appear for the exams in online mode. District vigilance committees under the respective district collectors have already been set up in every district to ensure a copy-free examination.
Bedse said, “To ensure a transparent and fair examination environment, the board has implemented a ‘Copy-Free Campaign’ across the state. A total of 271 flying squads have been deployed, and district-level vigilance committees are functioning under the supervision of the respective district collectors. Examination centres within 500 metres of Xerox centres are required to remain closed. Exams at centres equipped with CCTV will be recorded on camera, and any violations will be dealt with under the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices Act, 1982, including both cognizable and non-bailable offences.”
Compared to last year, the number of students appearing has increased by 3,879. Last year, there were 5,130 exam centres, whereas this year there are 5,111 centres. A total of 31 doubtful exam centres have been cancelled this year.
In 2025, 319 cases of malpractice were reported. The overall SSC pass percentage last year was 94.10%, with the Konkan division ranking first at 98.82%, followed by Kolhapur at 96.87%, and Mumbai at 95.84%. The Mumbai division has the highest number of students this year, totalling 3,49,873.
Students unable to appear for practicals, oral exams, or internal assessments due to medical or unavoidable reasons will be given a chance to appear in “out of turn” examinations on March 20, 23, and 24, 2026. Marks for practical and internal assessments will be uploaded online.
Guidelines
*Students should arrive 30 minutes before the exam at the center.
*Morning session starts at 10:30 am and afternoon session at 2:30 pm.
*Online admit cards are available through school login portals.
*Students must follow all instructions on the answer sheets and admit cards.
*As in previous years, 10 minutes of additional time will be provided beyond the scheduled duration.
*Divyang (differently-abled) students will receive concessions as per government rules.
Reach out to counsellors at
9960644411, 7972573742, 9834084593, 9359978315, 8169202214, 9371661255, 7208429381, 7709156068, 8421150528, 9404783996
