CBSE reschedules classes 10, 12 exams scheduled for March 3

CBSE will start conducting the Class 10 board exams biannually from the 2026 cycle, with the first mandatory exam in mid-February

Updated on: Dec 30, 2025, 17:43:06 IST

By Sanjay Maurya

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NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rescheduled the 2026 board examinations for 13 Class 10 subjects and one Class 12 subject that were slated to be held on March 3, citing “administrative reasons”.

CBSE said the change in the examination schedule of some subjects was necessitated due to administrative reasons (Sanchit Khanna/HT File Photo)

In a December 29 letter to principals of its affiliated schools, the board said the 2026 examinations for 13 Class 10 subjects -- Tibetan, German, National Cadet Corps, Bhoti, Bodo, Tangkhul, Japanese, Bhutia, Spanish, Kashmiri, Mizo, Bahasa Melayu, and Elements of Book Keeping and Accountancy -- will be held on March 11.

Similarly, the Class 12 Legal Studies examination, also previously slated for March 3, will now be conducted on April 10.

“All other examination dates remain unchanged. Schools are requested to kindly disseminate this information to all concerned students and parents for their information and necessary action please,” Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj, CBSE controller of examinations, said in the letter.

He said that date sheets for Class 10 and 12 board examinations 2026 were being amended accordingly and the revised dates will be reflected in the Admit Cards.

CBSE will start conducting the Class 10 board exams biannually from the 2026 cycle, with the first mandatory exam in mid-February and an optional second exam in May for students aiming to improve their marks in three subjects out of four – science, mathematics, social science, and languages.

This change is in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which stressed reducing the ‘high-stakes’ nature of board exams.

About 2.6 million Class 10 students and 2 million Class 12 students are expected to appear for the exams.

According to the schedule announced on October 30, the main board exams will run from February 17 to March 10 for Class 10, and from February 17 to April 9 for Class 12.

CBSE had previously indicated that the second round of exams would be held from May 15 to June 1, and the results announced by July 15, 2026.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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