CBSE Class 10 and 12 Board Exam 2026 schedule out: Know Important Changes

CBSE Board Exam 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has officially released the final date sheet for the Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations for the academic session 2025-26.

The board examinations for both Class 10 and Class 12 will begin on February 17, 2026. Class 10 board exams (Phase 1) will conclude on March 10, 2026 and Class 12 board exams will conclude on April 9, 2026. Most papers are scheduled for the 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM slot. Students should download the detailed PDF of the datesheet from the official CBSE website, cbse.gov.in.

Important Changes:

– Two Board Exams for Class 10: In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommendations, CBSE will hold two board examinations for Class 10 in 2026. The dates mentioned above are for the first, mandatory phase. An optional second phase is expected later (e.g., May-June 2026) for improvement.

– The final datesheet has been prepared to ensure sufficient gaps between major subjects generally offered by students.

– Class 12 exam dates have been planned to conclude well before major national entrance examinations, aiding students’ preparation for both.

– Schools are to conduct practical/project/internal assessments before the theory exams, typically starting from January 1, 2026, for most schools (with earlier dates for winter-bound schools).

Important Subject Dates (Phase 1)

This is a partial list of dates for major subjects. Students should refer to the official date sheet for their complete, subject-specific schedule.

CBSE Class 10 (Phase 1) – Major Subjects (Date, Day and Subject):

Feb 17, 2026 – Tuesday – Mathematics (Standard & Basic)

Feb 21, 2026 – Saturday – English (Communicative / Language & Literature)

Feb 25, 2026 – Wednesday – Science

Mar 2, 2026 – Monday – Hindi Course-A / Hindi Course-B

Mar 7, 2026 – Saturday – Social Science

CBSE Class 12 – Major Subjects (Date, Day and Subject):

Feb 20, 2026 – Friday – Physics

Feb 24, 2026 – Tuesday – Accountancy

Feb 26, 2026 – Thursday – Geography

Feb 28, 2026 – Saturday – Chemistry

Mar 9, 2026 – Monday – Mathematics / Applied Mathematics

Mar 12, 2026 – Thursday – English Elective / English Core

Mar 16, 2026 – Monday – Hindi Elective / Hindi Core

Mar 18, 2026 – Wednesday – Economics

Mar 23, 2026 – Monday – Political Science

Mar 25, 2026 – Wednesday – Informatics Practices / Computer Science / Information Technology

Mar 27, 2026 – Friday – Biology

Mar 28, 2026 – Saturday – Business Studies / Business Administration

Mar 30, 2026 – Monday – History

How to Download the Official Date Sheet:

Students and parents can download the complete, detailed date sheet PDF from the official CBSE website:

1. Visit the official CBSE website at cbse.gov.in.

2. Navigate to the ‘Examinations’ tab or section.

3. Click on the ‘Date Sheet’ link.

4. Locate and click the link for “CBSE Date Sheet X-XII Final 2026”.

The full timetable is essential for planning, as it includes the exact date, day, subject code, and timing for every paper.

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