CBSE Class 10th Exam 2026

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is India’s premier national education board, governing both public and private schools across the country. Established in 1929, CBSE was envisioned as a unifying framework for secondary education, promoting interstate cooperation and standardization. Today, the CBSE network spans over 27,000 schools in India and 240 institutions in 28 other countries, all following the NCERT curriculum, especially from Grades 9 to 12.

CBSE holds a distinguished position among central and state education boards due to its government backing and emphasis on quality education. Its focus lies in exam reforms, evaluation improvements, and skill-based learning, incorporating job-oriented inputs to enhance employability. The board also sets examination standards and conducts public exams at the end of Class 10 and Class 12, awarding qualifying certificates to successful candidates.

Class 10 is a crucial academic milestone, helping students determine their preferred subjects for higher studies. Every year, millions of students appear for the Class 10 board exams, typically conducted between February and April, with results announced in May. For those who do not pass, CBSE offers a re-examination in August–September.

CBSE Class 10 Board Exam Date Sheet 2026 Released

For 2026, CBSE has released the tentative Class 10 date sheet. Exams will begin on February 17, 2026, and conclude on March 9, 2026. This year, exams are planned in two phases: the first phase for all major subjects from February 17 to March 9, and a second phase starting May 15, 2026, for students needing a second attempt. This phased schedule aims to reduce stress and provide greater flexibility.

Students can download the subject-wise timetable from the official CBSE website. It is advisable to carefully note exam dates and create a structured revision plan. Staying updated with notifications and changes will help students prepare efficiently and perform their best in the 2026 Class 10 board examinations.

CBSE Class 12 Board Exam Date Sheet 2026 Released

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced the tentative date sheet for the Class 12 board examinations 2026. The exams are scheduled to commence on February 17, 2026, and will continue until April 9, 2026. Students from Science, Commerce, and Humanities streams can now check the schedule and plan their preparation accordingly.

This year, all Class 12 exams will be held in a single session, from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, maintaining uniformity across all streams. CBSE has urged students to carefully follow the timetable and stay updated with any notifications or changes published on the official website.

CBSE 10th Exam Date 2026 - Highlights

Conducting Board	CBSE
CBSE Full Form	Central Board of Secondary Education
Exam Name	CBSE 10th Board Exam 2026
Session	2025-26
Release of CBSE 10th Date Sheet 2026	December, 2025*
CBSE Board Exam 2026 For Class 10 & 12	17 February, 2026 (Tentative)
Announcement of CBSE 10th Result 2026	May, 2026
Exam Mode	Offline
Official Website	cbse.gov.in

 CBSE Class 10 Exam Schedule - 2026

First Phase : 17th February - 09th March, 2026

Second Phase : 15th May, 2026

CBSE Class 12 Exam Schedule - 2026

First Phase : 17th February - 09th April, 2026

Key Exam Dates for Class 10

Subjects	Date
Mathematics	17th February, 2026
English	21st February, 2026
Science	25th February, 2026
Hindi	02nd March, 2026
Social Science	07th March, 2026

Major Changes in CBSE 2026 Board Exams

1.

Two Board Exams Per Year : Students can take two attmepts, with the best score considered for the final result.

2. Fixed Exam Days for Major Sujects : Science, Mathematics, Social Science, Hindi and English will follow a structured schedule.

3. Flexible Subject Choices : Regional & Foreign Languages will be tested together, while elective subjects will have multiple exam slots.

4. No Self-Centers : Examination centers will be pre-determined by CBSE.

5. Result Declaration : 

• Class 10 First Exam : By 20th April, 2026
• Class 10 Second Exam : By 30th June, 2026

Other Key Highlights

Practical / Internal Assessments will be conducted only once per academic year.

Mark Sheet cum Passing Certificate will include scores from both attempts, highlighting the best performance.

No additional or special exams will be conducted beyond the two planned cycles.

Schools will be assessed before being designated as exam centers.

CBSE's biannual board exam model aims to reduce stress, improve flexibility, and enhance competency-based learning, marking a major shift in India's school examination system.

CBSE Question Paper

• Board Question Paper

  CBSE Class 10 Question Papers

  View All Question Papers

• Sample Question Paper

  CBSE Class 10 sample Question Papers

  View All Sample Papers

• Marking Scheme

  CBSE Class 10 Marking Scheme

  View All Marking Scheme

CBSE Syllabus

• Board Syllabus

  CBSE Class 10 Syllabus

  View All Syllabus

Advantages of CBSE Board

Indian Government recognition: The Indian Government acknowledges the CBSE, a national level board of education. This means that the curricula for all grades levels are organised in accordance with the Indian government's recommendations

Simple study method: The CBSE employs a systematic approach in which students are only allowed to take one exam per subject. Exams relieve children of unnecessary stress. As a result, we are allowing kids to become interested in the subject.

The CBSE curriculum is designed to help students prepare to various admission tests, including the IIT-JEE and AIIMS. Furthermore, CBSE Follows the National Council for Educational Research and Traning (NCERT) standards in all subjects.

It is useful for relocating because many schools in India are affiliated with the CBSE, making it reasonably easy for parents to relocate and enrol their children in a CBSE Board School if their Jobs change.

Allows students to take exam privately: Regular (Students enrolled in board-affiliated schools) and private students are both eligible to take CBSE exams. Other boards only allow regular students to attend their connected schools.

CBSE places equal focus on the Hindi and English Languages and provides educational materials in both. The CBSE Boards in Surat's Test patterns and evaluation systems are advancing towards worldwide norms. Children have the opportunity to study abroad at one of the many schools across the world.

---

 

Important Instructions For Students Ahead Of CBSE Board Exam

Annually, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be conducting the board examination for both Class 10 and Class 12 in the months of FEB-APRIL, 2026. Over 35.70 lakh students appear for the board examinations every year combining both Class 10 and 12. 

Ahead of the board examinations, students should know some important instructions. The board has initiated a three-tier security check to keep the paper leaks and other malpractices at bay.

Here are some important rules students shouldn't miss before appearing for the board exams. 

School Uniform Mandatory 

The CBSE is very particular about the school uniform. The regular students who are appearing for the board examinations need to wear the school uniform. Regular students who don't wear the school uniform for the examination will not be allowed to sit in the examination hall. We advise students to carry the school identity card along with the admit card.  

Parent Signature On Admit Card 

The board has rolled out a new feature that along with the student and principal's signature, a column has been added for the parents signature in CBSE admit cards. Students will not be permitted for the examination if the column is not filled. 

No Entry After 10 AM

The board examinations will be conducted from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm. The gates of the examination will be closed by sharp 10 am and open again after 1.30 pm. Students cannot enter the exam centre after 10 am. Hence, students are advised to reach the centre at least 30 minutes before the gate closes. 

What To Carry 

Students can carry the basic stationery, such as pencil, pen and eraser along with admit card and school identity card. The diabetic students can carry the snacks but only in a clean wrap. Any written material, electronic gadgets and smartwatches are prohibited inside the examination hall. 

---

  

What Is CBSE Pre Exam Psychological Counselling

Annually, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts the Pre-Examination Psychological Counselling services to both students and parents. This programme has been designed as a part of the board's outreach programme that caters to the heterogeneous students’ and parent’s population and the vast geographical network of schools.

The board will be conducting the psychological counselling at the time of preparation and during the examinations.

This will help students overcome exam-related stress. Here are multiple modes of CBSE counselling.

Types Of CBSE Pre Exam Psychological Counselling

1. Tele-Counselling 

2. IVRS 

3. Comprehensive Audio Video Presentation

4. Question-Answer Columns 

5. Online Counselling

CBSE Tele-Counselling

It is offered by principals and trained counsellors from within CBSE-affiliated schools across the country. It is a voluntary, free of cost service provided by the participants. This option is available in and outside India.  

IVRS

CBSE has introduced IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System). The facility of IVRS is available on a toll-free number, 1800 11 8004. One who calls this number can obtain pre-recorded useful information related to exam preparation, tips for better preparation and how to keep exam stress at bay. 

CBSE Website 

The board has rolled out a comprehensive audio-visual presentation titled ‘Knowing Children Better.’ This is available on the CBSE website. Students can make use of this to deal with real-time experiences and problems of adolescents with suggestive measures as coping strategies. To know more about this option, students can access the tab ‘Counselling’ at www.cbse.nic.in. 

Question-Answer Columns 

The experts from CBSE will be answering the queries of students through weekly question-answer columns, which will be published in the leading national newspapers during the month of February.

On-Line Counselling

Students who want any specific suggestion and guidance can write a mail ([email protected]). 

---

 

Passing Criteria For CBSE Class 10 Students

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be conducting the Class 10 board examinations from February, 2024. When the exam bells are about to ring, candidates should know about the passing criteria. The criteria adopted for computing the result of Class 10 is described below. 

''Candidates who have appeared in the exam as per the scheme of studies were exempted from separate pass criteria in internal assessment and board examination.

The result was computed in each subject taking into account combined marks obtained in internal assessment and board exam and those who secured 33%  marks were declared pass in that subject,'' CBSE stated in the official announcement. 

''In case of a candidate being absent in practical/internal assessment, the marks were treated as (zero) and the result was computed accordingly,'' CBSE added. 

Candidates have to note that the CBSE will continue the same passing criteria for board examinations which were used in the last year. Candidates appearing for Class 10 board examination in 2024 onwards will have to secure overall 33% (both taken together) in the subjects to be eligible to pass that subject. 

---

 

CBSE Introduced Two Levels Of Mathematics In Class 10 

In a novel way, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced two levels of mathematics for students of Class 10. It has released a circular regarding the introduction of two levels of mathematics for All India Secondary School Examination from the academic session ending March 2020 onwards.  

According to the press statement released by CBSE, ''the two levels of examinations cater for different kinds of learners and allow different levels of testing, it would also reduce overall student stress levels.'' 

''It is well known that students experience greatest stress before and during their most ‘difficult’ subject exam. Keeping in view of this important aspect and as evidenced by the Board results, the Board has decided to introduce two levels of examination in mathematics for the students who are going to appear in the Board examination for the academic session ending March 2020 onwards,'' CBSE added. 

Some of the key details of this scheme are given below. 

• There shall not be two levels of Assessment/Examination for Class 9. 
• Students have to note that the first level would be the same as the existing one, and the other would be an easier level.
• The two examinations are - Mathematics-Standard (for the existing level of examination) and Mathematics-Basic (for the easier level of examination). 
• The classroom teaching, syllabus and internal assessment would remain the same for both the levels.
• The Mathematics-standard level is meant for students who wish to opt mathematics at Senior Secondary. 
• The Mathematics-Basic level would be for students who are not aiming to pursue the subject at higher levels.
• Students have an option to choose at the time of submission of List of Candidates (LoC) by the affiliated school. 
• If students fail at any level of mathematics, they can appear for the supplementary exams. 

---

 

CBSE Frames New Rules On Low Attendance

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to monitor the attendance of students of all its affiliated schools.It has issued a new set of instructions to schools and made it mandatory to share the attendance report of its students.Based on the attendance, the Board will decide on allowing the students to appear for the examinations it is responsible for.

The Board took this decision because the recent result indicated that students with low attendance performed badly in the examinations.The CBSE has also developed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to deal with low-attendance cases.

The Board has framed new rules on low attendance.

• Exemption will be given to students in case of prolonged loss of mother or father, illness, participation in sports or any similar reasons.
• Schools should complete the attendance and report the same to CBSE by January 1 of the academic year.In case of any short attendance, they should submit the supporting documents to CBSE's Regional Office by January 7.
• Schools should fill all the requirements before the last date, i.e., February 7.

Latest Updates