CBSE Exams 2026 Live: CBSE 10th, 12th exams to begin today; check reporting time, guidelines

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Monday said that it is mandatory for all class 10 students to appear in the first board exam. Those who will fail to appear in at least three subjects in the first edition will be placed n the "essential repeat" category, it added. CBSE Class 10 and 12 exams 2026 will begin from February 17. CBSE's clarification comes after it received a few requests stating that, because of some reasons, Class 10 students will not be able to appear in the first board exam, hence should be allowed to appear in second board exam. 

How to prepare? 

Preparation must begin with a realistic approach. A structured schedule must be built while completely eliminating being overwhelmed by the syllabus.  The syllabus must be divided into small, manageable parts, and by assigning time depending on the difficulty level of the topic. A good daily routine should be made, where the progress is mapped. Short breaks must be included as these are essential for preventing stress.  Flexibility is essential since certain topics require extra time.  

Important strategies 

Creating mind maps and flashcards  
Practising previous year’s papers
Doing mock tests.
These strategies provide good support to students for identifying weak areas and excelling with the exam pattern, managing their time wisely. Marking important words and lines helps in easy revision.

Focus on daily progress 

Students must focus on daily progress and not on being perfect. They should not compare themselves with others, since each individual is unique, learn at their own pace, and has immense potential.  

Health is wealth 

Health and Wellness must not be ignored.  The old age adage “Early to bed and early to rise makes one healthy, wealthy, and wise” is indeed relevant, as sound sleep improves concentration power, leading to sharp and good memory.  Students must be guided and advised to incorporate simple yet effective practices when feeling overwhelmed or stressed, like mild deep breathing, short walks, and talking to someone.  All work and no play can make learning dull and exhausting. To combat this, it is important to pursue a hobby to rejuvenate oneself, along with a good and well-balanced diet, which nourishes one.

Parents and family play a vital role in ensuring a calm and supportive exam environment; their timely guidance and understanding provide a sense of security. Appreciation and open communication at home, build confidence, especially in times of self-doubt. 

Students should focus on regular revision, consistent hard work, while staying calm and composed with a positive attitude and a strong belief in themselves.   

Ahead of the exam, CBSE has alerted the exam takers on social media rumours about question paper leaks. As observed in the past, certain unscrupulous elements attempt to mislead students and parents by spreading fake news on various social media platforms during the course of exams. Such misinformation often includes false claims of question paper leaks and circulation of purported question papers for X/XII examinations of the Board, CBSE notification mentioned.  

Do not bring any restricted items to the exam center. All sorts of electronic devices- smart phone, Bluetooth devices, earphones, pagers are not allowed at the exam centre. The exam center will not provide any storage for banned items, and if any such item is brought, it will have to be stored outside the venue at the candidate’s own risk. 

The candidates should carry admit card at the exam centre, without it, they will not be allowed to appear for the exam. Along with the admit card, the candidates are advised to bring a government-issued photo ID- PAN, Voter ID card as proof of identity. 

The candidates need to report at the exam centre half an hour to one hour before the exam. For the CBSE Class 10 exam 2026 to commence at 10:30 am, the candidates need to reach the exam centre by 10 am. 

CBSE Class 10 exam 2026 will commence from February 17. The important papers on CBSE Class 10 exam 2026 are- 

February 17- Maths Standard, Basic

February 21- English (Communicative, Language and Literature)
February 25- Science
February 26- Home Science
March 2- Hindi Course- A, B
March 7- Social Science. 

CBSE 12th exam will be held from February 17 to April 9. CBSE Class 12 exam 2026 is scheduled to be held in two shifts- 10:30 am to 1:30 pm and 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Here are the dates for the important papers of CBSE 12th exams 2026 -

February 20- Physics
February 21- Business Studies, Administration
February 23- Psychology
February 26- Geography
February 28- Chemistry
March 9- Mathematics, Applied Mathematics
March 12- English core, elective
March 14- Home Science
March 16- Hindi Elective, Core
March 18- Economics
March 20- Marketing
March 23- Political Science
March 27- Biology
March 28- Accountancy
March 30- History
April 4- Sociology. 

For details on CBSE Class 10 and 12 exams 2026, please visit the official website- cbse.gov.in.  

Over 43 lakh students will appear for the CBSE Class 10 and 12 exams 2026 scheduled to be held from Tuesday, February 17. As per CBSE, over 25 lakh (25,08,319) students have applied to appear for Class 10 exam, while 18 lakh (18,59,551) students will appear for Class 12 exam 2026. CBSE 10th and 12th exams will be held in single shift from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. The candidates will get 15 minutes time for reading the paper.