CBSE Date Sheet Out for Board Exams 2026; Class 10 and 12 Exams Begin on February 17
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has officially released the date sheet for the Class 10 and Class 12 Board Examinations 2026. The exams will begin on February 17, 2026, starting at 10:30 AM (IST).
This year marks a significant move by the Board as the date sheet has been issued 110 days in advance, allowing students, schools, and families to plan well ahead. The early release aims to help students prepare systematically, follow smarter revision schedules, and reduce last-minute stress.
According to CBSE, this was made possible due to the timely submission of the List of Candidates (LOC) by schools. The Board had earlier released a tentative schedule on September 24, 2025, 46 days before the exams, to give stakeholders an initial reference point.
The 2026 board exams will also see an important change for Class 10 students, as CBSE will conduct two Board examinations in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
While preparing the final date sheet, CBSE has taken several factors into account:
- Adequate gaps between subjects to ensure students get enough preparation time.
- Alignment of exam dates with national entrance exams so that Class 12 students can manage both efficiently.
- Scheduling to ensure teachers are not away from schools for prolonged periods during evaluation.
- Avoidance of timetable overlaps, with CBSE managing over 40,000 subject combinations to ensure no clashes.
The Board highlighted several benefits of this early announcement:
- Students can start focused preparation early, reducing exam anxiety.
- Families can plan vacations or other activities around the exam and evaluation timelines.
- Schools and teachers can organize academic schedules without disrupting non-board classes.
- Examination centres will get sufficient time to plan logistics.
Additionally, to ensure that JEE (Main) and CBSE exam dates do not overlap, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will require the Class XI registration number in JEE (Main) applications. Schools have been asked to provide these details to their students accordingly.
Students and schools can download the detailed date sheets from the CBSE’s official website at www.cbse.gov.in or click here.
(Dr. Sanyam Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, CBSE, issued the circular on October 30, 2025.)
