CBSE Board Exams 2026 Live Updates: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted examinations for Classes 10 and 12 on the fourth day today. The exams for Class 10 papers, Beauty and Wellness, Marketing and Sales, Multimedia, Multi-Skill Foundation Course, Physical Activity Trainer, and Data Science, ended at 12:30 PM, while the Class 12 Physics exam concluded at 1:30 PM. Physics, often considered one of the most conceptual and challenging subjects, can cause anxiety among students and sleepless nights in the lead-up to exams.
After reviewing the paper, teachers described it as easy to moderate, offering a balance between scoring opportunities and conceptual challenges. According to them, the paper was structured fairly, covering the prescribed syllabus while assessing both theoretical knowledge and problem-solving skills.
The exams began on February 17, with over 43 lakh students appearing, around 25 lakh in Class 10 and 18.5 lakh in Class 12. The examinations are being conducted across 8,074 centres for Class 10 and 7,574 centres for Class 12.
So far, Class 10 Mathematics (Basic and Standard) and Home Science papers have been conducted. For Class 12, papers held include Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship, Shorthand Hindi, Shorthand English, Physical Education, Engineering Graphics, Indian classical dance forms, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi, and Kuchipudi, and Horticulture and Cost Accounting.
CBSE has advised students to reach examination centres well in advance, considering traffic conditions. Entry will close sharply at 10 AM, and all exams are being held in a single shift from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
Class 10 exams will conclude on March 10, while Class 12 exams will end on April 10. In total, students will appear for 83 subjects in Class 10 and 120 subjects in Class 12. Among the 25 lakh Class 10 candidates, approximately 14 lakh are boys and 10.9 lakh are girls. For Class 12, around 10.2 lakh boys and 8.3 lakh girls are appearing this year.
Additionally, CBSE has issued a clarification regarding Class 10 board examinations starting 2026. Students seeking permission to appear directly in the second board examination due to unavoidable reasons have been provided with clear eligibility guidelines.
Mandatory First Exam: All students must appear in the first board examination.
Improvement Opportunity: Passed and eligible students may improve scores in up to three subjects, including Science, Mathematics, Social Science, and languages.
"Essential Repeat" Category: Students missing three or more subjects in the first exam will be placed in the Essential Repeat category and can only appear in the main exam next year in February.
Compartment Category: Students with a "Compartment" result in the first exam may appear in the second exam under the Compartment category.
No Additional Subjects: After passing Class 10, students cannot appear in stand-alone additional subjects.
