The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) date sheet for classes 10 and 12 has been formally released. The exams will start from February 17, 2026, as previously confirmed.
For students of class 10, the Board exams will use a revised format in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommendations. In order to give schools and students enough time to prepare, CBSE initially announced the exam schedule when announcing the 2025 results.
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Early release for better preparation
For the first time, CBSE had issued a tentative date sheet as early as September 24, 2025 which is nearly 146 days ahead of the exams, based on registration data from Classes 9 and 11. This early release is aimed to help the students and schools to plan their studies and schedules effectively.
With the final list of candidates (LOC) now submitted and the complete subject combination data available, CBSE has released the final date sheet 110 days before the examinations.
Balanced schedule and wider considerations
The Board said it has ensured a sufficient gap between two subjects commonly taken by students, particularly in Class 12, where national entrance examinations like JEE and NEET come into play. CBSE also confirmed that the schedule was framed keeping in mind the dates of major entrance exams, allowing students adequate time to prepare for both.
Teachers’ evaluation schedules have also been considered, with CBSE ensuring that no faculty across subjects remains away from school for extended periods. The date sheet was prepared after evaluating more than 40,000 subject combinations, ensuring no two exams for a single student overlap.
Coordination with NTA
To prevent any clash between JEE (Main) and the CBSE Board exams, the National Testing Agency (NTA) will now require Class 11 registration numbers in JEE applications. Schools have been instructed to provide these registration details to all eligible students.
The examinations will begin daily at 10:30 a.m., as per CBSE’s official notice. The complete date sheets for both classes can be downloaded from the Board’s official website - cbse.gov.in .
