The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has published the final datesheet for the Class 10 and 12 board examinations for 2026, confirming that the exams will commence on February 17, 2026. As per the notification released, the Class 10 exams will conclude on March 10, while the Class 12 exams will finish on April 9, 2026.
Significantly, this marks the first occasion that the CBSE has issued the final datesheet for Board exams approximately 110 days in advance. Previously, the board had provided a tentative timetable in September, but the final version incorporates several adjustments. Below is the comprehensive list of modifications in the newly released CBSE Class 10 and 12 Board Exam 2026 Final Datesheet.
Here’s the complete list of subjects for which exam dates have been updated –
| Subject name | Old date and time | Revised date and time | Changes |
| Home Science | Thu, 26 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Wed, 18 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 8 days earlier |
| Multi-Media | Wed, 18 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Fri, 20 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Moved 2 days later |
| Data Science | Wed, 18 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Fri, 20 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Moved 2 days later |
| URDU Course-A, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Manipuri, Telugu Telangana | Tue, 24 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Mon, 23 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 1 day earlier (all grouped) |
| Elements of Business | Tue, 24 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Tue, 24 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Extended by 30 minutes |
| URDU Course-B | Sat, 28 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Tue, 24 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 4 days earlier |
| Retail, Security, Automotive, Intro to Fin. Markets, Intro to Tourism, Agriculture, Food Production, Front Office Ops, Banking & Insurance, Health Care, Apparel, Electronics & Hardware, Foundation Skill for Sciences, Design Thinking & Innovation | Wed, 18 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Thu, 26 Feb, 10:30–12:30 PM | Moved 8 days later |
| Arabic | Mon, 9 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PM | Sat, 28 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 10 days earlier |
| Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Kokborok | Fri, 6 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PM | Thu, 5 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 1 day earlier |
| Painting | Thu, 5 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PM | Fri, 6 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 1 day later |
| French | Mon, 23 Feb, 10:30–1:30 PM | Tue, 10 Mar, 10:30–1:30 PM | Moved 16 days later |
What exam dates for the CBSE Class 10 board exam have been altered?
For Class 10, the dates for subjects such as Data Science, French, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Retail, Security, and Automotive have been modified from the earlier tentative schedule.
Key date changes and swaps in CBSE Class 12 timetable 2026
| Subject Name / Code | Old Table Date | Updated Table Date | Change |
| Business Studies / 054 | Sat, 21 Feb 2026 | Sat, 28 Mar 2026 | Moved later by over a month |
| Business Administration / 833 | Sat, 21 Feb 2026 | Sat, 28 Mar 2026 | Moved later by over a month |
| Fashion Studies / 837 | Tue, 24 Feb 2026 | Sat, 21 Feb 2026 | Advanced by 3 days |
| Automotive / 804 | Wed, 25 Feb 2026 | Sat, 21 Feb 2026 | Advanced by 4 days |
| Psychology / 037 | Mon, 23 Feb 2026 | Thu, 5 Mar 2026 | Shifted later by almost 2 weeks |
| Mass Media Studies / 835 | Thu, 5 Mar 2026 | Mon, 23 Feb 2026 | Advanced by 10 days |
| Design Thinking & Innovation / 848 | Thu, 5 Mar 2026 | Mon, 23 Feb 2026 | Advanced by 10 days |
| Beauty & Wellness / 807 | Tue, 24 Mar 2026 | Wed, 25 Feb 2026 | Advanced by one month |
| Accountancy / 055 | Sat, 28 Mar 2026 | Tue, 24 Feb 2026 | Advanced by over a month |
| Retail / 801 | Wed, 8 Apr 2026 | Tue, 24 Mar 2026 | Moved earlier by 2 weeks |
| Textile Design / 829 | Wed, 8 Apr 2026 | Thu, 9 Apr 2026 | Moved one day later |
| Sanskrit Core / 322 | Thu, 9 Apr 2026 | Wed, 8 Apr 2026 | Moved one day earlier |
The Board exams for the 2026 session represent a significant change for Class 10 students, as the CBSE will conduct board exams twice within a single academic year. The first phase is set to take place from February 17 to March 10, while the second optional phase will occur from May 15 to June 1, 2026.
Clarifying the reasoning behind the early and dual-session format, Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj stated,
“A sufficient gap has been provided between two subjects typically taken by a student in both classes. The scheduling of entrance examinations intended for Class 12 students has been considered, and efforts have been made to complete the examinations well in advance of the entrance exams. This will assist students in managing their time more effectively for both the Board and entrance examinations.”
What changes have been made for the CBSE Class 12 exams in 2026?
For Class 12, the CBSE has also adjusted the dates for important papers including Business Studies, Business Administration, Psychology, and Accountancy.
Elaborating on the intricacies, Bhardwaj stated, “The date sheet has been formulated by excluding over 40,000 subject combinations to guarantee that no two examinations for subjects taken by a student occur on the same date.”
In a recent announcement, the CBSE has reaffirmed that the examination framework and syllabus for both sessions will remain unchanged, encompassing the entire academic curriculum.
To avoid conflicts with engineering entrance examinations, Bhardwaj additionally remarked, “To ensure that the JEE (Main) and CBSE examinations for the subjects do not overlap, the NTA will require the registration number of class 11 students to be included in the JEE-Main application. Consequently, all schools have been asked to provide the registration numbers of Class 11 to their students who are applying for the engineering entrance examination.”
