CBSE reschedules March 3 Board Exams for Classes 10 and 12 in 2026

The Central Board of Secondary Education just switched up the 2026 board exam schedule. They’ve pushed back the papers that were meant for March 3. CBSE says they had to make this change for a few reasons. They’ve told all schools to spread the word fast, so students and parents aren’t left confused.

Here’s what’s new: Class 10 exams set for March 3 will now be held on March 11. This shift covers a bunch of subjects—languages like Tibetan, German, Bhoti, Bodo, Tangkhul, Japanese, Bhutia, Spanish, Kashmiri, Mizo, Bahasa Melayu, plus NCC, Elements of Business, and Elements of Book Keeping and Accountancy. All these Class 10 papers move to March 11.

For Class 12, only the Legal Studies exam is changing. It moves from March 3 to April 10. So, Class 12 exams will wrap up a day later than planned.

Otherwise, nothing else is different. Class 10 board exams still run from February 17 to March 18. Class 12 exams now finish on April 10. Both sets of exams start in the morning at 10:30 am, just like they always have.

CBSE laid out its exam plan back in September, then tweaked it a bit in November. This year, about 4.5 million students will take these exams in 204 different subjects across Classes 10 and 12.

There’s also a big change for Class 10: two exam sessions. The first is mandatory, from February 17 to March 6. The second, which is optional, runs from May 15 to June 1. If you sit both, they’ll count your best score. That takes some pressure off—you don’t have to get everything perfect the first time. It’s a big shift from the old “one shot” exam routine.