4 min readNew DelhiMay 15, 2026 05:15 AM IST
CBSE Class 10th Second Exam 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will begin the Class 10 second board examinations from today, May 15, 2026. The second phase of board exams has been introduced for students seeking improvement and compartment opportunities. On the first day, the Board has slated Mathematics Standard (041) and Mathematics Basic (241) papers. As per the exam schedule announced by the CBSE, the examinations will be conducted in a single shift from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm across the country.
This is the first time that the CBSE is conducting second board examinations for Class 10 students after announcing the new system last year. According to the Board’s data based on the list of candidates, a total of 6,68,854 students are set to appear in the examinations. Of these, 85,285 candidates are appearing under the compartment category, while 5,25,655 students have registered for improvement examinations. Another 57,914 candidates fall under the combined compartment and improvement category.
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The gender-wise data released by the board shows that 2,66,209 female candidates and 4,02,643 male candidates will appear for the exams, along with two candidates listed under the “other” category. Subject-wise statistics indicate that 1,92,508 students have opted for one subject, 2,79,227 candidates have registered for two subjects, while 1,97,119 students will appear in three subjects.
CBSE’s instructions for Class 10th second-exam candidates
–Reporting time: The board has instructed that no candidate will be allowed to enter the examination centre after 10 am. Students have been advised to plan their travel in advance while keeping local traffic and weather conditions in mind and reach the centres well before the reporting deadline.
–Dress code, documents: Candidates must report in proper school uniform and carry both their school identity card and the CBSE-issued admit card. The board has clarified that only prescribed stationery items will be permitted inside the examination hall.
–Electronic devices prohibited: CBSE has strictly prohibited possession of electronic devices including mobile phones inside the examination premises. Students found carrying prohibited items may face disciplinary action as per board norms.
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CBSE Class 10 second exam schedule 2026
The examinations will continue till May 21, 2026. After the Mathematics paper on May 15, the English examinations, English (Communicative) and English (Language and Literature), will be held on May 16 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. The last examination of the CBSE Class 10 second board exams 2026 will be Social Science (087), scheduled on May 21 from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. Here’s the complete schedule —
| Date | Time | Subject(s) |
| May 15, 2026 (Fri) | 10:30 am – 01:30 pm | Mathematics Standard (041), Mathematics Basic (241) |
| May 16, 2026 (Satur) | 10:30 am – 01:30 pm | English (Communicative) (101), English (Language and Literature) (184) |
| May 18, 2026 (Mon) | 10:30 am – 01:30 pm | Science (086) |
| May 19, 2026 (Tues) | 10:30 am – 01:30 pm | Hindi Course-A (002), Urdu Course-A (003), Punjabi (004), Bengali (005), Tamil (006), Telugu (007), Marathi (009), Gujarati (010), Manipuri (011), Malayalam (012), Odia (013), Assamese (014), Kannada (015), Arabic (016), Tibetan (017), French (018), German (020), Nepali (024), Limboo (025), Lepcha (026), Home Science (064), Hindi Course-B (085), Bhoti (088), Telugu – Telangana (089), Kokborok (091), Bodo (092), Japanese (094), Bhutia (095), Spanish (096), Mizo (098), Sanskrit (Communicative) (119), Rai (131), Urdu Course-B (303) |
| May 19, 2026 (Tues) | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | Hindustani Music Vocal (034), Hindustani Music (Mel Ins) (035), Retail (401), Introduction to Tourism (406) |
| May 20, 2026 (Wed) | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | Painting (049), Information Technology (402), Artificial Intelligence (417) |
| May 20, 2026 (Wed) | 10:30 am – 01:30 pm | Sanskrit (122), |
| May 21, 2026 (Thu) | 10:30 am – 01:30 pm | Social Science (087) |
CBSE has further advised students to refrain from spreading rumours or sharing examination-related material on social media platforms including WhatsApp, Telegram, YouTube and X. The board also informed that schools designated as examination centres can download centre material for candidates allotted to their centres.