The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the final date sheet for Class 10 board exams 2026, marking the start of Phase 1 examinations from February 17 to March 10, 2026, in pen-and-paper mode. With the two-exam policy introducing Phase 2 tentatively in May-June 2026, students must prepare strategically using official resources. This article covers key details on exam dates, admit cards, subject-wise topic weightages, sample papers, and study materials.
Exam Dates
CBSE Class 10 Phase 1 exams commence on February 17, 2026, and conclude on March 10, 2026, with most theory papers scheduled from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Phase 2 exams are tentatively set for May 15 to June 1, 2026, allowing students a second attempt under the new policy. The official date sheet PDF, released on October 30, 2025, lists subject-wise schedules on cbse.gov.in.
CBSE Date Sheet 2026 Out for Class 10th
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has officially released the CBSE Date Sheet 2026 for Class 10th and 12th students. Candidates can now check the complete CBSE Exam Date 2026 schedule and download the official PDF from the CBSE website.Download CBSE Exam Date PDF
DOWNLOAD DATE SHEETCBSE Date Sheet 2026 Overview
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Conducting Body | Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) |
| Exam Name | CBSE Board Exams 2026 |
| Classes | Class 10 |
| CBSE Exam Start Date 2026 | February 17, 2026 |
| CBSE Class 10 Exam End Date | March 10, 2026 |
| Official Website | cbse.nic.in |
| Mode of Exam | Offline (Pen and Paper) |
| Duration | 2 to 3 hours (depending on the subject) |
The advance release of the CBSE Date Sheet 2026 marks a crucial change in the academic calendar, giving both students and schools adequate time to make their exam strategies more effective and stress-free.
CBSE Date Sheet 2026 for Class 10
The CBSE Class 10 Board Exams 2026 will commence on February 17, 2026, with Mathematics being the first major subject paper. The exams will be held in the morning session (10:30 AM to 1:30 PM).
Below is the detailed subject-wise timetable for CBSE Class 10 students:
| Day, Date | Time | Subject Code | Subject Name |
| Tuesday, 17th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 041 / 241 | Mathematics (Standard / Basic) |
| Wednesday, 18th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 064 | Home Science |
| Friday, 20th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 407, 412, 415, 416, 418, 419 | Beauty & Wellness, Marketing & Sales, Multi-Media, Multi Skill Foundation, Physical Activity Trainer, Data Science |
| Saturday, 21st February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 101 / 184 | English (Communicative / Language & Literature) |
| Monday, 23rd February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 003, 004, 005, 006, 009, 010, 011, 089 | Urdu Course-A, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Manipuri, Telugu – Telangana |
| Tuesday, 24th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 154, 303 | Elements of Business, Urdu Course-B |
| Wednesday, 25th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 086 | Science |
| Thursday, 26th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 401–422 | Retail, Security, Automotive, Financial Markets, Tourism, Agriculture, Food Production, Front Office Operations, Banking & Insurance, Health Care, Apparel, Electronics & Hardware, Foundation Skills for Sciences, Design Thinking & Innovation |
| Friday, 27th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 165, 402, 417 | Computer Applications, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence |
| Saturday, 28th February 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 016, 119, 122, 131, 132, 133, 134 | Arabic, Sanskrit (Communicative), Sanskrit, Rai, Gurung, Tamang, Sherpa |
| Monday, 2nd March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 002 / 085 | Hindi Course-A / Course-B |
| Tuesday, 3rd March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 017, 020, 076, 088, 092–099, 254 | Tibetan, German, NCC, Bhoti, Bodo, Tangkhul, Japanese, Bhutia, Spanish, Kashmiri, Mizo, Bahasa Melayu, Elements of Book Keeping & Accountancy |
| Thursday, 5th March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 008, 012–015, 091 | Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada, Kokborok |
| Friday, 6th March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM | 049 | Painting |
| Saturday, 7th March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 087 | Social Science |
| Monday, 9th March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 007, 021, 023–026, 031–036, 136 | Telugu, Russian, Persian, Nepali, Limboo, Lepcha, Carnatic Music (Vocal / Mel. Ins. / Per. Ins.), Hindustani Music (Vocal / Mel. Ins. / Per. Ins.), Thai |
| Tuesday, 10th March 2026 | 10:30 AM – 01:30 PM | 018 | French |
The CBSE Class 10 exams 2026 have been structured to ensure that there is adequate gap between two major subjects, helping students focus on thorough preparation without unnecessary pressure.
Sample Papers Access
Official CBSE Class 10 sample question papers for 2025-26 are available on www.cbse.gov.in under the “Sample Question Papers” tab. Download subject-wise PDFs (e.g., Science Set-I, Mathematics) with marking schemes to practice the exam pattern featuring MCQs, case-based, and long-answer questions. Practicing these aligns with the 50% competency-based question focus
DOWNLOAD SAMPLE PAPER
Study Materials and Syllabus
Download the full 2025-26 curriculum and syllabus PDFs from https://cbseacademic.nic.in/skill-education-books.html, covering core subjects like Maths, Science, SST, English, and Hindi, plus electives. NCERT textbooks remain primary; supplement with official competency-based resources and previous year papers for complete preparation. Schools provide internal assessment guidelines via cbse.gov.in circulars.
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