Latest CBSE Board Exams 2026 Guidelines You Must Not Ignore

The CBSE board exams are right around the corner! With both CBSE 10th and 12th exams starting on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the anxiety levels of the students are at all time high. Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education has issued some guidelines, such as reaching the exam centres before 10 AM, getting familiar with the exam venue, etc. While most of us focus on cramming and revising, it is also necessary to go through some instructions that are specifically released for class 10th and 12th papers. These instructions are issued for the smooth conclusion of the exams.

While this is a perfect time to practice previous years' question papers, you should also ensure that you follow the instructions released by CBSE.

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Latest Advisory Issued by CBSE

Some instructions are very specific, including those that are recently released by the CBSE board at cbse.gov.in as an advisory (on Feb 13, 2026), such as:

• According to the latest advisory released by CBSE, students are instructed to reach the examination centre on or before 10:00 a.m.
• Because of some important National/International Summits, High-level Meetings and other programmes scheduled near the exam days, traffic is anticipated in the different parts of the country. To avoid delay, you should leave home much before the reporting time to arrive early.
• School authorities are requested to help and guide the parents and students, respectively.
• Students are also instructed to visit their examination centre in advance and make a plan for their travel to arrive before the time on all exam days.

Important Changes in CBSE Board Exams 2026

2026 marks a year of many changes for CBSE. Here are some key reforms adopted this year:

• On-Screen Marking (OSM): Introduction of On-Screen Marking (OSM) for the evaluation of Class XIl answer books. With OSM, the answer sheets will be scanned and uploaded to a secure online platform. OSM will help in eliminating manual errors and narrowing the evaluation timeline. While OSM is only applicable for class 12th, class 10th answer sheets will be checked in physical mode.
• CBSE 10th Exams Twice: This year, according to the new reforms, CBSE class 10th exams will be held twice. The first exam or main exam (Feb) is mandatory for all students, and the second exam or improvement exam (May) is optional.
• Division of Science and Social Science Paper of Class 10th: CBSE 10th Science and Social Science Papers are divided into different sections. For Science, there are three sections (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology), and for Social Science, there will be four sections (History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics). The answer of questions are to be written only in the specific section. If the answers are mixed up, then they will not be evaluated, and no marks shall be awarded.

CBSE Board Exam 2026 Dress Code

Another important aspect that is often ignored is the dress code. Follow the dress codes given below as specified by CBSE:

• Regular students should be in the school uniform, while private students should be in light clothes.
• You should wear formal trousers or pants without any fancy designs.
• Avoid wearing clothes with large buttons and metallic attachments.
• Footwear should be plain. You can wear simple sandals, slippers, or plain shoes.
• Caps, scarves, smartwatches, and electronic gadgets are not allowed.
• For girls, heavy dresses are strictly prohibited.
• You should also avoid wearing jewellery of any kind, such as earrings, nose pins, anklets, bracelets, rings, hair accessories or necklaces.
• Heels should be avoided at all costs.

CBSE Board Exams 2026 List of Prohibited Items

Apart from the advisory issued by CBSE, here are some prohibited items:

• Textile material which is printed or written, including bits of paper.
• Calculator (Students with Learning Disability, i.e. Dyscalculia, are permitted to use the calculator as provided by the Exam centre)
• Pen Drives
• Log Table (shall be provided by the centres)
• Electronic Pen/ Scanner, etc.
• Smart devices such as mobile phones, Bluetooth, Earphones, microphones, pagers, Health Band, Smart Watch, cameras, etc.
• Other items like wallets, Goggles, Handbags, Pouches, etc.
• Any edible item opened or packed, except for diabetic students
• Any other item which could be used for unfair means

Along with revising for the exams, now is the right time to go through the advisory issued by CBSE online to successfully appear for them. Some instructions are to be followed without compromise on all exam days for the smooth conclusion of the exams.