CBSE Introduces Key Changes for 2026 Board Exams: On-Screen Marking and More
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced three major initiatives for the 2026 board examinations. The most significant update is the reintroduction of On-Screen Marking (OSM) for Class 12 evaluations.
The 2026 board exams for both Class 10 and Class 12 are scheduled to run from February 17 to April 10, 2026. This massive exercise will involve approximately 46 lakh students from over 31,000 schools across India and 26 other countries.
3 Major Initiatives for 2026
CBSE is focusing on making the assessment process more transparent and efficient with these three updates:
- Second Board Exams for Class 10: Students will have an additional opportunity to appear for exams.
- On-Screen Marking (OSM) for Class 12: Answer sheets will be scanned and graded digitally to improve accuracy.
- New Paper Sections for Class 10: Science and Social Studies question papers will now be divided into specific subject sections.
To help schools implement these changes, CBSE will host a live webcast to explain the new guidelines and OSM procedures.
Live Webcast Details
- Date: February 13, 2026
- Time: 11:00 AM onwards
- Duration: Approximately 2 hours
- Where to Watch: The “Board Exams@CBSE” YouTube channel
Instructions for Schools
CBSE has made participation in this webcast compulsory for all affiliated schools. Principals must oversee the session and ensure the following:
- Setup: Schools must have a large screen, a quality sound system, and a stable internet connection.
- Attendance: All teachers for Classes 9 to 12 and staff involved in exam conduct or evaluation must attend.
- Query Resolution: Schools should email any questions about the previously sent “Centre Superintendent” guidelines to info.cbseexam@cbseshiksha.in before the webcast to have them answered live.
- Reporting: After the session, every school must use the ASAR app to upload a geotagged photo of the participants and report the total number of attendees.
These steps reflect CBSE’s commitment to using modern technology to ensure a fair, fast, and reliable evaluation process for millions of students worldwide.
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