CBSE Class 10, 12 datesheet 2026 sparks concern over tight exam gaps
Class 10 students have pointed out that there is no preparation day between language papers. The Class 12 Physics exam is scheduled immediately after Physical Education.
New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education has recently released the CBSE Class 10 and 12 board exams 2026 date sheet. While the exams will run for seven weeks and appear well-structured, students, parents, and teachers have raised concerns about the lack of sufficient gaps between some important subjects.
Many argue that the board exam schedule could increase exam stress and affect performance in key papers.
Class 10 students face crunch before Science, Social Science
Class 10 students have pointed out that there is no preparation day between language papers like Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati, Manipuri, and Telugu-Telanga on February 24, and the Science exam on February 25. Similarly, the Social Science paper is scheduled just a day after Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Assamese, Kannada and Kokborok exams, giving very little time for revision.
A student on X said, 'In the tentative datesheet, posted yesterday, For grade 10…Science paper (on 25.02.26) has no holiday for the students attempting Punjabi exam too (on 24.02.26) All Punjab students will have the problem in this regard…kindly reconsider the datesheet…'.
Class 12 students flag tight scheduling in major subjects
The Class 12 exam schedule has also been criticism by students and parents, particularly from Science stream students. The Physics exam is scheduled immediately after Physical Education, and so there is less time to shift from a lighter subject to a tough one.
Replying to CBSE and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a student named Neha Sharma stated, "Not a good date sheet for Science subjects. Less gap between Physics and Chemistry and Fine Arts and Chemistry, just a day gap! Why? Chemistry has a huge syllabus. Science is the most neglected stream for CBSE.”
Moreover, Chayanika Sarma, a Class 12 Science student from Guwahati, said, 'With physical education right before physics, there’s hardly any time to prepare. Physics needs focused revision, and even one day would have helped us a lot.' Additionally, the Economics paper follows the language exam the very next day, offering no revision time.
Education experts point out that while CBSE tries to balance logistics and avoid clashes with entrance exams like JEE Main, a back-to-back exam could amplify stress. This year, around 45 lakh candidates are expected to appear in 204 subjects across Classes 10 and 12 from India and 26 countries abroad.
While CBSE aims to organise exams efficiently for a large number of students, the concerns raised highlight the need for a schedule that allows adequate revision time, especially for core and demanding subjects.