CBSE pushes practical exams for winter-Bound Schools between 9 November and 19 December. As Winter-Bound Schools will remain closed till January, the CBSE has pushed the practical exams, project exams and internal exams for the 2026-27 session by nearly two months.
However, the practical exams for all other affiliated schools in India and overseas would continue to be held from 1 January, 2027. The Board has stated that a separate Circular will be released to this regard.
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Things schools need to know
Principals should:
- Finalise the list of candidates. Only students whose names have been provided in the Online List of Candidates portal should be allowed to take the exams.
- Complete the class X internal exams for all candidates within the given timelines. This will only be conducted once.
- If no external examiner or observer has been provided, contact the Regional Office.
- Complete all practicals, projects and internal exams on time and send the class XII practical answer books to the relevant Regional Offices.
- Ensure that the assessments for both classes are completed on time and scores uploaded.
Class X
- For class X schools will complete the internal assessments. There will be no external examiner appointed.
- It also emphasises that this will only be conducted once for regular students. Those wishing to sit the Second Board Examination will also obtain the same score. Schools are encouraged to complete this carefully.
Class XII
External examiners will be appointed by the Board. In some cases, observers will also be appointed. The circular states that no alternative arrangements can be made by the school authorities. If the practical is not conducted by the examiner appointed by the board then this can be cancelled. Where an examiner fails to turn up or report, schools must contact the Regional Office immediately so that an alternative can be found.
Other important points:
- Batch wise: The maximum number of students in a batch will be 30. This will only be done after the school has received details of the external examiner and confirmed that they are available. The school may divide the batch into sub batches of 15. All students must be assessed in the same batch and scores uploaded.
- Assessments should be conducted in two or three sessions for subjects with more than 30 students. Fine Arts should be conducted in two sessions.
- Photographs: A group photo of each batch must be uploaded. The photo must include candidates, external and internal examiners and observer. It must also include the laboratory. This should be geo tagged and time stamped. Upload the photo using the app link.
- Students who do not attend the examination may be rescheduled within the notified dates. These students should be recorded as Re-scheduled.
- Schools must also ensure that the PGT teachers deputed as examiners are relieved. Failure to do so may result in penalties according to the Boards bye-laws.
Uploading Scores
Scores must be uploaded during the exams. This must be completed by the last day of the practical period. No extensions will be made.
Once scores have been finalised and uploaded they cannot be changed. Changes will not be accepted on the hard copy award lists. Scores must be rounded up to the nearest whole number. Scores must not be shared with students or anyone else. They hold the same level of sanctity as scores in the annual theory exams.
For class X, schools can download an excel spreadsheet containing the details of registered students. Complete the scores without changing the format. Upload these and finalise on the Pariksha Sangam portal. Award lists do not need to be sent to the Regional Office. They must be kept sealed in a secure locker in the schools strong room for one year.
For class XII, the external examiner should create batches, upload the scores, generate and seal the award lists. Sign the award lists and scan using a table top scanner (not mobile). Upload these using the correct batch ID. Practical answer books should be sent to the Regional Office via insured/registered parcel.
Payment and Allowances
All payments must be made via the Integrated Payment System. Schools must ensure that they accurately record the dates, number of students in each batch, names of examiners and bank details. Examiners must use the exact name of their bank account and their OASIS teacher ID as their examiner number.
Important Links
| CBSE Introduces Five Compulsory Subjects and an Additional Skill-Based Subject for Class 10 | CBSE Announces Aryabhata Ganit Challenge for Class 8 to 10 |
Time is running out!
Although there is a lot of detail to this, the simple fact is that in winter-Bound Schools will be closed for weeks. This means that the academic year cannot wait until January. Principals, teachers and examiners at winter Bound Schools will need to plan their days carefully. Students must ensure that they attend on the day they have been scheduled. They must ensure they are prepared as the scores will count.
The full circular and SOPs can be found on the CBSE website (www.CBSE.gov.in ).
Source
Official Notice by CBSE,5 November, 2026: click here to read.
Kindly note that any and all information is subject to change as per CBSE, the Education Ministry, and Government of India.
