Overview
- More than 46 lakh students appeared at roughly 8,000 centres in India and abroad in a single 10:30 am to 1:30 pm shift as the 2026 exams opened.
- Entry closed at 10:00 am under tightened protocols requiring printed admit cards and school IDs, with a ban on electronic gadgets, a 15‑minute reading time, and blue or black pen use only.
- Under the new Class 10 two-sitting system, the first attempt is compulsory, and those skipping three or more subjects are placed in the Essential Repeat category and barred from the second sitting.
- Class 12 answer scripts are being scanned for on-screen marking to handle over 10 crore pages, an overhaul intended to accelerate results and reduce evaluation errors.
- CBSE warned against fake paper‑leak claims on social media as police issued traffic support for students, and counselling helplines such as Chandigarh’s lines were activated through the exam period.