CBSE Board Exams 2026: Unfair Means and Cheating Penalties
CBSE Board Exams 2026 will be held between February 17 and April 10, 2026. To ensure that the CBSE board exams are conducted smoothly and without students' involvement in unfair means and cheating, the Board has put in place detailed guidelines on Unfair Means (UFM), which students must follow strictly...
Cheating Penalties for the CBSE Board Exam 2026: The CBSE Board Exam 2026 for 10th and 12th classes will be conducted from February 17 to April 10, 2026. Even though the number of students taking the examination is above 44 lakh, the number of subjects is 204, the Board makes it imperative for the examination to be fair. The Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE, is also taking care of this aspect by providing the cheating penalties.
CBSE Date Sheet for class 10 exams in the year 2026 is released. Similarly, the date sheet of class 12 exams in 2026 is also released. According to it, class 10 exams of CBSE will start from February 17 to March 11, 2026. In addition to it, class 12 exams of CBSE will start from February 17 to April 10, 2026. This will be in pen and paper mode. The Board will release the CBSE Admit cards 2026 soon.
CBSE will conduct CBSE 12th exams 2026 between February 17 and April 9, 2026. The CBSE 12th Science exams 2026 will be held between February 20 and March 27, 2026. The Board released the CBSE 12th date sheet 2026 in October 2025. Check the dates for CBSE Class 12 Science below:
Date | Subject |
|---|---|
20-Feb-2026 | Physics |
28-Feb-2026 | Chemistry |
9-Mar-2026 | Mathematics, Applied Mathematics |
12-Mar-2026 | English elective, English core |
17-Feb-2026 | Biotechnology |
27-Mar-2026 | Biology |
Students can click on CBSE 12th date sheet 2026 to check the detailed CBSE Class 12 date sheet.
CBSE Class 10 date sheet 2026 for Phase 1 exams can be checked on cbse.gov.in. Students can also click on CBSE 10th date sheet 2026 to download it. The Phase 1 exams will be held between Feb 17 and March 11, 2026.
Fair Conduct of CBSE Board Exam 2026
CBSE therefore, lays emphasis on the conduct of CBSE 10th exam 2026 and CBSE 12th Exam 2026 in a very fair manner so as to safeguard the interests of all categories of students. The board has put in place detailed guidelines relating to Unfair Means (UFM), which students must adhere to.
CBSE Exam Cheating Punishment and Penalties
The penalties for the use of unfair means during examinations are divided into five levels, depending on the seriousness of the offense.
Category 1: Minor Offenses
- Possession of previous year’s papers or other unauthorized materials.
- Writing answers or questions on materials other than answer book.
- Tearing pages from the answer book or trying to communicate with others during the exam.
CBSE will conduct CBSE 12th exams 2026 between February 17 and April 9, 2026. The CBSE commerce exams 2026 will be held between February 21 and March 28, 2026. You can check the date sheet below:
Date | Subject |
|---|---|
21-Feb-2026 | Business studies, business administration |
9-Mar-2026 | Mathematics, applied mathematics |
12-Mar-2026 | English elective, English core |
18-Mar-2026 | Economics |
25-Mar-2026 | Informatics Practices, computer science, IT |
28-Mar-2026 | Accountancy |
Students can click on CBSE 12th date sheet 2026 to check and download the detailed CBSE Class 12 date sheet.
No, CBSE released the CBSE Class 12 date sheet for all subjects together. However, to make the exam dates simpler to find and use, Shiksha.com divides and shares the CBSE 12th date sheet according to three streams - Science, Commerce and Arts.
Students can click on CBSE 12th Date Sheet to check stream-wise date sheet for CBSE 12th board exams.
CBSE will conduct the 10th, 12th board exams 2026 from February 17, 2026 in pen and paper format. The exams will conclude on April 9, 2026.
The board released the CBSE syllabus and exam pattern 2026 on the official website. Students must finish with their syllabus by January 2026 and start practising the CBSE sample papers and previous years question papers for better preparation of the exams.
Punishment: Cancellation of current exam in concerned subject. The student may appear in compartment exam if eligible.
Category 2: Moderate Offenses
- Using or attempting to use copied material during exam.
- Erasing or altering information on answer sheet.
- Providing false information on answer sheet.
Punishment: Cancellation of current exam and mandatory re-examination in all subjects the following year.
Also Read:Â CBSE Board Exams Dress Code, Permitted and Barred Items
Category 3: Serious Offenses
- Smuggling out question papers or answer sheets from exam hall.
- Using electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones) to cheat or communicate.
- Indulging in violent behavior or abusive language.
Punishment: Cancellation of the current and next year's exams, and a mandatory re-examination in all subjects.
Category 4: Extreme Offenses
- Impersonation (someone else writing the exam on behalf of the student).
- Sharing exam-related materials on social media.
- Attempting to influence the CBSE board through legal or other means.
Punishment: Cancellation of the current and next three years' exams.
Category 5: Miscellaneous Offenses
- Using obscene language in answer sheets.
- Enclosing currency notes or messages for the evaluator.
Punishment: Forfeiture of currency notes or other instruments, and counseling to prevent recurrence of such offenses.
CBSE Board Exam 2026 Barred Items
Students must be aware of barred items in CBSE 10th Exam 2026/ CBSE 12th Exam 2026 that are strictly prohibited in exam hall. These items include:
- Mobile phones
- Calculators
- Books, notes, or any study material
- Any electronic gadgets or communication devices
The presence of any of these items in exam hall can lead to immediate disqualification or penalties.
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Jasleen Kaur Taneja is an education editorial expert at Shiksha.com. She prepares content for school board exams. She has written 1,800+ articles with 2.8 crore reads.
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CBSE is conducting the CBSE practical exams between January 1 and Feb 14, 2026. There is no external examiner allotted to conduct practical exams for Class 10, while external examiners are called to conduct the CBSE 12th practical exams.
For winter-bound schools, CBSE practical exams 2026 were held between November 6 and December 6, 2026.