The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rolled out a detailed set of rules and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for managing practical examinations, project evaluations, and internal assessments for students in Classes 10 and 12 for the upcoming 2025–26 academic year. The board has issued stringent directives to affiliated schools, examiners, and students, placing a strong emphasis on flawless mark submission, strict adherence to schedules, and the absolute finality of all deadlines.
Key Deadlines and Upload Mandates
Schools following the regular academic session must complete all practical examinations between January 1 and February 14, 2026. Institutions identified as winter-bound schools have been allotted the period from November 6 to December 6, 2025. The board has explicitly stated that no requests for extending these dates will be approved under any circumstances.
In a significant move to eliminate errors and post-result disputes, CBSE has made it compulsory for schools and examiners to upload marks for practicals, projects, and internal assessments on the very day the evaluation is conducted. This upload must be finalized by the last prescribed date for each class. For Class 12, the practical answer booklet will now include a declaration section where both the internal and external examiners must certify the accuracy of the uploaded marks.
Different Protocols for Class 10 and Class 12
The board has outlined distinct processes for the two classes. For Class 10, CBSE will not be appointing any external examiner. Schools are required to:
- Conduct the practical examinations internally.
- Arrange their own practical answer books.
- Upload marks using an Excel-based system available on the CBSE portal.
The final award lists must be securely sealed and stored in the school's strong room for one year and should not be dispatched to the Regional Office.
For Class 12, the process is more rigorous. The board will appoint External Examiners and may also send Observers to ensure transparency and fairness. Schools are not permitted to appoint substitute examiners on their own. Any delay caused by an examiner's non-reporting or refusal must be reported immediately to the concerned CBSE Regional Office. Prior to the exam day, the external examiner must inspect the laboratory to verify the availability of all necessary apparatus, chemicals, and equipment, with any deficiencies to be rectified by the school urgently.
Batch Rules, Photo Evidence, and Absentee Policy
Each practical batch is capped at 30 students, though schools can split them into subgroups of 15 for better management. Crucially, the entire batch must be examined on the same day, and their marks uploaded together. Introducing a new verification layer, CBSE now mandates that schools upload clear, geo-tagged, and time-stamped group photographs of each batch. This photo must capture all students, the external examiner, the internal examiner, and any observer present, with the laboratory setup visible in the background.
The policy for absent students is strict. A student absent on the scheduled day can only be marked as "Rescheduled" if they are examined within the official window. No special permission will be given for conducting practicals outside the board's timeline. If a student fails to appear altogether, they must be marked "Absent" in the online system.
Strict Penalties for Non-Compliance
CBSE has warned of serious consequences for any violations. Any attempt by students to influence examiners will be treated as an Unfair Means (UFM) offence. Schools that do not relieve their teachers assigned as external examiners elsewhere will face penalties. General non-compliance with the SOPs could lead to the cancellation and re-conduct of the practical examinations under the direct supervision of the board.
Furthermore, schools and examiners have been informed that the board will deduct remuneration in cases of errors such as incorrect carry-over of marks, mismatched entries, or mistakes in award lists. All payments related to practical examinations will now be processed through the Integrated Payment System (IPS), and schools must maintain meticulous records of examination dates, batch-wise student counts, examiner details, and bank information.
