CBSE Practical Exams 2027: Winter Schools Start Nov 9, Others From Jan 1

If you are in Class 10 or 12, your board exam season now has a date. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released the practical exam dates for the 2027 board exams. Schools in winter-bound areas will hold practicals, projects and internal assessments from November 9 to December 19, 2026. Every other CBSE school in India and abroad starts on January 1, 2027.

The board issued the notice on November 5, 2026. It covers both Class 10 and Class 12 for the 2026-27 session, and it is the first firm date in the CBSE board exam 2027 calendar. The theory date sheet has not come out yet. That will follow separately.

Winter-bound schools go first: November 9 to December 19

Winter-bound schools are the ones in regions where heavy cold forces schools to shut in January. Their practical exams cannot wait till the new year. So CBSE has given them an early window: November 9, 2026 (Monday) to December 19, 2026 (Saturday).

The window covers practical exams, project work and internal assessment for both classes, and schools have to finish everything inside these dates.

Regular schools start on January 1, 2027

For all other affiliated schools, in India and abroad, practical exams and internal assessments begin on January 1, 2027. CBSE has not fixed an end date for these schools yet. The practical and internal assessment work will run through January and February 2027.

One thing to note: CBSE has released only the window, not a subject-wise timetable. Your school will fix the date and time for each subject inside the window. Keep checking your school notice board and class groups, because the dates will come from your school, not from the board.

Only students on the LOC can sit for practicals

CBSE has told schools to prepare the final list of candidates first. Only students whose names were sent in the online List of Candidates (LOC) can appear for the practical exams, project work or internal assessment. If your name is missing from the LOC, the school cannot let you sit for the practical. Check with your school office now, while there is still time to fix errors.

For Class 10, the internal assessment will be held only once, and schools have to fill the marks for all candidates inside the fixed schedule.

How schools will run the practicals

CBSE has laid down clear rules for schools. Practical exams and project assessments will run in two or three sessions a day where the number of students is more than 30. Schools will form batches of 30 students in each subject. Fine Arts will run in two sessions for every candidate.

Schools have to contact their Regional Office for external examiners and observers if the appointments have not come through. After the Class 12 practicals, schools must dispatch the practical answer books to the regional offices concerned.

Anyone found talking to an examiner to influence marks will be treated as using unfair means. Examiners have to report such cases to the board with full facts and documents.

“No extension of the dates shall be considered by the Board.”

That line from the CBSE notice says it all. Marks have to be uploaded from the day the practicals start, and the upload must finish by the last date of the window. Once marks are uploaded, no correction is allowed. The principal, the internal examiner and the external examiner must all check that the correct marks go up.

What if you miss your practical?

Missing a practical is not the end of the road, but you have to act fast. If the window is still open and you have a valid reason, your school can reschedule your practical to a later date inside the same window. Talk to your school the same day. Once the window closes, there is no second chance.

Practicals carry real weight. In most subjects they are worth 20 marks out of 100. You also need at least 33 per cent separately in the practical and the theory paper to pass. That is why students who skip practicals lose marks they cannot recover in the theory paper.

Theory date sheet still awaited

The practical dates are out, but the theory timetable is not. CBSE is expected to release the Class 10 and 12 theory date sheet soon on the official CBSE website and cbseacademic.nic.in. Going by last year’s pattern, the theory exams are expected in February and March 2027. Treat that as a rough guide only.

Other boards are moving too. The UP Board has already published its exam centre list for 2027 with 7,526 centres for Class 10 and 12.

How to check the CBSE notice yourself

• Go to the official CBSE website.
• Open the Examination Circulars section.
• Find the notice on CBSE Class 10 and 12 practical exam dates 2027.
• Download the PDF and check the dates for your school type.

Your school will also share the subject-wise dates and timings. Do not leave your lab record, project file or viva preparation for the last day. The window for winter-bound schools opens in three days.