CBSE Opens Online Form Submission for Class 10 Private Candidates (2025-26): Eligibility, Fees, and Key Guidelines

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officially announced the submission schedule for Class 10 private candidates’ examination forms for the academic session 2025–26. CBSE will conduct the exams for private candidates in February–April 2026 along with the Board’s main examinations.

According to the notification, CBSE will open the online application process on September 9, 2025, and close it on September 30, 2025 (11:59 PM) without a late fee. Candidates applying with a late fee can submit forms between October 3 and October 11, 2025.

CBSE introduced this provision for candidates who fall under categories such as “Essential Repeat,” “Compartment,” “Fail” from 2020–2025, or those aiming to improve performance in one or more subjects.

Who Can Apply and How the Process Works

CBSE clearly outlined the eligibility for Class 10 private candidates in 2025–26:

• Students from the 2024–25 session who qualified as Essential Repeat.

• Candidates placed in Compartment in the Board’s Main or Supplementary Examinations 2025 (Second Chance Compartment).

• Students who were declared Fail/Essential Repeat between 2020 and 2025.

• Candidates who passed Class 10 in 2025 but want to improve their performance in one or more subjects.

CBSE will conduct the entire process online through the “व्यक्तिगत परीक्षार्थी (Private Candidate)” portal on its official website. The Board will not accept offline applications. Candidates must make payments only through online modes such as debit card, credit card, UPI, or net banking.

Students must carefully choose their exam city because CBSE will not allow any changes once it allots a centre. Candidates also need to upload scanned photographs and signatures (up to 40 KB in JPG format).

CBSE warned candidates that wrong entries, false statements, or incorrect documents will lead to rejection of the form, forfeiture of fees, and action under “unfair practices.”