The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Thursday released the timetable for the ICSE (Class X) and ISC (Class XII) examinations for the Year 2026. The announcement brings clarity to lakhs of students preparing for the board examinations in India and abroad.
According to the council, about 2.6 lakh candidates will appear for ICSE and nearly 1.5 lakh students will take ISC in 2026.
Exam dates
The ICSE Class X exams will begin on February 17, 2026 and conclude on March 30, 2026, while the ISC Class XII exams will begin on February 12, 2026 and continue till April 6, 2026.
CISCE has retained the practice of giving students 15 minutes of reading time before writing the paper.
Announcing the schedule, Dr Joseph Emmanuel, Chief Executive and Secretary, CISCE, said the release of the date sheet is “a moment of focus, anticipation and aspiration for every learner.”
He added that the timetable has been prepared to ensure a balance between academic load and adequate preparation gaps, allowing students to “approach each paper with clarity rather than pressure.”
Key ICSE (Class X) 2026 Dates
February 17: English Language (Paper 1)
February 20: Literature in English (Paper 2)
February 21: Art Paper 1 (Still Life)
February 23: Group III Elective (Robotics & AI, Basic Data Entry Operator, Dietetic Aide, Cashier, Early Years Physical Activity Facilitator, Auto Service Technician)
February 26: Hindi
February 27: Art Paper 2 (Nature Drawing/Painting)
February 28: Art Paper 3 (Original Composition)
March 2: Mathematics
March 6: Languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Khasi, Lepcha, Mizo, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Tangkhul, Telugu, Urdu, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Persian, Modern Armenian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Tibetan)
March 7: Art Paper 4 (Applied Art)
March 9: Physics – Science Paper 1
March 11: Chemistry – Science Paper 2
March 13: Biology – Science Paper 3
March 16: History & Civics – HCG Paper 1
March 18: Geography – HCG Paper 2
March 23: Group III Elective (Commercial Applications, Computer Applications, Cookery, Drama, Economic Applications, Environmental Applications, Fashion Designing, French, German, Hindustani Music, Home Science, Hospitality Management, Indian Dance, Mass Media & Communication, Physical Education, Spanish, Western Music, Yoga) and Technical Drawing Applications
March 25: Commercial Studies / French (Group II Elective)
March 27: Economics (Group II Elective)
March 30: Environmental Science (Group II Elective)
Key ISC (Class XII) 2026 Dates
February 12: Psychology
February 13: English – Paper 1 (English Language)
February 14: Art Paper 3 (Drawing or Painting of a Living Person)
February 14 (2 p.m.): Legal Studies
February 16: English – Paper 2 (Literature in English)
February 17: Home Science – Paper 1 (Theory), Electricity and Electronics, Geometrical & Mechanical Drawing
February 20: Accounts
February 21: Mass Media & Communication
February 23: Chemistry – Paper 1 (Theory)
February 25: History
February 27: Commerce
February 28 (9 a.m.): Art Paper 1 (Drawing or Painting from Still Life)
March 2: Environmental Science – Paper 1
March 6: Biology – Paper 1
March 7: Fashion Designing – Paper 1; Indian Music (Hindustani) – Paper 1
March 9: Mathematics
March 11: Business Studies
March 13: Language papers (Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Khasi, Mizo, Malayalam, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Armenian, Tibetan, Arabic, Sanskrit)
March 14 (9 a.m.): Art Paper 2 (Drawing or Painting from Nature)
March 16: Physics – Paper 1
March 18: Physical Education
March 23: Economics; Biotechnology – Paper 1
March 25: Sociology
March 27: Computer Science – Paper 1
March 28 (9 a.m.): Art Paper 4 (Original Imaginative Composition in Colour)
March 30: Political Science
April 1: Elective English; Hospitality Management
April 4 (9 a.m.): Art Paper 5 (Crafts ‘A’)
April 6: Geography
