On this page
CBSE will hold its 2027 exams for private candidates in February, March and April, alongside the main board exams, according to its Class 12 notice dated 7 October 2026 and the matching Class 10 notice.
Who can register as a CBSE private candidate?
CBSE's byelaws define a private candidate as a person who is not a regular candidate but is allowed to appear in the Board's Class 10 or Class 12 examination (CBSE byelaws on private candidates). For 2027, the Class 12 notice lists four groups, and the Class 10 notice lists the same four:
Essential repeat: students declared essential repeat in the 2026 result.
Fail or essential repeat, 2021 to 2026: students declared fail or essential repeat in any of those years.
Compartment: students placed in compartment in the 2026 main and supplementary exams. This is the second chance, in the compartment subject only.
Improvement of performance: students who passed in 2026 and want to improve subjects they took that year.
A student who completed a regular course and had a 2026 roll number but missed the exam for medical reasons can also apply. Shortage of attendance does not count.
How do you fill in the CBSE private candidate form?
Everything happens online through the Vyaktigat Pariksharthi (private candidate) link at cbse.gov.in/newsite/private. The Class 12 notice sets these rules:
Keep a working email ID ready for OTP verification.
Choose your category carefully. You can submit only one form.
If you sat the 2026 exams, your details fill in automatically. If you sat in 2025 or earlier, enter your roll number and year exactly as on your marksheet, or the form is rejected.
Upload a colour photo taken in the last six months and your signature as JPG files of 40 KB or less.
Pick your exam city with care. Once the centre is allotted, CBSE will not change it.
Pay online from your own, a parent's or a sibling's account, so any refund reaches your family.
Download your submitted form and check it. Corrections, including subject and centre, are allowed until the last date.
Fill in the form yourself. CBSE says it will not accept a cyber café's mistake as an excuse.
What are the deadlines and fees for 2027?
Annexure 4 of the Class 12 notice gives the schedule. The Class 10 notice uses the same dates:
Normal fee: 8 to 23 October 2026.
With late fee: 24 to 30 October 2026, with ₹2,000 per candidate added to the normal fee.
Class 12 practical fee in India: ₹160 per practical subject.
CBSE accepts no forms after the last date, and a form without payment is rejected without notice. You will get a new roll number for 2027. Improvement candidates get a separate marksheet showing only the new marks.
How do practical exams work for private candidates?
For Class 12, the byelaws bar private candidates from subjects involving practical work unless they failed earlier after a regular course at a CBSE-affiliated school in the previous academic year (byelaws). Annexure 5 of the 2027 Class 12 notice shows which categories may take each subject. Physics and chemistry, for example, are listed for essential repeat, compartment and improvement candidates. Check your subject before you pay.
The notice says earlier practical or internal assessment marks are carried forward, given pro rata, or the practical is held again, under the byelaws. CBSE's practical guidelines for 2025-26 show how this worked last cycle:
Practicals ran from 23 February to 17 March 2026, at the theory exam centre.
The regional office appointed an external examiner.
Students contacted their centre with their previous marksheet and admit card.
In subjects without a practical, internal assessment marks were worked out pro rata from theory marks.
To prepare, read our guide to CBSE Class 12 physics practicals and the viva.
How do you study for boards without school?
Here is a plan for a Class 12 maths compartment student, using the 2027 CBSE curriculum:
November: Compare your 2026 marks with the 2027 syllabus and list the units where you lost most.
December and January: One unit a week: NCERT exercises, then sample paper questions, checked against the marking scheme.
February: One timed paper a week. Redo every wrong question two days later.
Exam weeks: Revision only, and sleep at your normal time.
If your mistakes come from using the wrong method, the Fermi Problem Library has worked problems with a step-by-step solver that explains the reasoning rather than printing an answer. If you don't know where to start, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session.
For the other retake route, see how CBSE supplementary exams work. For the final stretch, use this eight-week Class 12 revision plan. For questions about your form, call the CBSE helpline on 1800-11-8002 (9.30 am to 5.30 pm, working days).
