With the CBSE Board Exam 2026 all set to begin on February 17, the board is conducting a live webcast on February 13, 2026 (Friday) to brief schools and stakeholders on examination modalities and a set of major changes that are to be rolled out this year. The session will cover topics like exam-day procedures and the shift towards digital evaluation for Class 12, along with other reforms for Class 10.
Direct link and how to watch the CBSE webcast
According to CBSE, the webcast is being streamed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/Mcx21zdFJo4, from 11:00 AM IST onwards, with an expected duration of about two hours. It also suggests an alternate method for watch it by searching YouTube for the official channel name “BoardExams@CBSE”.
CBSE’s official YouTube live listing for the webinar titled “Webinar on conduct of examination 2026 and digital evaluation” is available via YouTube Live.
What the webcast will focus on
The three key first-time initiatives will be explained in the session:
1. On-Screen Marking (OSM) for Class 12, where scanned answer sheets are evaluated digitally on computer screens.
- Optional second board exam for Class 10 in May/June 2026, aimed at allowing students to improve scores and reduce one-shot exam pressure.
- Subject-wise paper division for Class 10 in Science and Social Science, with clearer sectioning (for example, Physics/Chemistry/Biology).
CBSE has also decided to reintroduce On-Screen Marking (OSM) for Class 12 answer books from 2026, while Class 10 evaluation will continue in physical mode for now. It described OSM as a digital system where scanned answer sheets are assessed by teachers on computers and marks are totalled via software, reducing manual totalling errors, as reported by ANI.
What CBSE has told schools about OSM readiness
In its OSM-related document, CBSE listed infrastructure requirements to support the rollout, such as access to a computer lab with public static IP, computers/laptops with Windows 8 or above, minimum 4 GB RAM, updated browsers, Adobe Reader, stable internet, and uninterrupted power supply. CBSE has also indicated it will conduct training, dry runs and support measures for implementation.
CBSE is conducting the 2026 board examinations for students from over 31,000 affiliated schools in India and 26 countries abroad, with exams scheduled from February 17 to April 10, 2026, and participation expected to be around 46 lakh students across 8,074 plus centres.