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    How Many Students Appeared in CBSE 12th Exams 2026?

    How Many Students Appeared in CBSE 12th Exams 2026?

    Manasvini GuptaUpdated on 10 Mar 2026, 12:21 PM IST

    The Central Board of Secondary Education is administering Class 12th board exams 2026 from February 17 to April 10, 2026, across designated exam centres in India and abroad. This year, the board is witnessing one of the largest participation numbers in recent years, with around 20 lakh students likely appearing for the CBSE Senior Secondary exams.

    LiveCBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2026 LIVE: 12th English paper tomorrow from 10:30 am; marking scheme, syllabusMar 11, 2026 | 7:07 PM IST

    The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has started an on-screen evaluation system for Class 12 board exams 2026. As per the board, the new system has been opted to make the assessment faster, more transparent, and efficient.

    "In this system, answer sheets are scanned and uploaded to a digital platform called CBSE Onmark (cbse.onmark.co.in), where teachers evaluate them using a computer," the board said.

    Read More

    This Story also Contains

    1. How Many Students Are Appearing in the CBSE 12th Exam 2026?
    2. Previous Year’s CBSE Class 12 Exams 2025: Participation and Exam Data
    3. CBSE Class 12 Result Statistics (Year-Wise)
    How Many Students Appeared in CBSE 12th Exams 2026?
    How Many Students Appeared in CBSE 12th Exams 2026?

    The CBSE Class 12 exams are conducted in CBSE-affiliated schools across the country as well as in 26 countries abroad. In 2025, over 16.92 lakh students appeared for the CBSE 12th board exams. The number is expected to touch around 20 lakh in 2026. The exam cycle will involve the evaluation of a massive volume of answer sheets and participation across multiple subject streams. Therefore, the board has also introduced the CBSE 12th On-Screen marking system.

    How Many Students Are Appearing in the CBSE 12th Exam 2026?

    The number of candidates appearing for the CBSE Class 12 board exams continues to rise every year. Nearly 20 lakh candidates are taking the CBSE Class 12 board exams 2026, making it one of the largest batches in recent years. Check the data provided in the table below:

    Year

    Total students appeared

    2026

    Around 20,00,000 (exact figure awaited)

    2025

    16,92,794

    2024

    16,21,224

    2023

    16,60,511

    Previous Year’s CBSE Class 12 Exams 2025: Participation and Exam Data

    To understand the scale of the CBSE board exams, it is helpful to look at the data from the previous year. The evaluation of over 1 crore answer sheets demonstrates the magnitude of the examination process conducted annually by CBSE.

    Particulars

    Details

    Exam duration

    February 15 to April 4, 2025

    Students registered

    17,88,165

    Subjects offered

    120

    Actual exam days

    38 days

    Answer books evaluated

    1,07,28,990

    CBSE Class 12 Result Statistics (Year-Wise)

    Pass percentages and student participation numbers over the years show how consistently large the CBSE exam system has been.

    Year

    Total appeared students

    Overall Pass %

    Boys' pass %

    Girls' pass %

    2025

    16,92,794

    88.39

    85.70

    91.64

    2024

    16,21,224

    87.98

    91.52

    85.12

    2023

    16,60,511

    87.33

    84.67

    90.68

    2022

    14,35,366

    92.71

    91.25

    94.54

    2021

    13,69,745

    99.37

    99.67

    99.13

    2020

    11,92,961

    88.78

    86.19

    92.15

    2019

    12,05,484

    83.4

    79.4

    88.7

    CBSE 12th Exams 2026: Why the Number of Students is Increasing Every Year?

    • The number of schools affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education has grown steadily in recent years, which naturally leads to more students reaching the Class 12 board exam stage.

    • Many parents prefer the CBSE curriculum because it follows a national-level syllabus and is closely aligned with major competitive examinations in India. A large number of international schools outside India have adopted the CBSE curriculum, allowing Indian and foreign students studying abroad to appear for the same board exams.

    • More students are now choosing to continue their studies after Class 10, leading to a larger number reaching the Class 12 board exam stage.

    • The expansion of private and government CBSE-affiliated schools in urban as well as semi-urban areas has also contributed to the steady rise in student participation.

    • Increased awareness about the importance of higher education and professional courses has encouraged more students to complete their Class 12 education through the CBSE board.

    Also, Check:

    CBSE 12 Class Free Mock Test
    Boost your exam preparation with our CBSE 12 Class Free Mock Test, designed as per the latest exam pattern.
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    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: How many students are appearing for the CBSE Class 12 exams 2026?
    A:

    Around 20 lakh students are appearing for the CBSE Class 12 board exams 2026.

    Q: In how many countries are CBSE exams conducted?
    A:

    Apart from India, CBSE conducts examinations in 26 countries abroad through affiliated schools.

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