CBSE board toolLast checked 16 October 20268 official sources
CBSE Class 12 supplementary exam: who can sit it, who files it, what it costs
My child got a compartment in Class 12, or passed and wants to improve one subject. Can they sit CBSE's supplementary exam, who applies, what do they write, and what does it cost?
Quick answer
CBSE holds the Class 12 supplementary exam in July, a few weeks after the main result. In 2026 every paper was written on one day, 28 July, so a student could take one subject only. Four groups of regular students could sit it: compartment in one subject, compartment in two subjects for a student with six subjects (one of the two), a pass where the sixth subject replaced a failed one, and a pass with one subject to improve. A regular student's school files the name in the supplementary list of candidates (LOC); the student can't apply alone. A student still in compartment after two tries takes the third and last chance as a private candidate. If the result says RP, the student does only the practical and keeps the theory marks. The 2027 circular is not out yet, so the dates and fees on this page are CBSE's 2026 figures.
CurrentApplies to 2026Last checked 16 October 2026
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 15 June 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
Rules, dates and fees from CBSE's 2026 supplementary exam circulars. The 2027 circular usually comes soon after the main result; we update this page when it does.
The school, in the supplementary LOC on Pariksha Sangam[1]
💳Fee for schools in India, 2026
Rs 320 per subject (visually impaired students: no fee)[1]
📅LOC window, 2026
30 June to 9 July 2026, after a one-day extension[2]
📌Chances to clear a compartment
Three at most; the third only as a private candidate[1]
The steps, in order
1
Read the result line for each subject
Note whether the result says compartment, and whether the subject shows RP (practical only) or RB (theory and practical). Run the pass or compartment checker if you're unsure what the result means.[6]
Category A to D for a regular student, or the private route for the third chance. The tool also shows what you sit and the 2026 fee for your school's country.[1]
Have ready
Main exam result
Regular or private
3
Get the school to file the supplementary LOC LOC window (30 June to 9 July in 2026)
Ask the school in writing, give the subject and code, and check the checklist print before the fee is paid. After payment no correction is possible.[1]
Have ready
Subject code
Written request to the school
4
Collect the admit card Before the exam (20 July in 2026)
Regular students get it from the school, signed and stamped. Private candidates download it and get it signed by the last school's principal or the centre superintendent.[5]
Have ready
Admit card, signed and stamped
5
Sit the paper, then the practical if RP or RB 28 July 2026; practicals to 4 August
Reach the school or centre by the reporting date with the result and admit card to get a practical slot. Write the theory paper on exam day unless the result says RP.[6]
Have ready
Admit card
Copy of the result
6
Check the result and the new marksheet 12 August in 2026
See the result on DigiLocker. If a mark looks wrong, apply for the scanned answer book in the short post-result window.[7]
This tool runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It never asks for a name or roll number. It applies Annexure 1 and Annexure 2 of CBSE's circular of 30.06.2026, the extensions of 07.07.2026, the admit card circular of 20.07.2026 and the practical exam guidelines of 22.07.2026, checked 16 October 2026. CBSE's 2027 circular decides the 2027 exam.
The 2026 supplementary exam, from the LOC to the result
Six weeks from the LOC opening to the result. The 2027 dates come with CBSE's 2027 circular. Source[7]
Compartment candidates who passed the supplementary exam
Pass percentage in the compartment category, as CBSE reported it. Source[7]
Who could sit the 2026 supplementary exam (regular students)
Category
Main exam result
What the student could write
A
Compartment
The one subject in compartment
B
Six subjects, compartment in two
Either one of the two subjects
C
Six subjects, passed, one subject not cleared
That failed subject, under Improvement of Performance
D
Passed
Any one subject, under Improvement of Performance
Annexure 1 of CBSE's circular of 30.06.2026. Improvement categories were open only in subjects whose papers CBSE held in the supplementary exam (Annexure 4 lists them by code).[1]
Supplementary LOC fee in 2026, by where the school is
School in
Fee
Paid by
India
Rs 320 per subject
The school, online, by the LOC last date
Nepal
Rs 1,100 per subject
The school, online, by the LOC last date
Outside India
Rs 2,200 per subject
The school, online, by the LOC last date
Visually impaired students of Class 12
No fee (exempt)
Not applicable
Annexure 2 of the circular of 30.06.2026: paid online by the school (cards, net banking, UPI in India), no challan, and no LOC accepted after the last date. Fees for private candidates are in CBSE's separate private-candidate notice.[1]
How the 2026 supplementary exam ran, for planning 2027
Step
2026 date
Circular
Supplementary LOC and private forms open
30 June 2026
30.06.2026
Last date for LOC, fee and private forms
9 July 2026 (extended from 8 July)
07.07.2026
Admit cards live
20 July 2026
20.07.2026
Report to the school or centre for practicals
By 27 July 2026
22.07.2026
Theory exam, all subjects
28 July 2026, from 10:30 am, plus 15 minutes of reading time
17.07.2026
Practical exams (RP and RB)
29 July to 4 August 2026
22.07.2026
Result
12 August 2026
12.08.2026
Dates as finally notified, extensions included. The 2027 dates come with CBSE's 2027 circular, usually soon after the main result.[7]
The 2026 supplementary exam in CBSE's numbers
Measure
2026
Registered
2,91,576 candidates
Appeared
2,75,287 candidates
Appeared for improvement
1,11,056 candidates
Appeared in the compartment category
1,64,231 candidates
Passed in the compartment category
53.08% (38.36% in 2025)
From CBSE's press release of 12.08.2026. The pass figure is for the compartment category only.[7]
What goes wrong
Waiting for the school to call
What happens: The LOC window closes in about ten days, and CBSE accepts nothing after the last date.[1]
Fix: Ask the school yourself in the week of the result and keep its reply.
A wrong subject code on the LOC
What happens: Once the school pays, the final LOC prints and no correction is possible.[1]
Fix: Check the checklist print, code by code, before the fee goes.
Planning two subjects
What happens: Every paper was on the same day in 2026, and the circular allows one subject.[4]
Fix: Pick one subject; plan the other for the next main exam.
Missing the practical date
What happens: CBSE told RP and RB students to report by a fixed date to get a practical date, and the marks are final once the school uploads them.[6]
Fix: Report to the school or centre with the result and admit card before the date in the circular (27 July in 2026).
Variants: when the steps change
If this is you
What changes
Regular student, school in India
School files the LOC on Pariksha Sangam; Rs 320 per subject in 2026; admit card from the school; practicals in the school.[1]
School in Nepal or another country
Same route; the 2026 fee was Rs 1,100 per subject (Nepal) or Rs 2,200 per subject (other countries).[1]
Third chance, private candidate
Apply yourself through CBSE's private-candidate form in the same window; admit card from apps.cbseit.in/comptt; practicals at the exam centre.[5]
RP and RB on the result: practical, theory or both
Look at the result for the subject. RP means repeat in practical: the student writes no theory paper, because the theory marks carry forward, and sits only the practical. RB means repeat in theory and practical both, so the student writes the theory paper on exam day and also sits the practical.
In 2026 the practicals ran from 29 July to 4 August, after the theory day. Regular students took them in their own school. Private candidates took them at the centre fixed for their theory paper, or at a nearby centre if that one had no lab for the subject. CBSE asked every student to reach the school or centre by 27 July with the result and the admit card to get a practical date. The marks went on the portal the same day and CBSE says it won't change them after that.[6]
Only the school can make the entry
For a regular student, only the school can put the name in the supplementary LOC, using its affiliation number on Pariksha Sangam. CBSE's 2026 circular told schools to file every student in compartment even if they could not reach the student, because a name left out loses the chance. A student who passed and wants to improve has to tell the school, which adds the name only if asked.
The school can print a checklist before paying. Once the fee is paid, the final LOC prints and no correction is possible, online or offline. So check the subject code on the checklist before the school pays.[1]
After the supplementary result
In 2026 the result came out on 12 August on DigiLocker. Regular students got the printed marksheet-cum-passing certificate through their school; private candidates got it by post. The LOC circular of 30.06.2026 says CBSE issues a consolidated marksheet only to students who were in compartment in the main exam and pass in the supplementary exam.
If a supplementary mark looks wrong, the same two-stage review applies: the scanned answer book first, then verification or re-evaluation. CBSE's notice of 27.08.2026 set its own short windows for the supplementary exam, and marks can go down as well as up.[7]
Tips and tricks
Screenshot the result page on result day. You'll need the subject code and the RP or RB mark for the school and the practical.
Ask the school for the LOC checklist print before it pays. It's the only moment a wrong code can still be fixed.
With two compartment subjects, choose the one where the gap to 33% is smaller. The other gets its chance in the next main exam.
If the result says RP, don't spend July revising theory. Practise for the practical instead.
Save the admit card as a PDF as well as on paper. Private candidates need it signed by the last school's principal or the centre superintendent, so get that done early.
Free printable
Print the working copy
Supplementary exam sheet: one page: one A4 page, black and white, with the decision, every step with a date box, and blanks to fill in.
Supplementary exam sheet: one page
CBSE Class 12 students and parents, from the main result to the supplementary result
Decide
The Class 12 result is out. Should your child sit the supplementary exam?
Do it now: Compartment in one subject: confirm the LOC entry
Check first: Compartment in two subjects with six: pick one
Check first: Passed, but one subject's mark is low: improvement
Get help: Compartment from an earlier year, two tries used
Checklist
Done
Step
Date
Result saved, subject codes noted
School asked in writing in the result week
LOC checklist print checked before payment
Admit card collected, signed and stamped
Reported for the practical before the date (RP or RB)
Exam written; result checked on DigiLocker
New marksheet saved; scan applied for if a mark looks wrong
Roll number and school
Subject and code for the supplementary exam
Category (A, B, C, D or private third chance)
Theory, RP or RB
Date the school was asked, and its reply
Fee: Rs ___ per subject, paid on ___
Practical date and venue (RP or RB)
Source: CBSE supplementary LOC circular, 30.06.2026. Check the official circular before you act. correctpath.in/cbse/class-12-supplementary-exam/
Every step above cites a numbered source; the full list is at the end of the page. If the board issues a newer circular, it overrides this page.
Questions people ask
Is the CBSE compartment exam the same as the supplementary exam?
Yes. CBSE now calls it the supplementary exam. Compartment is the result category; the supplementary exam is where a compartment student gets the next chance, and where students who passed can improve one subject.[1]
How many subjects can I write in the CBSE Class 12 supplementary exam?
One. CBSE's 2026 circular allowed one subject per student, and every paper was held on the same day, 28 July 2026. A student with compartment in two subjects and six subjects in all could choose either one.[1]
Can I apply for the supplementary exam myself?
Not as a regular student. Your school files your name in the supplementary LOC on Pariksha Sangam. Private candidates, including students taking the third chance, apply through CBSE's private-candidate form.[1]
What is the CBSE supplementary exam fee?
In 2026 schools paid Rs 320 per subject for a school in India, Rs 1,100 per subject in Nepal and Rs 2,200 per subject in other countries. Visually impaired Class 12 students paid no fee. The 2027 fee will be in the 2027 circular.[1]
What do RP and RB mean on a CBSE result?
RP is repeat in practical: you sit only the practical and your theory marks carry forward. RB is repeat in theory and practical both, so you write the theory paper and sit the practical.[6]
What if I fail the supplementary exam too?
A compartment student gets three chances in all: the supplementary exam after the result, the next main exam, and the supplementary exam after that. The third chance is taken only as a private candidate.[1]
Where do I get the supplementary admit card?
Regular students get it from the school, signed and stamped by the principal. Private candidates download it from apps.cbseit.in/comptt and get it signed by the principal of the last school or the centre superintendent.[5]