CBSE board toolLast checked 29 October 20265 official sources
CBSE board exam facilities for CwSN students
My child has a disability certificate and sits the CBSE Class 10 or 12 board exam. Which facilities (scribe, extra time, exemptions) can we ask for, and by when must the school apply?
Quick answer
In the Class 10 and 12 board exams, CBSE gives students with disabilities, as the RPwD Act 2016 defines them, facilities such as a scribe or reader, compensatory time (60 minutes on a 3-hour paper), a computer, a ground-floor room and an exemption from a language. Which of these apply depends on the category printed on the disability certificate, and CBSE's 2019 circular lists them category by category. The school asks for them on CBSE's CwSN portal. For the 2027 exams that portal closes before the LOC last date (30 October 2026 with late fee), and once the school's window shuts no student can be added as CwSN. Pick the category below to see its facilities and the steps the school has to finish in time.
CurrentApplies to 2026-27 (board exams 2027)Last checked 29 October 2026
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 15 November 2026. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
The facilities come from CBSE's 2019 circular, which the 2026-27 LOC circular still points to. CBSE has not yet posted the 2027 CwSN portal dates; we check its circulars page and add them the day they appear.
Does your child need to be on CBSE's CwSN list for the 2027 board exams?[3]
✓
Do it now
Yes, the certificate is ready: ask the school now
Give the school the certificate PDF and your list of facilities before its CwSN portal closes, which is earlier than 30 October 2026.
?
Check first
The certificate is still pending
Tell the school anyway and ask whether it can be uploaded before the portal closes. After that window CBSE allows no additions.
!
Get help
The category is not in CBSE's table
Ask the school to raise it with the regional office before the portal closes. CBSE's circular covers disabilities as the RPwD Act 2016 defines them.
Key dates and rules
⏱️Extra time
60 minutes on a 3-hour paper; 50, 40 or 30 minutes on shorter papers[1]
📌What decides the facilities
The category on the disability certificate, matched to CBSE's Annexure-C table[1]
📌How to apply
Through the school, on CBSE's CwSN portal, which runs alongside the LOC[3]
📌2027 portal closes
Before the LOC last date; CBSE has not published the exact date (checked 11 October 2026)[5]
📅LOC last date
21 October 2026 at normal fee; 30 October 2026 with late fee[3]
📅After the window
No candidate can be added as CwSN; the 2-4 November correction window does not cover it[3]
The steps, in order
1
Read the category off the certificate
Find the disability category printed on the certificate and pick that exact row in the finder. A certificate that says low vision gets the low vision facilities, not the blindness ones.[1]
Have ready
The disability certificate
The issuing authority's name on it
2
List the facilities you will ask for
Use the finder to see what CBSE's table allows for that category and class, and note every one your child may need. The portal step happens once.[1]
Have ready
The finder's result, printed
Paper lengths for the extra-time line
3
Write to the school This week, before the portal closes
Send the Annexure-D request letter with the certificate and your facility list, and ask the school for the date its CwSN portal entry will be done.[2]
Have ready
Annexure-D letter (in the kit)
Certificate PDF of up to 2 MB
Own scribe's name and qualification, if any
4
The school marks CwSN in the LOC and fills the portal
The school marks your child as CwSN in the LOC, enters the category, ticks the facilities on the CwSN portal and uploads the certificate. Ask it to check the ticks with you before saving, because no correction is allowed afterwards.[2]
Have ready
Your facility list
School's LOC login (the school has it)
5
The regional office decides
CBSE's regional office marks each case approved or rejected. Approved facilities are printed on the admit card.[2]
When the admit card comes out, check that each facility you asked for is printed on it, and raise any gap with the school at once.[2]
Have ready
Admit card
Your copy of the request letter
This finder runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It never asks for your child's name, certificate number or marks, and a shared link carries only the class and category code. It reads the category already on the certificate and does not judge which category fits a child. Facilities are from CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/112233/2019 (Annexure-C), the CwSN portal circular of 3 September 2025 and the LOC circular of 17 September 2026, checked 11 October 2026.
The 2026-27 LOC season and where CwSN fits
From CBSE's LOC circular for 2026-27 (Annexure A(i) and Part I H). Source[3]
Compensatory time by paper length
From section A.2 of CBSE's 2019 circular. Source[1]
Facilities by disability category, as printed in CBSE's Annexure-C
Category (code)
Subject choice
Attendance relaxed
Second language exempt
Computer
Scribe / extra time
Ground floor
Theory paper for practicals
Assistive devices
Skill subjects
Fee waived
Leprosy cured (HL)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Cerebral palsy (HC)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Dwarfism (HD)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
-
Muscular dystrophy (HM)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Acid attack victim (HA)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Blindness (BB)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Low vision (BL)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes (magnifier)
Yes
Yes
Deaf (DD)
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Hard of hearing (DH)
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Speech and language disability (DS)
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
-
Specific learning disabilities (CS)
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
-
-
Yes
-
Autism spectrum disorder (CA)
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes*
Yes
-
-
Yes
-
Mental behaviour (SM)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
-
Yes
-
Chronic neurological conditions (SN)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
-
Blood disorders (SB)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
Yes
Yes
-
Multiple disabilities (SD)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
-
-
Yes
-
From CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/112233/2019, Annexure-C (pp. 11-17), read as page images on 11 October 2026. A dash means the cell is empty in CBSE's table: ask the regional office rather than reading it as a refusal. Column 5 wording differs by group: hearing impairment lists compensatory time only, with no scribe; locomotor disability lists a scribe only in case of hand dysfunction. CBSE marks the autism cell with an asterisk and does not say why.[1]
Compensatory time by paper length
Paper length
Extra time
3 hours
60 minutes
2½ hours
50 minutes
2 hours
40 minutes
1½ hours
30 minutes
From section A.2 of CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/112233/2019. It applies with or without a scribe, for the categories Annexure-C allows.[1]
Exemptions that depend on the class
Class
What the circular allows
Class 10
Exemption from the third language
Class 10
One compulsory language instead of two, plus any four subjects from CBSE's listed groups
Class 10
Alternative questions in Social Science in place of questions with visual inputs, for visually impaired candidates
Class 10
Physiotherapy exercises count as equivalent to Health and Physical Education
Class 12
Separate multiple-choice papers in place of practicals in Physics, Chemistry and Biology
Class 12
Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology papers without visual inputs
Class 12
Alternative questions in History, Geography and Economics in place of questions with visual inputs
From section B of CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/112233/2019. The Class 12 separate papers apply only to categories where Annexure-C allows a theory paper in place of practicals.[1]
What goes wrong
Waiting for the LOC date
What happens: The CwSN portal closes earlier than the LOC, and after it no student can be added as CwSN.[3]
Fix: Ask the school for its CwSN date now, not in late October.
Picking a category that differs from the certificate
What happens: The facilities requested don't match what the certificate supports, and the regional office can reject the case.[2]
Fix: Use the exact category printed on the certificate.
A facility left unticked
What happens: It can't be added later: the portal selection is one-time.[2]
Fix: Ask for every facility your child may need, and check the ticks with the school before it saves.
Own scribe too qualified
What happens: The scribe doesn't meet CBSE's rule.[1]
Fix: Your own scribe must be one step below the student in qualification.
Fix: Compress the PDF to 2 MB or less before you send it to the school.
Variants: when the steps change
If this is you
What changes
Class 10
Adds the third-language exemption, the one-language option and physiotherapy in place of Health and Physical Education.[1]
Class 12
Adds separate multiple-choice papers in place of science practicals, and papers without visual inputs, for categories where Annexure-C allows them.[1]
Own scribe or the centre's
Own scribe: one step below the student, Annexure-B form, meet two days before. Centre's scribe: at least Class 10 pass, no more than the exam's minimum qualification.[1]
Reader only
Someone reads out the question paper; the regional office decides case by case, and no scribe is then allowed.[1]
What changed for 2027
The facilities have not changed: CBSE still applies its 2019 circular, and the 2026-27 LOC circular sends schools straight to it. The process has. The school now requests facilities online, on a CwSN portal that opens with the LOC. For the 2026 exams that portal was open for two weeks, from 9 to 22 September 2025.
For 2027, the LOC opened on 24 September 2026, and the LOC circular says the CwSN portal closes before the LOC last date. After it, "schools will not be able to add any other candidate as CWSN". The data-correction window of 2 to 4 November 2026 covers names, dates of birth and subjects. It does not cover CwSN.[3]
Scribe rules worth knowing before exam day
You can bring your own scribe or reader, or ask the exam centre for one.
Your own scribe must be one step below the student in qualification. A scribe from the centre must have at least passed Class 10 and must not be more qualified than the exam's minimum.
If you bring your own scribe, give their details on CBSE's Annexure-B form. The student can meet the scribe two days before the exam.
Different scribes for different papers are allowed, especially for languages, but only one per subject. The scribe can be changed in an emergency.
The scribe costs the family nothing. The centre superintendent pays the scribe at CBSE's rates.
A student can ask for a reader only, to read out the question paper. The regional office decides case by case, and a student who has a reader cannot also have a scribe.
A computer or laptop for typing answers, enlarged text or listening to the questions, where a registered medical practitioner or qualified psychological consultant recommends it. The student brings it, formatted and with no internet; a computer teacher at the centre checks and watches it.
A magnifying glass or portable video magnifier for visually impaired candidates, in place of large-print papers since 2020.
Attendance relaxed to as low as 50%, requested by the principal with a certificate from a registered medical practitioner or authorised psychologist.
No registration or exam fee for Classes 9 to 12 for visually impaired candidates (blindness and low vision only).
Second or third language: Annexure-C calls column 4 an "exemption in studying second language", while section B of the same circular exempts Class 10 candidates from the third language. CBSE's press release of 29 June 2026 keeps relaxations from the compulsory third language for CwSN. We show both lines as printed; the third language finder has the full language rule.
Calculators: the 2019 circular says no calculator is allowed in any CBSE exam. The newer user manual for the 2026 CwSN portal says basic calculators were also allowed for candidates registered as CwSN, without naming categories. The school sees the current options when it fills the portal.
Registration in Class 9 or 11: the 2019 circular says only students whose category was entered at Class 9 or 11 registration would be considered. The 2025 and 2026-27 circulars run everything through the LOC portal and do not repeat that line. If your child is in Class 9 or 11, make sure the category goes into this year's registration.[1]
Tips and tricks
Ask the school which date its CwSN portal closes this year. It comes before the LOC date, and CBSE has not put it on its circulars page yet.
Ask for every facility you might need now. The portal step is one-time, and a missed tick can't be added later.
Keep the certificate as a PDF of 2 MB or less, the portal's limit per document.
If you plan to bring your own scribe, check the qualification rule (one step below the student) before you ask a relative.
Class 9 and 11 parents: make sure the category goes into this year's registration, because the 2019 circular links facilities to that entry.
Free printable
Print the working copy
CwSN facilities: request letter and checklist: one A4 page, black and white, with the decision, every step with a date box, and blanks to fill in.
CwSN facilities: request letter and checklist
Parents of CBSE Class 10 and 12 students with a disability certificate, for the 2027 board exams
Decide
Does your child need to be on CBSE's CwSN list for the 2027 board exams?
Do it now: Yes, the certificate is ready: ask the school now
Check first: The certificate is still pending
Get help: The category is not in CBSE's table
Checklist
Done
Step
Date
Category read off the certificate
Facilities listed with the finder
Certificate PDF of 2 MB or less
Letter given to the school, with the date
School confirmed the portal entry
Facilities checked on the admit card
To the Principal (school name and address)
Student's name, admission number, class and section
Nature of disability, as on the certificate
Exemptions requested
Own scribe opted: name and qualification
Parent's signature, email and phone
Date the school says its CwSN portal entry will be done
Source: CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/112233/2019. Check the official circular before you act. correctpath.in/cbse/cwsn-facilities/
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
How much extra time does a CwSN student get in CBSE board exams?
60 minutes for a 3-hour paper, 50 minutes for 2½ hours, 40 minutes for 2 hours and 30 minutes for 1½ hours, as listed in CBSE's 2019 circular.[1]
Who can be a scribe in the CBSE board exam?
A scribe the student brings must have a qualification one step below the student's. A scribe provided by the centre must have at least passed Class 10 and must not be more qualified than the exam's minimum. One scribe per subject.[1]
What is the last date for CwSN facilities in the 2027 CBSE board exams?
CBSE says the CwSN portal closes before the LOC last date. The LOC closes on 30 October 2026 with late fee, and CBSE had not published the exact portal date on its circulars page when we checked on 11 October 2026. Ask your school.[3]
Can CwSN facilities be added after the LOC is submitted?
No. The LOC circular for 2026-27 says no request for CwSN concessions will be considered after the LOC is submitted, and the November correction window does not cover CwSN.[3]
Are CwSN students exempt from the third language in CBSE?
CBSE's 2019 circular exempts Class 10 candidates with disabilities from the third language, and its press release of 29 June 2026 keeps the relaxation for CwSN. Our third language finder has the full rule.[4]
Can a CwSN student use a calculator in the CBSE board exam?
CBSE's user manual for the 2026 CwSN portal says basic calculators were allowed for candidates registered as CwSN. The older 2019 circular said no calculators. The school sees the current options when it fills the portal.[2]
Which disability certificate does CBSE accept?
One from a government hospital (Chief Medical Officer, Civil Surgeon or Medical Superintendent), a recognised national institute, or an organisation or practitioner registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India or the government. The circular adds that a certificate from the competent authority at any place is accepted.[1]