CBSE board toolLast checked 30 October 20263 official sources
CBSE private candidates 2027: categories, last dates and fees
I failed, got compartment or Essential Repeat, or want to improve my CBSE Class 10 or 12 marks. Can I sit the 2027 exams as a private candidate, in which category, by when and at what fee?
Quick answer
CBSE opened its 2027 private-candidate forms for Class 10 and Class 12 on 8 October 2026. Four groups can apply: students declared Essential Repeat in 2026, students still in compartment after the 2026 main and supplementary exams, students who failed or got Essential Repeat in any year from 2021 to 2026, and students who passed in 2026 and want to improve one or more subjects. The form is online only. The normal-fee window closed on 23 October 2026 and the late-fee window closes on 30 October; after that CBSE accepts nothing "on any ground".
CurrentApplies to 2026-27Last checked 30 October 2026
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 6 November 2026. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
From CBSE's two notices dated 7 October 2026 (dates and fees re-read in Annexure 4 on 30 October 2026). No extension notice was on cbse.gov.in that day; we check once more in the first week of November.
Can you sit the 2027 CBSE exams as a private candidate, and in which category?[1]
✓
Do it now
In one of the four groups: apply by 30 October (late fee)
Essential Repeat 2026, compartment 2026, fail or Essential Repeat 2021 to 2026, or passed in 2026. Find your category with the finder, keep your marksheet and a 40 KB photo and signature ready, and pay in the same sitting.
?
Check first
Compartment in 2026: one subject or all of them
Class 10 with two compartment subjects or Class 12 with one can sit all subjects by selecting Essential Repeat. Decide before you submit: you get one application.
–
Not for you
Passed in 2025 or earlier and want to improve: not this year
The notices allow improvement only for students declared pass in 2026.
!
Get help
Not in any of the four groups: call before you pay
Attendance shortage, a result from 2020 or earlier, or no CBSE board exam at all: the notice has no category for you. CBSE helpline 1800-11-8002, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, working days.
1800-11-8002, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm on working days[1]
The steps, in order
1
Find your category Before you open the form
Use the finder on this page or Annexure 1 of your class's notice. You get one application only, and you can't apply again under a different category.[1]
Have ready
Your last CBSE marksheet
The year of that result
2
Get your details and files ready
Students from 2026 see their details filled in. Students from 2025 or earlier type their roll number and year themselves, and a wrong entry means rejection.[1]
Have ready
Roll number, school number and centre number from the marksheet
An e-mail address you can open now (for the OTP)
Photo and signature, JPG, 40 KB or less each
Your full postal address
3
Check your subject codes
Compare the subjects the portal offers with Annexure 5 of your class's notice. Take care with languages and Maths, which have more than one course: Hindi Course A is 002 and Course B is 085; Class 10 Maths Standard is 041 and Basic is 241.[1]
Have ready
Annexure 5 of your class's notice
4
Pick the exam city carefully
The centre is allotted from the city you choose and, once allotted, won't be changed. You sign an undertaking saying so.[1]
Have ready
The city where you will be in February to April 2027
5
Pay online in the same sitting By 23 October (late fee to 30 October)
In India pay by net banking, UPI, debit or credit card, from your own account or a parent's or sibling's so any refund comes back to the family. A form without the fee by the last date is rejected without notice.[1]
Have ready
Net banking, UPI or a card in your, a parent's or a sibling's name
6
Download the form and check every field
After paying, download a copy. You can still correct details, including subjects and centre, up to the last date; after that you can't. Don't post a hard copy to CBSE.[1]
Have ready
A folder for the PDF and the payment screenshot
7
Admit card, exam, result February to April 2027
Download the admit card from the CBSE website. Outside Delhi the original marksheet comes by speed post to the address in your form; in Delhi you collect it at your exam centre with the original admit card.[1]
Have ready
The admit card, kept safe until the marksheet arrives
This category finder runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It never asks for your name or roll number. Categories, dates and fees are from CBSE's two notices dated 07.10.2026, checked 9 October 2026. The portal shows your final fee before you pay.
Fail or Essential Repeat in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 or 2026
Full subjects, (B)
All subjects
Had a 2026 roll number, missed the exam for medical reasons
Full subjects, (C)
All subjects
Missed the 2026 exam because of attendance shortage
Not covered: (C) excludes shortage of attendance
None
Compartment after the 2026 main and supplementary exams
Compartment (second chance)
Only the compartment subject(s)
Class 10, compartment in two subjects in 2026
Compartment, or all subjects under (D): select Essential Repeat
Your choice
Class 12, compartment in one subject in 2026
Compartment, or all subjects under (D): select Essential Repeat
Your choice
Passed in 2026
Improvement of Performance
One or more subjects you took in 2026
Passed in 2025 or earlier
Not eligible: only students declared pass in 2026 can improve
None
From Annexure 1 of the Class 10 and Class 12 notices. Option (D) differs by class: two compartment subjects in Class 10, one in Class 12.[1]
Fees and dates, as printed in Annexure 4
Item
India
Nepal
Other countries
Normal fee, 8 to 23 October 2026
₹320 per subject per candidate for additional subjects
₹1,100 per subject, same wording
₹2,200 per subject, same wording
Late fee, 24 to 30 October 2026
₹2,000 per candidate on top
₹2,000
₹2,000
Practical fee, Class 12 only
₹160 per practical subject
₹175 per practical subject
₹375 per practical subject
The notice prints the per-subject fee "for additional subjects" and no base fee per candidate, so we don't add up a total. The portal shows your amount before you pay.[2]
What goes wrong
Filled the form but never paid
What happens: The form is rejected without any notice.[1]
Fix: Pay in the same sitting and keep the payment screenshot.
A cyber café entered the wrong subject code or roll number
What happens: The notice says no such excuse will be accepted.[1]
Fix: Fill the form yourself, and check the downloaded copy before the last date.
Wrong roll number or year typed by a 2025-or-earlier student
What happens: Wrong information leads to rejection.[1]
Fix: Copy both from the marksheet, not from memory.
Applied for improvement after passing in 2024 or 2025
What happens: Only students declared pass in 2026 can improve this year, and paying doesn't give you the right to appear.[1]
Fix: Don't apply under improvement.
Applied under (C) after missing the exam for attendance shortage
What happens: (C) covers medical reasons and excludes attendance shortage.[2]
Fix: Call the helpline before you pay.
Picked a far-off exam city by mistake
What happens: The centre is final once allotted.[1]
Fix: Correct the city before the last date of the form.
Variants: when the steps change
If this is you
What changes
Class 10 or Class 12
The four groups, dates and fees are the same. Under (D), Class 10 students with compartment in two subjects, and Class 12 students with compartment in one, may sit all subjects. Class 12 adds a practical fee of ₹160 per practical subject in India.[2]
Candidates in Nepal or other countries
Normal fee ₹1,100 (Nepal) or ₹2,200 (other countries) per subject for additional subjects; pay by net banking, debit or credit card.[1]
Students with disabilities
RPWD Act 2016 exemptions and concessions apply under CBSE's circular of 12.04.2019. Upload the disability certificate with the form.[1]
Exam centre in Delhi
You collect the original marksheet at your exam centre with the original admit card. The centre keeps it for one year from the result month.[1]
Books on Amazon.in
Books for private candidates
Private candidates study on their own, so the NCERT books and past papers matter more.
NCERT Science, Class 10 (4.3★, 2,600 ratings)The official Class 10 Science textbook.See on Amazon.in
NCERT Mathematics, Class 10 (4.4★, 199 ratings)The official Class 10 Maths textbook.See on Amazon.in
NCERT First Flight, Class 10 English (4.4★, 1,800 ratings)The official Class 10 English textbook.See on Amazon.in
Oswaal Class 10 previous years' papers (4.4★, 143 ratings)Year-wise papers to practise under time.See on Amazon.in
Or search Amazon.in yourself. Type what you need, or tap a common search.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Ratings checked October 2026. We don't show prices; Amazon has the current one.
What carries over, and what you get back
Practical, internal assessment and project marks are carried forward, given pro rata, or the practical is held again, "as per applicable provisions of bye-laws". The notice doesn't say which one applies to which case, so ask the helpline if it matters to you.
Improvement candidates get a separate new marksheet showing only the new marks. Students who pass the second-chance compartment get a consolidated marksheet with their 2026 marks and the new subject. CBSE prints no aggregate or percentage. Your old marksheet is not surrendered, and you get a fresh roll number for 2027.[1]
Six students, six answers
These are made-up students; the rules are from the two notices.
Riya, Class 12, had compartment in Physics in 2026 and failed the July supplementary too. She applies under Compartment and writes only Physics (042). Under (D) she could also sit every subject as Essential Repeat, but she doesn't have to.
Arjun, Class 12, failed in 2023. He applies under Full subjects (B). His 2023 details aren't filled in for him, so he types his roll number and year exactly as on the marksheet; a wrong entry means rejection.
Sana, Class 12, passed in 2026 and wants a better Maths mark. She applies for Improvement of Performance in Maths (041) only, because she took it in 2026.
Kabir, Class 12, passed in 2024 and wants to improve. He can't: this year's notice allows improvement only for students declared pass in 2026.
Meera, Class 10, has compartment in Science and Maths in 2026. She can write just those two subjects under Compartment, or all her subjects under (D) by selecting Essential Repeat.
Dev, Class 12, had a 2026 roll number but missed the exam because of attendance shortage. Category (C) covers medical reasons "except shortage of attendance", so it doesn't cover him, and he should call the helpline before paying anything.[2]
Tips and tricks
The late window closes on 30 October 2026, and CBSE takes nothing after it. Pay in the same sitting so the form isn't rejected for a missing fee.
Resize the photo and signature to JPG under 40 KB before you open the form.
Use an e-mail address you can open on the spot; the OTP goes there.
Class 10 Science has two codes: 086 Science is listed for Essential Repeat, Compartment and Improvement, and 090 Science without Practical for private candidates. Take the code the portal offers you.
Screenshot the payment page and save the downloaded form as a PDF with your name in the file name.
You are examined on the 2027 curriculum, not the one you studied in 2026. Check your subjects on cbseacademic.nic.in before you start revising.
Free printable
Print the working copy
CBSE private form 2027: the one-page checklist: one A4 page, black and white, with the decision, every step with a date box, and blanks to fill in.
CBSE private form 2027: the one-page checklist
Class 10 and 12 students applying privately for the 2027 CBSE exams, and their parents
Decide
Can you sit the 2027 CBSE exams as a private candidate, and in which category?
Do it now: In one of the four groups: apply by 30 October (late fee)
Check first: Compartment in 2026: one subject or all of them
Not for you: Passed in 2025 or earlier and want to improve: not this year
Get help: Not in any of the four groups: call before you pay
Checklist
Done
Step
Date
Category found (one application only)
Photo JPG 40 KB or less
Signature JPG 40 KB or less
E-mail open for the OTP
Subject codes checked against Annexure 5
Exam city checked
Fee paid by 23 October (or by 30 October with late fee)
Form downloaded and every field checked
Admit card downloaded before the exam
Class (10 or 12) and category
Last roll number and year
Subjects and codes
Exam city chosen
Date paid and amount
Application number
Source: CBSE Class X private notice dated 07.10.2026. Check the official circular before you act. correctpath.in/cbse/private-candidates-2027/
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
What is the last date for the CBSE private form 2027?
23 October 2026 with the normal fee, and 30 October 2026 with a late fee of ₹2,000. CBSE accepts no form after 30 October.[1]
Can I apply for the CBSE private form after 30 October 2026?
No. The notice says no application is accepted after the last date "on any ground". When we checked CBSE's private-candidate page and home page on 30 October 2026, there was no extension notice.[1]
Can I apply as a CBSE private candidate for improvement if I passed in 2025?
No. The 2026-27 notices allow improvement only for students declared pass in 2026, in subjects they took in 2026.[1]
Can I fill the CBSE private form offline?
No. The form and the fee are online only, through the "व्यक्तिगत परीक्षार्थी" (private candidate) link on the CBSE website. Don't post a hard copy to CBSE.[1]
What size should the photo be for the CBSE private form?
A JPG of 40 KB or less, in colour, taken in the last six months, with the face filling about 80% of the photo. The signature is also a JPG of 40 KB or less.[1]
Will my practical marks carry over?
The notice says practical and internal assessment marks are carried forward, given pro rata, or the practical is held again, depending on the bye-laws for your case. It doesn't list which applies when, so ask the CBSE helpline if you need to know.[1]
Can I change my exam centre after applying?
You can change details, including subjects and centre, up to the last date of the form. After that, the centre allotted is final.[1]
I missed the 2026 board exam because of low attendance. Can I apply?
Not under category (C). That category covers students who missed the exam for medical reasons, "except shortage of attendance". Call the CBSE helpline, 1800-11-8002, before you pay.[2]