New Delhi, Nov. 7 -- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Friday released the datesheets for the 2027 Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations, scheduled to begin on February 16. While the Class 10 examinations will conclude on March 9, the Class 12 papers will continue till April 9. According to the board, over 2.65 million students in Class 10 and over 1.9 million in Class 12 have registered for the 2027 examinations. Students will appear in 83 subjects in Class 10 and 121 in Class 12. CBSE controller of examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj in a communication to principals of affiliated schools said the early announcement would give students sufficient time to "plan and organise their examination preparation", helping reduce examination-related anxiety and improve performance. It would also allow families and teachers to plan their summer vacation engagements and give schools and examination centres adequate time to make necessary arrangements, he said. The 2027 examinations will be the second year of CBSE's two-board examination system for Class 10, introduced in 2026 in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Under the system, all students must appear for the first examination, held in February-March, while the second examination, scheduled in May-June, provides an optional opportunity to improve scores in up to three subjects. The first edition was conducted from February 17 to March 11 in 2026, followed by the second from May 15 to June 1. Explaining the preparation of the schedule, Bhardwaj said CBSE had considered over 40,000 subject combinations to ensure that examinations of subjects opted for by a student did not clash with the other. "Adequate gaps have been provided between examinations of subjects commonly offered together by students in both Class 10 and Class 12," he said. The tentative schedules of major entrance examinations were also taken into account while preparing the Class 12 datesheet. "Every effort has been made to complete the Board Examinations well before the commencement of such entrance examinations, enabling students to manage their preparation effectively," he said. The board also considered the number of candidates appearing at individual examination centres each day to ensure smooth conduct. The schedule, he added, was designed to "minimize the prolonged absence of teachers from their schools during the evaluation process", allowing academic activities for non-board classes to continue without disruption....