India Education Headlines: CBSE Boards, NEET, UPSC February 20, 2026

Feb 20, 2026

Published: February 20, 2026

CBSE Board Exams 2026 in Full Swing; Class 10 Vocational and Class 12 Physics Papers Today

February 20, 2026, is an important exam day for CBSE students, with Class 10 vocational subjects and Class 12 Physics scheduled under the CBSE Board Exams 2026 Phase 1 timeline. As per the revised CBSE date sheet for 2026, theory examinations for both Class 10 and Class 12 began on February 17, 2026, with papers conducted in a single shift from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM at centres across India and in several overseas locations. Today’s Class 10 papers include Beauty and Wellness, Marketing and Sales, Multi-Media, Multi-Skill Foundation Course, Physical Activity Trainer and Data Science, typically held from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, while the Class 12 Physics exam is scheduled from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Students have been instructed to report to examination centres well before 10:00 AM, with late entry strictly prohibited.

In the days leading up to the exams, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued multiple advisories warning students, parents and schools against fake news and rumours about question paper leaks circulating on social media. The board has clarified that there is a robust security mechanism in place and that any claims of paper leaks or circulation of purported question papers are misleading. CBSE has urged stakeholders to rely only on official communications issued through its website https://cbse.gov.in and verified channels, warning that strict action will be taken against those attempting to spread misinformation or disrupt the examination process. Alongside this, CBSE has also circulated detailed guidelines on practical exams, internal assessments and the two-phase board-exam system for Class 10 in 2026, advising schools to adhere closely to Standard Operating Procedures published on cbse.gov.in.

Key CBSE 2026 Exam-Day Instructions

On February 20, 2026, CBSE reiterates that students must carry their admit card, a valid photo ID and permitted stationery only, with electronic devices and communication gadgets strictly banned inside exam centres. Parents and schools have been reminded to avoid sharing unverified messages or “leaked paper” screenshots and to direct any queries to CBSE regional offices or the board headquarters via contact details listed on https://cbse.gov.in. News outlets including Hindustan Times, Times of India and India Today are running live blogs and advisories summarising exam-day guidelines, traffic alerts around key exam centres, and student feedback from the first major papers of the 2026 cycle.

NEET UG 2026 Registration Open Till March 8; Information Bulletin Released

For medical aspirants, February 20, 2026, falls in the middle of the crucial NEET UG 2026 registration window. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has released the official NEET (UG) – 2026 Information Bulletin and notification on February 8, 2026, with online application forms available at https://neet.nta.nic.in from February 8, 2026, to March 8, 2026. As per the bulletin, NEET UG 2026 will be conducted on May 3, 2026 (Sunday) in pen-and-paper mode, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM, across exam centres in India and abroad. The application fee, category-wise eligibility criteria, list of permitted documents and photograph specifications are detailed in the information brochure, which NTA has asked candidates to read thoroughly before applying online.

Multiple national education portals and news channels, including Shiksha, Careers360 and India Today Education, have confirmed that the last date to submit the NEET UG 2026 application form and pay fees is March 8, 2026, with a correction window scheduled from March 10 to March 12, 2026. Registration is entirely online, and candidates must access the official link via neet.nta.nic.in or the NTA main portal https://nta.ac.in; offline or postal applications are not accepted. The NEET UG 2026 syllabus, as reproduced in the information bulletin, follows the updated National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines, with Physics, Chemistry and Biology sections and a total duration of 180 minutes.

What NEET Aspirants Must Do by March 8, 2026

As of February 20, 2026, NEET UG 2026 registration is ongoing, and aspirants have just over two weeks to complete their forms, upload documents and pay the examination fee. Candidates are advised to use only the official NEET UG 2026 registration link on https://neet.nta.nic.in and to preserve the confirmation page and payment receipt generated after submission. Help articles and explainers from Shiksha, coaching platforms, and major news portals are guiding students through common issues such as photo/signature upload errors and category selection, but all of them consistently direct candidates back to the official NTA documentation as the final reference.

JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Registration Window Closes February 25

Engineering aspirants targeting NITs, IIITs and GFTIs, as well as those seeking a second attempt to improve their percentile for JEE Advanced eligibility, must note that JEE Main 2026 Session 2 (April attempt) registration is in progress and will close on February 25, 2026. The National Testing Agency opened the Session 2 application form on February 1, 2026, with the link available at https://jeemain.nta.nic.in, in line with the official advisory and exam calendar for JEE (Main) – 2026. As per multiple exam updates published by Careers360, Shiksha, Motion Education and Physics Wallah, the registration deadline, including fee payment, is February 25, 2026 (up to 09:00 PM–11:50 PM depending on the specific notification).

According to these updates, JEE Main 2026 Session 2 will be conducted between April 2 and April 9, 2026, in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode for Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech) and Paper 2A/2B (B.Arch/B.Planning). The Session 1 examination for JEE Main 2026 was held from January 21 to January 29, 2026, and NTA has already released the provisional and final answer keys, along with Session 1 results, on the official website. Candidates who appeared in Session 1 can log into jeemain.nta.nic.in using their existing application number and password to register for Session 2, while new candidates must complete the full registration process with personal, academic and identification details.

Action Points for JEE Main 2026 Candidates on February 20, 2026

By February 20, 2026, many JEE Main aspirants are expected to be finalising their decision on whether to appear in Session 2. Official guidance and expert commentary across portals emphasise that students who are unhappy with their Session 1 performance or who could not appear in January should complete their Session 2 application well before the February 25, 2026, deadline to avoid last-minute technical issues. Students are also encouraged to track announcements regarding admit card release and city intimation slips via the official NTA JEE Main public notices page at https://jeemain.nta.nic.in and not rely solely on secondary news coverage.

UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026: Registration Ends February 24

Beyond entrance tests for undergraduate programmes, February 20, 2026, is a critical date in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2026 calendar. The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC CSE 2026 notification on February 4, 2026, and opened the online application window the same day on https://upsconline.nic.in, as confirmed by the official calendar and multiple exam analysis portals. Candidates can submit the CSE 2026 application form until February 24, 2026, after which no new registrations will be accepted.

The UPSC CSE 2026 Preliminary Examination is scheduled for May 24, 2026 (Sunday), and the Main Examination is set to begin on August 21, 2026, according to the UPSC Annual Calendar 2026 and explanatory articles by exam-preparation platforms. The notification outlines 933 vacancies across various Group A and Group B services, with the usual three-stage selection process—Prelims, Mains and Personality Test/Interview—remaining in place. Aspirants must complete a one-time registration and fill the detailed application form via https://upsconline.nic.in, with eligibility conditions including age limits, educational qualifications (minimum graduation) and nationality specified in the official PDF available on **https://upsc.gov.in**.

UPSC CSE 2026: Key Dates and Compliance for Aspirants

As of February 20, 2026, UPSC-focused platforms and mainstream financial dailies reiterate that candidates should not wait until the final days before February 24, 2026, to submit their forms, given the heavy traffic that often affects the UPSC online portal near deadlines. They also highlight that any mistakes in personal details, category claims or optional subject selection can adversely impact candidature and may not be rectifiable later, underscoring the need to cross-check the official notification and FAQs on https://upsc.gov.in before submission.

CUET UG 2026 Application Window Closed; Correction Over, Focus Shifts to Exam in May

For undergraduate admissions to central universities and many participating institutions, the Common University Entrance Test (CUET UG) 2026 cycle has moved from the application phase into exam preparation. NTA announced the CUET UG 2026 notification and information bulletin on January 3, 2026, with online registration initially open from January 3 to January 30, 2026, on https://cuet.nta.nic.in. Following high demand, NTA extended the CUET UG 2026 registration deadline to February 4, 2026 (up to 11:50 PM), and the last date for fee payment to February 7, 2026 (up to 11:50 PM) via an official notice dated January 30, 2026.

With registrations now closed as of February 20, 2026, the CUET UG 2026 correction window—open from February 9 to February 11, 2026—has also concluded, and the focus is shifting fully to exam readiness for the May test dates. According to Testbook and Physics Wallah coverage of the official schedule, CUET UG 2026 is scheduled between May 11 and May 31, 2026, in Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode, offering multiple slots and subject combinations for candidates seeking admission to undergraduate programmes across 47 central universities and more than 300 participating colleges. Students are being advised across portals to monitor https://cuet.nta.nic.in for detailed date sheets, exam-city intimation slips and admit card release, as these will guide subject-wise planning and travel arrangements.

Admissions Impact of CUET UG 2026 for Central Universities

Education portals stress that CUET UG scores will remain central to 2026 admissions in central universities such as Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Banaras Hindu University and others, which will frame their counselling and college-specific cut-offs after NTA publishes CUET UG 2026 results later in the year. As of February 20, 2026, counselling guidelines for 2026–27 are expected to align closely with the previous cycle, but institutions have advised students to await updated prospectuses on their official websites once NTA confirms the CUET UG 2026 result timeline.

TS EAMCET 2026: Registration Opens February 19 for Telangana Engineering and Agriculture Aspirants

At the state level, Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (TS EAMCET) 2026 has hit a key milestone with registration opening on February 19, 2026. As reported by India Today’s Best Colleges platform and other admission trackers, candidates can now apply for TS EAMCET 2026 via the official portal (typically linked through https://eamcet.tsche.ac.in or the Telangana State Council of Higher Education website https://tsche.ac.in) for admission to engineering, agriculture and pharmacy programmes in participating institutions across Telangana.

According to these updates, TS EAMCET 2026 is expected to follow a computer-based testing format, with engineering papers tentatively scheduled from May 9, 2026, while agriculture and pharmacy papers are slated for early May 2026. The exact application deadlines, late-fee timelines and admit card release dates are being detailed in official notifications and summarised by national education portals, which recommend that students from Telangana and neighbouring regions keep a close watch on the TS EAMCET official site and TSCHE announcements.

State-Level Engineering Admissions and Overlap with National Exams

As of February 20, 2026, counselling experts are highlighting that TS EAMCET 2026 timelines overlap with national-level exams such as JEE Main 2026 Session 2 (April 2–9, 2026) and NEET UG 2026 (May 3, 2026). Aspirants who intend to use both JEE Main and TS EAMCET scores for engineering admissions in Telangana must plan their revision and travel schedules accordingly. Coaching institutes and exam guides are advising students to align their preparation with the TS EAMCET syllabus, which is closely mapped to the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education curriculum while still overlapping significantly with JEE Main-level Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

AI in Education: India AI Impact Summit Highlights National AI-in-Education Roadmap

Beyond examinations and admissions, February 2026 has seen significant national-level discussions on AI in education, with direct implications for school and higher education policy. Around February 17–19, 2026, the Ministry of Education hosted a dedicated “AI in Education” session at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, attended by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and senior officials. Official briefings indicate that the session focused on moving from policy design to large-scale implementation of AI across school, higher education and skilling ecosystems, including teacher training, curriculum integration and the creation of a Centre of Excellence in AI for Education at IIT Madras.

Reports from Central Square Foundation’s EdTech convening—organised as a satellite event of the India AI Impact Summit and reported on February 20, 2026—underline the government’s emphasis on using AI and digital public infrastructure to democratise quality education and support National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 goals. Experts and policymakers discussed evidence-based deployment of AI tools in classrooms, the need for robust governance frameworks and equity-focused rollouts, as well as plans to build teacher capacity at scale to avoid deepening digital divides. These conversations build on earlier announcements that India will introduce a mandatory AI and Computational Thinking curriculum from Class 3 onwards, starting in the 2026–27 academic year, with CBSE and NCERT working in coordination with IIT Madras and other bodies to finalise content and teacher training programmes.

What AI-in-Education Policy Means for Students and Institutions in 2026

While February 20, 2026 does not mark a specific new notification date, the India AI Impact Summit 2026 deliberations signal that AI literacy and AI-enabled teaching tools will increasingly shape classrooms alongside high-stakes exams. Institutions are being encouraged to integrate AI tools for lesson planning, assessment support and personalised learning, while simultaneously developing guidelines to ensure ethical, transparent and inclusive use. For students currently preparing for CBSE Boards, JEE, NEET, CUET and UPSC, these reforms point towards a near-future where foundational digital and AI skills will stand alongside exam performance in determining long-term academic and career opportunities.

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