India Education Headlines: CBSE, UP Board Exams February 18, 2026

Feb 18, 2026

Published: February 18, 2026

CBSE Board Exams 2026 Day 2: Class 10 Home Science, Class 12 Physical Education Today

Exam schedule and key papers on February 18, 2026

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is conducting Day 2 of the 2026 board examinations today, February 18, 2026, with Class 10 students appearing for the Home Science paper and Class 12 students writing Physical Education from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM in a single shift across centres in India and abroad. IndiaTV Education has reiterated that reporting time remains 10:00 AM, with entry generally closing 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the paper to allow security checks and seating arrangements.

The 2026 CBSE board exams began yesterday, February 17, 2026, and will run until March 11, 2026, for Class 10 and April 10, 2026, for Class 12, as per the official date sheet hosted on https://cbse.gov.in and recent national coverage. NDTV’s live updates note that over 43 lakh students are appearing this year — around 25 lakh in Class 10 and 18.5 lakh in Class 12 — across more than 8,000 examination centres in India and overseas.

CBSE warns against fake paper leak rumours and exam-day rules

Ahead of the start of the CBSE Board Exams 2026, the Board issued an important advisory warning students, parents and schools against believing or circulating rumours regarding alleged question paper leaks on social media, making clear that such claims are baseless and will attract strict action. Detailed coverage by NDTV and Indian Express reiterates that CBSE has strengthened security measures around paper transport, storage and distribution, and urged stakeholders to rely solely on official communications through https://cbse.gov.in and its regional offices.

Students must carry their CBSE admit card, permissible stationery items and valid ID where required, while electronic devices, smart watches, notes and other unauthorised materials remain strictly prohibited. Live streams and articles from NDTV and IndiaTV have also highlighted that answer writing is permitted only in blue or black ink, and that centres have been instructed to enforce staggered entry and frisking to maintain exam integrity.

CBSE Clarifies Class 10 Two-Board Exam Policy: First Exam Mandatory in 2026 Format

Eligibility rules for the second Class 10 exam in 2026

With the Class 10 two-board examination model starting from the 2026 academic year, CBSE has issued a detailed clarification explaining who can appear in the second exam and under what conditions. According to the clarification cited by NDTV Education and NDTV Profit, it is “mandatory for all students to appear in the first Board examination,” which will be held in February 2026. Only those who take the first exam will be allowed to appear for the second optional exam later in the year, which is intended primarily for improvement and compartment categories.

The Board has specified that students who pass the first exam may use the second exam to improve their performance in up to three subjects, limited to Science, Mathematics, Social Science and languages. Students placed in the compartment category after the first exam may also appear in the second exam, subject to existing compartment rules. CBSE has clarified that additional or stand‑alone subjects after passing Class 10 will not be permitted through the second exam route.

“Essential Repeat” category and impact on the current 2026 batch

A key aspect of the clarification is the “Essential Repeat” category: candidates who fail to appear in three or more subjects in the first Class 10 exam will not be allowed to sit for the second examination and must instead reappear in the main exams the following year. The Board emphasises that the second exam is not a substitute for the first, but an additional opportunity for eligible students to improve scores within the same academic year, aligning with National Education Policy (NEP) recommendations to reduce exam stress.

Coverage in Times of India and NDTV stresses that for the ongoing February–April 2026 board exams, candidates and parents should treat this clarification as guidance for future cycles while ensuring full attendance in all papers of the first exam, as missing multiple subjects could delay progression by a full year under the Essential Repeat rule.

UP Board Class 10, 12 Exams 2026 Begin Today, February 18

Exam dates, shifts and candidate strength

The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) begins its High School (Class 10) and Intermediate (Class 12) board examinations today, February 18, 2026, with papers scheduled through March 12, 2026, in pen‑and‑paper mode across thousands of centres in the state. India Today and Indiatimes report that the first paper for both Class 10 and Class 12 candidates is Hindi, with subsequent subjects distributed across morning and afternoon sessions.

UP Board has maintained its two-shift structure: morning exams from 8:30 AM to 11:45 AM and afternoon exams from 2:00 PM to 5:15 PM, as confirmed by state-level coverage and result portals tracking official schedules. Preliminary figures compiled from India Today, Amar Ujala and results portals indicate that about 52,30,297 students have registered for the UP Board Exams 2026 — roughly 27.5 lakh in Class 10 and 24.8 lakh in Class 12 — making it one of Asia’s largest school examinations.

Guidelines for centres and students on February 18, 2026

Media reports referencing UPMSP instructions highlight that students must arrive at their designated examination centres well before the start of each shift, with gates typically closing 15–30 minutes before the paper begins to allow for verification and seating. Entry without a valid UP Board admit card will be denied, and candidates are instructed to write answers only in blue or black ink, with strict prohibitions on mobile phones, electronic devices, notes and other unauthorised materials inside the exam hall.

Regional coverage in Hindi outlets such as Amar Ujala further notes that control rooms and flying squads have been activated to monitor centres and curb unfair means, while CCTV coverage and sealed question-paper packets remain part of the board’s anti‑cheating protocol. Students and guardians are being advised to track official updates from UPMSP via https://upmsp.edu.in and state education portals for any centre‑specific instructions or weather‑related advisories during the February 18–March 12 exam window. (UPMSP / results tracking portals)

NEET UG 2026 Registration Window Active Till March 8; Exam on May 3

Application window and key NEET 2026 dates

For medical aspirants, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has opened registration for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) – NEET UG 2026, with the online application form available at https://neet.nta.nic.in. As per the official information bulletin summarised by multiple national portals, registrations opened on February 8, 2026 and will remain active till March 8, 2026 (up to 9:00 PM), with the same date serving as the deadline for fee payment.

The NEET UG 2026 exam is scheduled for May 3, 2026 (Sunday) in a single afternoon shift, conducted in offline OMR-based mode across centres in India and select international locations, as confirmed by Testbook, Shiksha and Careers360 based on the NTA bulletin. The correction window for NEET UG 2026 is expected to run from March 10 to March 12, 2026, giving candidates a short window after the application deadline to rectify limited fields in their forms before admit card issuance in late April.

Why February 18, 2026, is a crucial planning point for NEET aspirants

As of February 18, 2026, applicants are just over a week into the one‑month NEET UG 2026 registration period, making this a key stage to complete registration and begin aligning board-exam schedules with entrance preparation. Advisory content from established coaching and education portals stresses that candidates should fill the NEET 2026 form well before March 8 to avoid last‑minute payment or server issues, and carefully cross‑verify personal details, category, exam city preferences and subject codes before final submission.

NEET UG 2026 remains the single national-level entrance test for MBBS, BDS and most AYUSH and allied health programmes, with the application process and eligibility criteria fully detailed in the NTA information bulletin accessible via https://neet.nta.nic.in. Students currently writing CBSE and state board exams in February–March 2026 are being advised by national portals to integrate NEET revision with board exam timetables, particularly given that the NEET syllabus remains closely aligned with Class 11–12 NCERT content.

NCET 2026 Applications Open for 4‑Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP)

NCET 2026 registration dates, exam schedule and official website

The National Testing Agency has launched the application process for the National Common Entrance Test (NCET) 2026, the national entrance exam for admission to the 4‑Year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) in selected Central and State universities, IITs, NITs, Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs) and government colleges. According to the NCET 2026 application and exam‑date summaries based on the NTA information bulletin, the application form was released on February 12, 2026, on the dedicated portal https://exams.nta.nic.in/ncet.

Careers360 and Testbook report that candidates can submit the NCET 2026 application form until March 10, 2026, while fee payment will be accepted up to March 11, 2026; an application correction window will then be available from March 12 to March 14, 2026. The NCET 2026 exam is tentatively scheduled for April 17, 2026, in Computer‑Based Test (CBT) mode, with official admit cards to be released closer to the exam date via https://exams.nta.nic.in/ncet.

Eligibility focus and significance for ITEP / B.Ed aspirants

NCET 2026 is designed as a single national entrance route for the new 4‑year ITEP, which integrates undergraduate studies with teacher‑education training in line with the National Education Policy’s school‑education reforms. As summarised by Careers360 and other exam portals, basic eligibility requires completion of Class 12 from a recognised board, with no upper age limit specified in the notification; detailed subject‑wise and institution‑specific criteria are provided in the official information bulletin.

Information pages from Testbook, Sarkari Result and ResultBharat highlight that NCET 2026 will follow an objective‑type pattern with multiple sections covering languages, domain‑specific subjects, a general test and teaching aptitude, reflecting the dual‑major structure of the ITEP curriculum. For candidates considering teaching careers, February 18, 2026, falls within the early phase of the NCET 2026 application window, making this an ideal time to review the detailed notification on https://exams.nta.nic.in/ncet and shortlist target universities and programmes.

UPSC IES/ISS 2026 Notification Released; Applications Open Till March 3

Notification release and application schedule

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the notification for the Indian Economic Service (IES) / Indian Statistical Service (ISS) Examination 2026 on February 11, 2026, as per exam‑prep portals that track UPSC’s official calendar. According to detailed schedules published by Careers360, Prepp and Testbook based on the UPSC notification, the online application window opened on February 11, 2026 and will remain available until March 3, 2026, via https://upsc.gov.in and https://upsconline.nic.in.

The written examination for UPSC IES/ISS 2026 is scheduled to be held over three days beginning June 19, 2026, with descriptive and objective papers in General English, General Studies and specialised Economics or Statistics papers, as outlined in the UPSC annual calendar and summarised by coaching portals.

Who should prioritise the February 18–March 3 window

As of February 18, 2026, aspirants for specialised roles in the Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service have just over two weeks to complete their UPSC IES/ISS 2026 application forms, including uploading documents and paying fees via the UPSC online portal. Coverage by Careers360 and other exam portals reiterates that candidates must hold a postgraduate degree in Economics or Applied Economics (for IES) or in Statistics / Mathematical Statistics / Applied Statistics (for ISS), and should review age limits, attempts and relaxation rules carefully in the official notification before applying.

UPSC’s IES/ISS notification sits alongside other major 2026 examinations in the UPSC calendar — including the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination on May 24, 2026 and CAPF (AC) and CMS exams later in the year — and forms part of the broader national exam landscape that aspirants must plan around in combination with NTA tests and university-level assessments.

CUET UG 2026 Correction Window Closed; Exam Scheduled for May 11–31

Status of CUET UG 2026 applications as of February 18, 2026

For Common University Entrance Test – Undergraduate (CUET UG) 2026, the main registration window from January 3, 2026, to February 4, 2026, has already concluded, and the National Testing Agency opened a dedicated correction window from February 9 to February 11, 2026 on https://cuet.nta.nic.in, now closed as of mid‑February. Careers360 and Sarvgyan confirm that February 11, 2026, was the final date to edit personal details, exam city preferences and subject combinations, after which applications have been frozen for admit‑card processing.

NTA has scheduled CUET UG 2026 between May 11 and May 31, 2026, in Computer‑Based Test (CBT) mode across multiple days and shifts, with detailed subject-wise schedules and city intimation slips to be released closer to the exam window. This means that by February 18, 2026, CUET UG aspirants should shift focus from form-filling to exam preparation, tracking future notifications on https://cuet.nta.nic.in and https://nta.ac.in for admit cards, city intimation and any updates to the exam pattern or syllabus.