TN Board Exams 2026: 17 Lakh Students, New Reforms

TN Board Exams 2026: Over 17 Lakh Students to Appear as the School Education Department finalised preparations for the upcoming public examinations. The state has also announced multiple reforms to strengthen transparency and monitoring. Officials confirmed that enhanced safeguards will be implemented across all examination centres.

Tamil Nadu Class 10 and Class 12 Exam Schedule 2026

The School Education Department has released the detailed schedule for the public examinations. A total of 8,27,475 students will appear for the Class 12 examinations, including 27,783 private candidates. For Class 10, 9,09,002 students are set to write the exams, including 26,196 private candidates. Additionally, 25,051 students will take the Class 11 arrear examinations, of whom 5,944 are private candidates. The examination schedule is as follows:

• Class 12 exams: 02 March 2026 to 26 March 2026
• Class 10 exams: 11 March 2026 to 06 April 2026

The department also confirmed that 281 prison inmates will appear for the Class 12 examinations and 395 inmates for the Class 10 examinations this year, ensuring inclusive access to education.

TN Board Exam Monitoring Measures and New Reforms

To ensure smooth conduct, nearly 49,000 teachers will be deployed daily on examination duty. More than 4,900 flying squad members will monitor centres across the state to prevent malpractice. A key reform this year involves changes to the scribe facility. After complaints regarding misuse in the previous academic year, the government has introduced a new system where trained volunteers will act as scribes for students with disabilities. This replaces the earlier practice of assigning subject teachers and aims to prevent ineligible candidates from availing the benefit. Additional academic and procedural reforms include:

• Introduction of a new A4-sized logarithmic table book with larger fonts
• Permission for Accountancy candidates to use ordinary non-programmable calculators
• Aadhaar-based verification for private candidates to ensure district-wise examination compliance

The proposal to install CCTV cameras in examination centres is also under consideration following representations from teachers. With strengthened supervision, technology-based verification, and student-friendly policy changes, Tamil Nadu aims to conduct the 2026 board examinations in a transparent and efficient manner.