The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has released the date sheet for its October 2026 public examinations for Class 10 (Secondary) and Class 12 (Senior Secondary). Theory papers will begin on Thursday, October 22, and run until Monday, December 7, with almost every exam starting at 2:30 pm. NIOS has also made it clear that the dates will not be changed, so students should start planning their revision now.
NIOS October 2026 exam: important dates
| Exam | NIOS Public Examination, October 2026 |
| Classes | Class 10 (Secondary) and Class 12 (Senior Secondary) |
| Theory exams begin | October 22, 2026 |
| Theory exams end | December 7, 2026 |
| Start time | 2:30 pm (end time 4 pm to 5:30 pm, depending on subject) |
| Reading time | 15 minutes before the exam |
| Expected result | Around seven weeks after the last exam |
| Official website | sdmis.nios.ac.in |
Class 10 (Secondary) major subject dates
Most core papers for Class 10 fall in November. Here are the main ones students will be looking for:
- October 23: Accountancy, Painting, Indian Sign Language
- October 28: Regional languages including Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Odia and Tamil
- October 31: Home Science
- November 2: Sanskrit, Employability Skills, Military Studies
- November 4: Psychology
- November 5: Mathematics
- November 6: Science
- November 12: English
- November 17: Business Studies
- November 18: Hindi
- November 20: Economics
- November 21: Social Science
- November 25: Indian Culture and Heritage
- November 26: Urdu
The Class 10 schedule closes with Sanskrit Sahitya on December 7.
Class 12 (Senior Secondary) major subject dates
Class 12 students get a slightly earlier start for some core subjects, with English in October itself:
- October 24: Geography
- October 28: English
- October 31: Mathematics
- November 2: Physics, History, Environmental Science
- November 4: Hindi
- November 5: Biology, Accountancy, Introduction to Law
- November 6: Business Studies
- November 12: Computer Science, Sociology, Tourism, Physical Education
- November 17: Chemistry, Political Science, Mass Communication
- November 18: Regional languages including Bengali, Tamil, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi and Malayalam
- November 20: Sanskrit
- November 21: Economics
- November 25: Home Science
- November 28: Psychology
The last Class 12 papers, Gender Studies and Sanskrit Sahitya, are on December 5. Vocational subjects such as Catering Management, Food Processing and Web Designing are scheduled on December 1.
Special dates for some regional centres
A few papers have different dates in certain regions. Candidates at the Gangtok regional centre will write Sanskrit Vyakaran, Basics of Transportation and Bodh Darshan on October 27, and Early Childhood Care and Education on November 3. In Dehradun and Prayagraj, Class 12 Sanskrit will be held on December 3 instead of November 20. Students in these regions should check with their study centre to be sure.
How to download the NIOS date sheet 2026
- Visit the NIOS student portal at sdmis.nios.ac.in.
- Look for the notice on the October 2026 public examination date sheet on the home page.
- Open the PDF for Secondary (Class 10) or Senior Secondary (Class 12).
- Find your subjects using the subject codes on your registration slip.
- Download and save the file, or take a printout for quick reference.
Regional directors have also been asked to upload the schedule on their regional centre websites, so students can check there too.
Admit card and exam-day rules
NIOS will issue hall tickets on its website ahead of the exams. Students should download them as soon as they are available and check their name, photo, subjects and exam centre carefully. Any error should be reported to the regional centre straight away.
On exam day, candidates will get 15 extra minutes to read the question paper before they begin writing. The examination fee already paid covers the theory papers, so eligible candidates do not need to pay anything extra at the centre.
Why this matters for students
NIOS is one of the largest open schooling boards in the world and is a lifeline for students who study while working, those who dropped out of regular school, sportspersons and learners from remote areas. Because papers are spread over nearly seven weeks, many candidates get useful gaps between subjects. Planning revision around those gaps, especially before Mathematics, Science and English, can make a real difference.
What happens next
Practical exam schedules and admit cards will be released separately by NIOS and regional centres. Once the theory papers end on December 7, results are expected roughly seven weeks later, which would place them around late January 2027. Mark sheets and migration certificates are issued through accredited institutions.
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