Students call on CBSE to reverse its decision to exclude more subjects for private applicants, saying it "defies the spirit of flexibility." The board answers.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a new notification on Monday that clarified the additional topic problem for private candidates in response to emails and outrage from a number of pupils. Students can choose "additional subjects only in Class 10 and 12," according to the Board. In Class 10, students can choose two more subjects, but in Class 12, they can only choose one. The extra subjects will be studied for two years by the pupils who receive them.In its circular, CBSE stated that "a regular student may appear as a private candidate under the Compartment or Essential Repeat Category if they have offered additional subjects in prior years and have been placed either in the Compartment' or Essential Repeat' category.

"The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) eliminated the opportunity for private students to pursue an extra topic in the 2026 board exams, a decision that caught thousands of applicants off guard. Students who had placed their academic futures on this provision, especially those who took gap years to re-align their careers, are outraged by the decision, which was made without any previous notice. From engineering admission exams like JEE (Joint admission Examination) and NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) to other higher education courses, many saw the "additional subject" as a vital springboard to professional eligibility rather than an academic luxury.