Class 12 students at CBSE schools in the UAE who never got to sit some of their board papers this year have a second chance. The registration window opens tomorrow.
Eligible regular and private candidates can submit their List of Candidates (LOC) or examination forms from 22 to 26 September, according to a notification the Central Board of Secondary Education issued on 15 September. The board has said the deadline will be strictly enforced and no extension will be granted.
How the exams came to be cancelled
CBSE’s 2026 Class 12 exams in West Asia were scheduled between 16 March and 10 April. They could not be held because of the regional conflict. The board cancelled the remaining papers and announced an assessment scheme on 27 March. It declared results for regular candidates on 13 May.
Papers that had already been held in February stayed valid and counted towards the final results. The papers that could not go ahead covered 40 subjects, 20 academic and 20 skill-based, across seven countries: the UAE, Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Why the board is holding the exams now
In July, the Supreme Court of India issued notice to the Centre and CBSE on a petition from Gulf and West Asian students. They had asked for measures including grace marks, uncapped special exams and a better-of-two scoring option. The board’s notification says the fresh exams are being held in compliance with the court’s decision in that case.
Prof. Dr Ram Shankar, director of CBSE’s regional office and Centre of Excellence in Dubai, welcomed the move when he spoke to Gulf News. He described it as a positive step in the interests of students.
Who can sit the special exams
The rules are narrow, and Khaleej Times set out the main points for UAE families:
- Regular candidates: those whose LOC was submitted for the 2026 main exams and whose results were decided under the assessment scheme.
- Private candidates: those who submitted forms for the 2026 main exams and received results under the same scheme.
- Subject choice: eligible students can appear in subjects of their choice, but no subject changes are allowed once forms are in.
- Already-held subjects: there will be no exam in any subject the board conducted earlier.
- Not eligible: students who were absent from the 2026 main exams for any reason, and anyone who did not appear in them, including new regular or private candidates.
CBSE has stressed that this is not the usual Class 12 supplementary exam, which is meant for students placed in the compartment category or seeking improvement. The special papers are open only in the seven affected countries.
What students should weigh before applying
The most important rule is that marks from the special exam replace the score awarded earlier under the assessment scheme. The result is final, and no post-result facilities such as re-evaluation will be available.
That means a student who sits a paper is swapping a known mark for an unknown one. Families should think carefully about subjects where the assessment-scheme mark already reflects their child’s ability, and where a real paper could help. School counsellors are the best people to discuss this with, and CBSE has asked schools to pass the notification to every affected student and guide them through the forms.
What is still unknown
CBSE has said the examination dates and detailed date sheet will be announced only after the LOCs and forms have been submitted. Exam centres in the UAE will remain unchanged.
Reports on fees vary. One Gulf-based education outlet said no examination fee will be charged, but students should confirm this with their school and the official notification. The submission link will be published on the CBSE website, cbse.gov.in.
What to do this week
Families should contact their school’s exam coordinator as soon as possible. Ask which subjects are on the eligible list, confirm that your child’s earlier LOC is on record, and check the deadline in writing. With only five days in the window, delays could cost a student the chance altogether.
For many CBSE families in the UAE, the notification settles months of uncertainty about how marks from a disrupted year would be viewed by universities. Whether to sit the papers is a personal decision, but the window to make it is short.
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