By: Express News ServiceNew Delhi | Updated: September 16, 2025 04:28 AM IST 3 min readThe notice added that additional subjects are offered in classes 10 and 12, and students taking this option will study the additional subject for two years.The CBSE has done away with the option of allowing private candidates to take an exam in ‘additional subject’ from 2026, in a move that students said they should have been informed about earlier in the year.‘Private’ candidates are those who take CBSE board exam when they are not enrolled in a school.A senior CBSE official said the option of taking an ‘additional subject’ as a private candidate has been removed since the board is not only about appearing for an exam, but also about schooling. The need for a change was also felt since marks for internal assessment cannot be assigned when the ‘additional subject’ option was offered, the official said, adding that students can still appear for such an exam from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).So far, for students appearing in an additional subject (with an internal assessment component) as private candidates, marks obtained in the theory exam were being converted to be out of 100 via computer programming.In a notice Monday, the CBSE sought to make a distinction between itself and the NIOS. “In the country, there are two national school boards under the Ministry of Education… i.e. CBSE and NIOS. CBSE is offering education through face-to-face mode while NIOS is offering education through open and distance education mode,” the notice read.The notice added that additional subjects are offered in classes 10 and 12, and students taking this option will study the additional subject for two years.ExplainedUntil this year, private candidates have had the option of taking Class 12 board exam in an ‘additional subject’. This means that for two years after a student has cleared the Class 12 board exam, they could register to take the exam in an additional subject. Students would opt for an additional subject mainly to diversify career options.“A student who is not meeting the above conditions is not eligible for exam in additional subjects in board exams as a private candidate,” it said.Story continues below this adSome students fear the move could narrow academic flexibility and impact career opportunities for those seeking to pivot to new fields. The decision also impacts students who have dropped a year, many of whom would have been preparing for alternative academic pathways.Kumar Aditya, 18, cleared class 12 in 2024 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and planned to appear for maths as an additional subject as a private candidate, said: “It is not just about Maths; subjects like history, geography, accountancy, and business studies — mostly theoretical subjects — were also covered under ‘private candidate’ provision. Now, students will not have flexibility to add these subjects after Class 12, narrowing academic choices.”© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:CBSE