The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) will begin the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Class 12 board examinations 2026 on Tuesday. The exams will be held in two
shifts and more than 15 lakh students are expected to appear across science, arts, commerce, vocational and TechSci streams.
Students can download their Maharashtra HSC admit card 2026 from the official website, mahahsscboard.in. The Class 12 examinations will continue till March 11. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra SSC Class 10 board exams will be conducted from February 20 to March 18.
The HSC papers will be scheduled in two sessions each day — the first shift from 11 am to 2 pm and the second from 3 pm to 6 pm.
According to the board, over 15 lakh students will appear for HSC exams across science, arts, commerce, vocational and TechSci subjects.
Stream-wise, 7,99,773 students are from the science stream, 3,80,692 from arts, 3,20,152 from commerce, 27,378 from the vocational stream and 4,492 from Industrial Training Institutes (ITI).
The gender breakup includes 8,20,229 male candidates, 7,12,240 female candidates and 18 transgender candidates.
The examination will be conducted in 10,664 junior colleges across 3,387 main centres. “Ninety-five per cent of these centres are equipped with CCTV cameras,” said Nandkumar Bedse, temporary chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE).
To curb malpractice, the board has set up a state-level vigilance committee and monitoring teams at all centres. As part of the state government’s copy-free initiative, staff at the 172 centres without CCTV cameras have been transferred and 248 centres have been marked sensitive.
A total of 271 flying squads will be deployed across the state. District-level vigilance committees headed by the District Collector and special squads from divisional boards will conduct surprise inspections.
The board said cases will be registered under the Maharashtra Prevention of Malpractices Act, 1982 against anyone who instigates, assists or is directly involved in unfair practices at examination centres.
Xerox shops within a 500-metre radius of exam centres will remain closed during the examination period, instead of the usual 100-metre restriction.
Guidelines For Students
Students have been advised to reach the examination centre at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the paper. Candidates appearing in the morning session must be inside the examination hall by 10.30 am, while those appearing in the afternoon session must report by 2.30 pm.
Students must carry their HSC admit card to the centre, as entry will not be permitted without it. They have also been instructed to follow directions given by invigilators and maintain discipline inside the hall. Electronic gadgets, written notes and any unauthorised material are prohibited.
As per norms, students will be given an additional 10 minutes after the stipulated duration to complete their answers.
For mental health support, the board has appointed 10 counsellors at the state level and two counsellors at each divisional board. Students can contact them on the following helpline numbers: 9960644411, 7972573742, 9834984583, 9359978315, 8169202214, 9371661255, 7208421381, 7701956068, 8421159528, 9404783996.
