KOLKATA: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has announced important changes to the exam timings for the Class 12 board exams in 2026 . Students appearing for both the Semester 4 main exams and the Semester 3 supplementary exams will now get an extra 10 minutes . This added time is meant for reading the question paper or filling in necessary details before writing begins.
New Timings for WB HS Semester 4 Exams 2026
For students taking the WB HS Semester 4 exams, the official writing time starts at 10:00 AM . However, the question papers will be given to students at 9:50 AM . This special 10-minute period, from 9:50 AM to 10:00 AM, is only for students to read the questions carefully. Students must not write anything on the answer sheet or question paper during this reading time.
Once the clock strikes 10:00 AM , invigilators will give out the blank answer sheets. These sheets have 12 pages for students to write their answers. The main exam duration for most subjects will be from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon . For subjects like Music, Visual Arts, and all Vocational Subjects, the exam will be shorter, from 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM .
Students should make good use of the initial 10 minutes to understand all questions and plan their answers effectively. This can help reduce exam stress and improve performance.
New Timings for WB HS Semester 3 Supplementary Exams 2026
Students appearing for the WB HS Semester 3 supplementary exams in 2026 will also benefit from relaxed timings. Their exam will officially begin for writing at 1:00 PM . Before this, at 12:50 PM , students will receive blank OMR sheets.
This 10-minute period, from 12:50 PM to 1:00 PM, is specifically for students to fill in their personal details. This includes their Roll Number, Registration Number, and Subject Name on the OMR sheet. It is very important to fill these details correctly and carefully. No writing or attempting questions should be done during this time.
The actual question paper booklets for the Semester 3 supplementary exams will be given out at 01:00 PM by the invigilators. This marks the start of the writing phase. For most subjects, the exam will last from 01:00 PM to 02:15 PM . However, for Music, Visual Arts, and all Vocational Subjects, the exam duration will be from 01:00 PM to 01:45 PM .
Ensuring all details on the OMR sheet are correct before the exam starts is crucial to avoid any issues with results later.
WB HS Exam Dates 2026: Semester 4 & Semester 3 Supplementary
The exam dates for both the Semester 4 and Semester 3 supplementary exams for Class 12 in 2026 remain unchanged. The only adjustments are to the exam timings on these scheduled dates. Here is the full list of exam dates and subjects:
| Exam Date | Subjects |
| February 12, 2026 | Bengali (A), English (A), Hindi (A), Nepali (A), Urdu, Santhali, Odia, Telugu, Punjabi |
| February 13, 2026 | English (B), Bengali (B), Hindi (B), Nepali (B), Alternative English |
| February 17, 2026 | Physics, Nutrition, Education, Accountancy |
| February 18, 2026 | Healthcare, Automobile, Organised Retailing, Security, IT, ITES, Electronics, Tourism & Hospitality, Plumbing, Construction, Apparel, Beauty & Wellness, Agriculture, Power, Banking Financial Services and Insurance, Food Processing, Telecom - Vocational Subjects |
| February 19, 2026 | Mathematics, Agriculture (AGRI), Journalism and Mass Communication, Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic |
| February 20, 2026 | Biological Science, Political Science, Costing and Taxation |
| February 21, 2026 | Statistics, Psychology, Commercial Law and Preliminaries of Auditing, History |
| February 23, 2026 | Chemistry, Geography, Human Development and Resource Management, Business Studies |
| February 24, 2026 | Philosophy |
| February 25, 2026 | Economics, Anthropology, Science of Well Being, Applied Artificial Intelligence |
| February 26, 2026 | Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Sociology |
| February 27, 2026 | Computer Science, Modern Computer Application, Environmental Studies, Health & Physical Education, Music, Visual Arts |
All students are advised to regularly check the official website of WBCHSE for any further updates or clarifications. It is important to stay informed about these changes to ensure a smooth exam experience in 2026 . Students can also download the official circular for complete details.
