The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will hold special Class 12 examinations for students in seven West Asian countries whose 2026 board exams were cancelled amid the regional crisis.

The September 15 notification covers 40 subjects — 20 academic and 20 skill-based — in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. CBSE cancelled the original March papers when the US-Israel-Iran conflict made it unsafe to hold exams in the region.

Under an assessment scheme notified on March 27, affected students received results on May 13 alongside other candidates. Students unhappy with those marks may now sit the cancelled papers, and the new scores will be final, replacing the earlier results.

CBSE examination controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said candidates can choose their subjects, no examination fee will be charged, centres will remain unchanged, and no post-result facilities will be available, according to PTI. The board acted in compliance with a Supreme Court decision in CWP-815 of 2026.

The move gives thousands of Gulf students a long-awaited second chance. Forms must be submitted directly by eligible candidates, and the date sheet will follow once registration closes.