The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations for 2026 will begin tomorrow, Thursday, 2 July 2026, and conclude on 8 August 2026.
All practical examinations must be completed by 15 August.
The Dhaka Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education has already published the examination timetable.
Examinations will begin at 10:00 am and continue until 1:00 pm on scheduled morning sessions.
Afternoon sessions will run from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Candidates must take their seats in the examination hall at least 30 minutes before the examination begins.
According to the instructions issued for candidates, the multiple-choice questions (MCQ) examination will take place first, followed by the creative and written (theoretical) examination.
Candidates will have 30 minutes to complete the 30-mark MCQ section and 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete the 70-mark creative (CQ) section.
This year, a total of 1,270,583 candidates, including both regular and irregular students, have registered for the examinations under 11 education boards.
They will take the examinations at 2,697 examination centres across the country.
The HSC and equivalent examinations-2026 will follow the full syllabus. The examinations under the country's nine general education boards will be conducted using a common set of question papers.
Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has prohibited unauthorised entry by members of the public within 200 yards of HSC examination centres.
Only candidates and individuals directly involved in the examinations will be allowed within the restricted area. The directive was issued through a public notice signed by DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed on 29 June 2026.
Strict measures to prevent cheating and irregularities
To ensure fair, transparent and malpractice-free examinations, the education boards have issued detailed instructions covering every aspect of the examination process, including centre management, question paper security, candidate entry procedures, examination hall arrangements and digital monitoring.
Under the guidelines, one invigilator will supervise every 20 candidates in each examination room. However, no examination room may have fewer than two invigilators on duty.
The authorities have also specified seating arrangements. A 5 ft × 6 ft bench may accommodate two candidates, while a 4 ft bench may accomodate one candidate.
The education boards have introduced multiple layers of security for handling question papers. Officials must verify the sealed question papers kept in the Treasury or police station lockers three days before each examination in the presence of the designated authorities.
On the day of the examination, designated tag officers, accompanied by police, will transport the question papers to the examination centres.
Centre authorities may open the sealed packets only after receiving the authorised set code via mobile communication.
If any examination uses a question paper set other than the officially designated one, the authorities will initiate departmental action against those responsible.
Special instructions for HSC candidates
The education boards have issued the following special instructions for HSC candidates:
1. Candidates must take their seats in the examination hall at least 30 minutes before the examination begins.
2. The multiple-choice question (MCQ) examination will be held first, followed by the creative/written (theoretical) examination.
3. For subjects carrying 30 marks for MCQs, candidates will have 30 minutes. For the 70-mark creative (CQ) section, candidates will have 2 hours and 30 minutes.
*The 25-mark MCQ examination will last 25 minutes. The 50-mark creative (CQ) examination will last 2 hours and 35 minutes.
*Examinations will continue without interruption for the duration specified on the question paper. There will be no break between the MCQ and CQ sections.
For examinations beginning at 10:00 am:
9:30 am: Distribution of answer scripts and MCQ OMR sheets.
10:00 am: Distribution of MCQ question papers.
10:30 am: Collection of MCQ answer sheets (OMR) and distribution of creative question papers.
For 25-mark MCQ examinations, the OMR sheets will be collected and the creative question papers distributed at 10:25 am.
For examinations beginning at 2:00 pm:
1:30 pm: Distribution of answer scripts and MCQ OMR sheets.
2:00 pm: Distribution of MCQ question papers.
2:30 pm: Collection of MCQ answer sheets (OMR) and distribution of creative question papers.
For 25-mark MCQ examinations, the OMR sheets will be collected and the creative question papers distributed at 2:25 pm.
4. Examinations must be conducted strictly according to the time specified on the question paper.
5. Candidates must collect their admit cards from the head of their respective educational institution at least seven days before the examination.
6. Each candidate must correctly write and fill in the circles for their examination roll number, registration number, subject code and other required information on the supplied OMR answer sheet. Candidates must not write in the margins or fold the answer script under any circumstances.
7. Candidates must obtain separate passing marks in the theoretical, MCQ and practical components (where applicable).
8. Candidates may sit only for the examinations for the subjects listed on their registration card and admit card. They will not be permitted, under any circumstances, to sit an examination in any subject that is not listed on those documents.
9. Candidates may wear only non-programmable analogue wristwatches during the examination.
10. Candidates may use only ordinary, non-programmable scientific calculators approved by the education boards. Programmable calculators are strictly prohibited.
11. No one other than the Officer-in-Charge of the examination centre may use a mobile phone within the examination centre. Candidates are strictly prohibited from bringing mobile phones into the examination centre.