India, Sept. 14 -- Several students have expressed concern over the absence of the Additional Subject Examination option in the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) private candidate forms for 2026. The board issued a notice on September 8, 2025, inviting applications from Class X and XII private candidates for the upcoming exams. While the notice lays out eligibility categories and timelines, students say it does not provide the choice of adding an additional subject - an option that was available in previous years.

For many students, particularly those from the science stream who had studied Physics, Chemistry, and Biology but not Mathematics in Class XII, the additional subject provision had served as a pathway to qualify for...