Shillong, May 21: The Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) has opened the registration process for private candidates appearing for the SSLC examination, inviting eligible applicants across the state to apply through notified examination centres.
According to a notification issued by MBOSE on Wednesday, only designated SSLC examination centres are authorised to register private candidates. The last date for registration is June 30, 2026.
Those eligible to sit the exam as private candidates include those who discontinued regular schooling due to genuine hardship, those who exhausted all permissible attempts up to 2025 and individuals pursuing professional sports, games or professional art forms.
Applicants must also be domiciles of Meghalaya and are required to submit proof of domicile through documents such as an MHIS card, MGNREGS job card, voter ID, PDS card, Aadhaar card, birth certificate or ST/SC certificate.
There is no upper age limit for admission as private candidates. However, applicants must have attained a minimum age of 15 years on or before December 31 of the year in which they intend to appear for the SSLC examination.
The board has also introduced a cooling-off period for school dropouts. Students who left regular schooling before completing Class 10 can apply only after a minimum waiting period calculated as “10 years minus the last class studied.” For example, a student who discontinued studies after Class 8 can apply as a private candidate only after completing a minimum gap of two years from the date of discontinuation.
Officers in charge of examination centres will assess eligibility not solely on documentary proof but also on candidates’ academic preparedness and competency assessments, particularly for home-schooled learners, professional athletes and non-traditional learners.
The board said the provision aims to prevent premature withdrawal from regular schooling solely for appearing as private candidates and warned that any misuse of the system or attempts to bypass regular schooling norms could lead to rejection of applications.
