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NIOS admit card download: October 2026 hall ticket is out, theory exams from 22 October
NIOS has opened the theory hall ticket for its October–November 2026 public exams for Class 10 (Secondary) and Class 12 (Senior Secondary). You need your 12-digit enrolment number, and the ticket only generates if your October 2026 exam fee is paid and NIOS has your photo. The first paper is on Thursday, 22 October.
TL;DRThe short version
- The hall ticket is live. NIOS's hall-ticket page now carries the "Hall Ticket for Theory Examination" for the October–November 2026 public exams, Secondary (Class 10) and Senior Secondary (Class 12). NIOS Regional Centre Dehradun posted it as "Live Now" on 17 October.
- What you need: your 12-digit enrolment number. NIOS says the ticket downloads only if you paid the October 2026 exam fee and your photograph is on NIOS's records; if it doesn't generate, NIOS tells you to contact your Regional Centre immediately.
- Exam dates: theory papers run from Thursday 22 October to 5 December (Class 12) and 7 December (Class 10), all starting at 2:30 PM. NIOS's date sheet says "there will be no change in the dates".
- Download your theory hall ticket on NIOS's official portal (enter the enrolment number, pick "Hall Ticket for Theory Examination"): sdmis.nios.ac.in › hall-ticketNIOS toll-free number shown on the portal: 1800-180-9393. Use the date-sheet tool below to list your own paper dates.
Key facts
- Exam
- NIOS Public Examination (Theory), Secondary (Class 10) and Senior Secondary (Class 12), October 2026 session
- Hall ticket
- Live on sdmis.nios.ac.in/search/hall-ticket; RC Dehradun notice dated 17 Oct 2026 says "Live Now"
- Login
- 12-digit enrolment number + hall ticket type (Theory or Practical)
- Won't generate if
- October 2026 exam fee not paid, or NIOS doesn't have your photograph; contact your Regional Centre
- Theory exams
- 22 Oct to 5 Dec 2026 (Class 12); 22 Oct to 7 Dec 2026 (Class 10)
- Timing
- Every paper starts 2:30 PM; ends 4:30, 5:00 or 5:30 PM depending on the subject. 15 minutes' reading time before the start
- Date sheet
- Notification 63/2026 and date sheet dated 8 Oct 2026, Director (Evaluation), NIOS; "no change in the dates"
- Exceptions
- Date sheet prints different dates for RC Gangtok (22 Oct → 27 Oct, 23 Oct → 3 Nov) and RCs Dehradun and Prayagraj (20 Nov → 3 Dec)
- Extra fee at centre
- None. NIOS says the exam fee already paid covers the theory exam
- Result
- Likely about 7 weeks after the last exam (NIOS date sheet); no fixed date announced
Short answer: the NIOS admit card download for the October 2026 theory exams is open. Go to NIOS's hall-ticket page, type your 12-digit enrolment number, choose "Hall Ticket for Theory Examination" and submit. It works only if your October 2026 exam fee is paid and NIOS has your photograph. The first paper is on Thursday, 22 October 2026, so if your ticket doesn't generate, call your Regional Centre today, not on exam eve.
NIOS October 2026 theory exams begin · Thu 22 Oct, 2:30 PM
– days– hrs– min– sec
The NIOS October 2026 theory exams have started. Check the date of your next paper with the tool below.
How to download the NIOS hall ticket (October 2026)
- Open sdmis.nios.ac.in/search/hall-ticket (the link in the summary above). It's the only official download page; NIOS lists fake websites on its portal.
- Enter your 12-digit enrolment number.
- In Hall Ticket Type, pick Hall Ticket for Theory Examination. (The practical option is for the September practicals, which are over.)
- Submit, check every line, and print it. NIOS's date sheet calls it the "Intimation-cum-Hall Ticket". Keep a couple of spare printouts.
Check these four things on the printout: your photo, your name, the subjects and codes you registered for, and the exam centre address. If anything is wrong, or a subject is missing, go to your Regional Centre or study centre (AI) this week. NIOS's own note on the page says web information is "for immediate information" and is not an original document.
Hall ticket not generating? The two reasons NIOS gives
NIOS's page names only two conditions, so start there:
| Problem | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Not found" for a correct enrolment number | Your October 2026 exam fee isn't on NIOS's records | Find your fee receipt or payment reference and contact your Regional Centre |
| Ticket won't generate though fee is paid | NIOS doesn't have your photograph | Contact your Regional Centre immediately, as the page instructs |
| Wrong subject, photo or centre on the ticket | Data error at registration | Report to the Regional Centre before 22 October |
| Page slow or timing out | Load as the exam nears | Try off-peak; the toll-free number on the portal is 1800-180-9393 |
NIOS date sheet October 2026: the papers most learners sit
Every paper starts at 2:30 PM. Here are the main subjects from NIOS's date sheet of 8 October (All India exam centres):
| Date | Class 12 (Senior Secondary) | Class 10 (Secondary) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 22 Oct | Sanskrit Vyakaran, Bodh Darshan, Basics of Transportation | Folk Art, Veda Adhyayan, Physical Education, Logistics, Warehousing |
| Fri 23 Oct | Early Childhood Care and Education | Accountancy, Indian Sign Language |
| Sat 24 Oct | Geography | Painting |
| Wed 28 Oct | English | Regional languages (Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Odia and others) |
| Sat 31 Oct | Mathematics | Home Science |
| Mon 2 Nov | Physics, History, Environmental Science | Sanskrit, Employability Skills |
| Wed 4 Nov | Hindi | Psychology |
| Thu 5 Nov | Biology, Accountancy | Mathematics |
| Fri 6 Nov | Business Studies | Science |
| Thu 12 Nov | Computer Science, Sociology, Physical Education | English |
| Tue 17 Nov | Chemistry, Political Science, Mass Communication | Business Studies |
| Wed 18 Nov | Regional languages | Hindi |
| Fri 20 Nov | Sanskrit | Economics |
| Sat 21 Nov | Economics | Social Science |
| Wed 25 Nov | Home Science | Indian Culture and Heritage |
| Sat 28 Nov | Psychology | Hindustani Sangeet |
| Sat 5 Dec | Gender Studies, Sanskrit Sahitya (last Class 12 day) | Bharatiya Darshan |
| Mon 7 Dec | — | Sanskrit Sahitya (last Class 10 day) |
The full sheet has vocational and other papers too; the tool below covers every subject printed on it. The sheet also prints different dates for three Regional Centres: Gangtok (22 Oct papers on 27 Oct, 23 Oct papers on 3 Nov) and Dehradun and Prayagraj (20 Nov papers on 3 Dec). If you're with those RCs, go by your hall ticket.
Find your own NIOS exam dates
The tool runs in your browser and uses only NIOS's 8 October 2026 date sheet for All India centres. It flags two papers on the same day and the Regional Centre exceptions printed on the sheet. Your hall ticket is final.
01
Myth I can download the NIOS admit card with my name and date of birth.
Fact No. NIOS's hall-ticket page asks only for the 12-digit enrolment number and the hall ticket type (Theory or Practical). Keep your enrolment number handy.
02
Myth If the hall ticket doesn't open, the site is down and I should keep retrying.
Fact Not necessarily. NIOS says the ticket generates only if you paid the October 2026 exam fee and your photograph is on its records. If it still doesn't appear, NIOS's instruction is to contact your Regional Centre immediately, not to wait.
03
Myth The date sheet might be pushed back, as it was in some past sessions.
Fact NIOS's 8 October date sheet says in so many words: "There will be no change in the dates of the examination." Plan for 22 October.
04
Myth I'll have to pay something extra at the exam centre.
Fact No. The date sheet says the exam fee you've already paid entitles you to sit the theory exam "without having to pay anything extra at the examination centre".
05
Myth The hall ticket is my final document.
Fact NIOS says information on its website is "for immediate information" and isn't an original document. If any detail on your hall ticket looks wrong (photo, subject, centre), raise it with your Regional Centre before 22 October.
On exam day
- Reach early. NIOS gives 15 minutes to read the question paper before the 2:30 PM start, so be seated before then.
- Carry the printed hall ticket and your NIOS identity card. Leave phones, calculators and smartwatches at home unless your centre says otherwise.
- No payment at the centre. NIOS's date sheet says the exam fee you paid covers the theory exam.
- Results: NIOS says they're "likely to be declared in 7 weeks after the last date of the examination", on sdmis.nios.ac.in. With the last paper on 7 December, that points to late January 2027, but NIOS hasn't fixed a date and says it won't answer queries about one. Mark sheets and migration certificates go through your study centre (AI).
We'll update this page if NIOS issues a corrigendum to the date sheet or changes the hall-ticket process.
Timeline
8 Oct 2026
NIOS issues Notification 63/2026 and the theory date sheet (from 22 Oct).
17 Oct 2026
Theory hall ticket goes live (RC Dehradun notice).
15 Oct 2026
'nios' searches hit their weekly peak ahead of the hall ticket.
19 Oct 2026
'nios admit card download' rises +28,250% in India searches (4-hour view).
22 Oct 2026
First theory papers (2:30 PM).
5 Dec / 7 Dec 2026
Last Class 12 / Class 10 paper.
About 7 weeks after
Result likely, per NIOS (no fixed date).
Trend Monitor
NIOS searches have run hot all week as the October exams near. Interest in 'nios' in India sat between 49 and 100 on the 7-day index, peaking on 15 October as learners waited for the hall ticket, and 'nios hall ticket october 2026' was the topic's top rising query. Today the search shifted to the download itself: in the four hours to about 1:45 PM IST on 19 October, 'nios admit card download' was among the fastest-rising queries under 'admit card' in India.
- nios admit card download+28,250% (pytrends related to 'admit card', now 4-H, geo=IN, ~1:45 PM IST 19 Oct)
- nios hall ticket october 2026+500% (related to 'nios', 7-day view, geo=IN, 19 Oct)
- nios hall ticket 2026+300% (same set); 'nios exam centre login' +160%
Google Trends, India, rising queries, 30 days