Diwali vacation 2026: Gujarat school dates (5 to 25 November) and a 3-week study plan for board, JEE and NEET students

Diwali vacation 2026 in Gujarat: the official dates

The Directorate of Primary Education fixed the Diwali vacation for all recognised primary schools in a circular dated 26 October 2026, and asked district officers to make sure primary and secondary schools follow the same schedule. The dates match the school activity calendar that the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB) published for 2026-27.

CBSE, ICSE and international schools in Gujarat publish their own holiday lists, and many of them are close to these dates but not identical, so go by your school's circular.

How far away your exams are

Counting from Diwali day, 8 November 2026, this is how much time is left. Use it to decide how hard the break needs to work for you.

CBSE 2027 date sheet: the papers that matter most

CBSE released the 2027 date sheet on 6 November 2026, 101 days before the first paper. Over 26.5 lakh Class 10 and 19.8 lakh Class 12 students have registered. The main subjects fall like this:

Two things stand out for planning. Class 12 Science students write Physics on the very first day, so Physics should get the most time in this break. Class 10 students have Maths on day two and Science five days later, so both need to be in shape by early February, not March. The full subject list is in our CBSE board exam 2027 guide, and the official PDF is on cbse.gov.in.

A 3-week Diwali study plan (5 to 25 November 2026)

This is CareerBox's suggested schedule, not an official one. It assumes about 3 to 5 hours of study on normal days and none on the main festival days. Adjust the hours, not the order.

Week 1, 5 to 11 November: festival week, light work

• Take Diwali (8 November), the day after, and Bestu Varas off completely. Rest is part of the plan.
• On the other days, do 2 to 3 hours: sort your first-term notes and mark every chapter as done, weak or not started.
• Correct your first-term test papers (GSEB first tests ran from 22 October to 2 November 2026). Write down every question you lost marks on. That list is your revision map.
• Paperwork that cannot wait: if you are a JEE aspirant and have not filled the session 1 form, finish it now; the last date is 22 November 2026 on jeemain.nta.nic.in. Check that your APAAR ID is linked if your school has asked for it.

Week 2, 12 to 18 November: one full pass of the weak chapters

• Pick the two subjects you marked weakest. Spend 70% of the week on them.
• Study one chapter per sitting: read the textbook chapter (NCERT for CBSE and for JEE and NEET, the GSEB textbook for state board students), then do every in-text and exercise question without the solution open.
• End each day with 30 minutes of short revision of what you did the day before.
• CBSE students: work through the official sample papers and marking schemes for 2026-27 to see how answers are marked.

Week 3, 19 to 25 November: timed papers

• Write at least three full papers under exam conditions, in the exam slot. CBSE papers start at 10:30 am, so sit from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm.
• Check each paper the same evening against the marking scheme, and add every mistake to your Week 1 list.
• JEE and NEET candidates: one full-length mock every other day, with the day between used only to fix the mistakes from it.
• Last two days of the break: pack your bag, finish pending school homework, and sleep at your school-day time so 26 November is not a shock.

What to study first, by class

Forms and money matters to finish before 26 November

• JEE Main 2027 session 1: apply on jeemain.nta.nic.in by 22 November 2026; late fee window 23 to 26 November; corrections 27 to 29 November. Details in our JEE Main 2027 guide.
• CAT 2026: download the admit card from iimcat.ac.in and read our CAT 2026 guide before 29 November.
• GSEB board exam forms: the SSC, HSC General and HSC Science exam registration portals for February to March 2027 are linked on gseb.org. Schools fill these, but check with your school that your name, photo and subjects are right. The Class 10 portal is sscexamreg.gseb.org.
• Gujarat scholarships: if you are applying for a post-matric scholarship, check the current window on the state portal. Our Digital Gujarat scholarship guide has the 2026-27 dates.

Diwali safety for students

A burnt hand two weeks before prelims costs more than a missed party. Light crackers outdoors, away from books and curtains, with a bucket of water nearby, and keep diyas off study tables and away from notebooks. If you study late, keep the window open on smoky nights and take short breaks if your eyes or throat feel irritated.