The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has unveiled the revised Class 10 exam pattern for the 2025–26 academic session, along with a subject-wise breakdown of marks, question formats, and section-wise weightage. With the 2026 Board Exams scheduled to begin from 17 February 2026, students are advised to realign their preparation strategies according to the updated structure.
The board has continued its shift toward competency-based evaluation, introducing clearer categorisation of questions and enhanced focus on conceptual application. Major subjects—especially Science and Social Science—now follow a redesigned, more structured format, giving students a transparent view of what to expect.
CBSE has retained the 80-mark theory + 20-mark internal assessment model, but the distribution of question types has been refined to match the board’s new assessment policy.
| Component | Details |
| Competency-Based Questions | 50% (MCQs, case-study, source-based) |
| Objective-Type Questions | 20% (direct, fact-based items) |
| Short & Long Answers | 30% (descriptive/analytical) |
| Theory Exam | 80 marks |
| Internal Assessment | 20 marks |
| Two Board Exams in One Academic Year | Effective from 2025–26 |
| Grading System | 9-point CBSE grading scale |
The 80-mark written exam is now divided into three balanced components:
| Component | Weightage | Description |
| Competency-Based | 0.5 | Includes MCQs, case-based and application-based questions |
| Objective-Type | 0.2 | Mostly short, fact-based responses |
| Short & Long Answers | 0.3 | Analytical and explanatory questions |
| Component | Marks | Description |
| Periodic Tests | 5 | School-conducted evaluations |
| Practical Work | 5 | Experiments and hands-on tasks |
| Assignments/Projects | 5 | Activity-based and creative tasks |
| Portfolio Assessment | 5 | Classroom participation & submissions |
The Mathematics paper (Basic & Standard) remains unchanged this year.
| Section | Question Type | Q. Nos. | Marks |
| A | MCQs + Assertion-Reason | Q1–18, Q19–20 | 1 mark |
| B | Very Short Answers | Q21–25 | 2 marks |
| C | Short Answers | Q26–31 | 3 marks |
| D | Long Answers | Q32–35 | 5 marks |
| E | Case-Study | Q36–38 | 4 marks |
Internal choices provided in Sections B, C, D, and all case-study items.
Total – 80 marks
Science follows a new three-section model for 2026 board exams.
Internal choice available in selected questions; all must be attempted.
Total – 80 marks
The Social Science paper is now subject-focused, divided into four equal sections.
Total: 38 questions, all compulsory.
Total – 80 marks
An 80-mark theory paper assessing reading, grammar, writing, and literature.
Extract-based, short-answer, and long-answer questions ensure balanced testing of comprehension and expression.
Structure unchanged, with 12 questions across 4 sections.
Total – 80 marks
Four-section paper covering:
Focus areas include:
Both versions include internal choices and a 3-hour duration.
You can download printable sample paper packs for CBSE Class 10 board exams 2025-26 from official and trusted education websites that provide authentic CBSE resources. Some recommended sources include:
Online educational platforms providing subject-wise and full-syllabus sample papers for practice.
For your convenience, here is a direct link to the CBSE official sample papers repository (updated for 2025-26):
https://cbseacademic.nic.in/SQP/ClassX.html
Downloading these will help you practice according to the revised marking scheme and question paper structure for the 2025-26 exams.
The CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2025–26 brings a more structured, competency-focused approach to help students prepare smarter and score better. As schools gear up for the new academic framework, staying updated is essential.
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