CBSE Class X Board
The CBSE class 10 board examination is the secondary school examination conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education for students completing class 10 in schools affiliated to the board in India and abroad. It is…
Overview
CBSE Class 10 Painting (049) Exam 2026: Paper Analysis
The CBSE Board Class 10 Painting (049) exam concluded at 12:30 PM. The paper analysis and the question paper are available below.
Overall Exam Review
The CBSE Class 10 Board Exams 2026 are currently ongoing across India. Major subjects like English, Mathematics and Hindi have already been conducted, while subjects like Social Science and Elements of Book Keeping & Accountancy are still remaining.
Student feedback suggests the overall difficulty level has been easy to moderate. Most questions were based directly on the NCERT syllabus.
- Experts observed a stronger focus on competency-based, case-study, and application-oriented questions, in line with CBSE’s latest exam pattern.
- The Mathematics paper was considered moderate, with some sections being slightly lengthy and requiring good time management.
- The English paper was widely rated as easy and scoring, boosting student confidence early in the exam schedule.
Experts believe this year’s exams are fair, NCERT-focused, and designed to test real conceptual understanding rather than memorization.
Exam Schedule and Timings
The CBSE board exams for class 10th started on February 17, 2026, with Mathematics (Standard and Basics). The exams will conclude on March 11, 2026.
- Exam start time: 10:30 am
- Entry closed sharply at: 10:00 am
Revised Dates and Phases
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has revised the CBSE 10th dates 2026. The CBSE 10th exam scheduled on March 3, 2026, is now rescheduled to March 11, 2026.
The revised dates are available on the official website: cbse.nic.in. The CBSE has scheduled the Class 10 board exams in two phases.
| Phase | Dates | Mandatory/Optional |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 (Main Exam) | February 17 to March 11, 2026 | Mandatory for all students |
| Phase 2 (Improvement/Re-attempt) | May 15 to June 1, 2026 | Optional for students who want to improve their performance |
Phase 2 Exam Rules
CBSE held a webinar on November 20, 2025, to clarify doubts regarding the conduct of CBSE Class 10 board exams twice starting this year. Rahul Singh stated that students will have to mandatorily appear for the first set of exams.
Students can choose to improve their performance in three subjects in the second set of exams. The subjects available for improvement are math, science, social science, and two language papers.
The Board expects a maximum of around 40% of students to appear in the second board exams in each of the main subjects.
CBSE Class 10th: Question Papers
Subject-wise question papers and paper analysis for CBSE Board class 10th are available below.
CBSE Class 10th Question Papers
The table below lists the CBSE Class 10th question papers available for download. Each paper is provided as a PDF file.
| Question Paper | Download PDF |
|---|---|
| CBSE Class 10th Mathematics Standard Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Mathematics Basics Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Home Science Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Beauty and Wellness Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Marketing and Sales Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Multi Skill Foundation Course Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Physical Activity Trainer Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Multi-Media Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Data Science Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Urdu (course B) Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Elements of Business Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Science Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Retail Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Security Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Automotive Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Introduction to Fin. Markets Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Introduction to Tourism Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Agriculture Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Food Production Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Front Office Operations Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Banking & Insurance Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Health Care Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Apparel Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Electronics & Hardware Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Foundation Skill for Sciences Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Design Thinking & Innovation Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Computer Applications Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Information Technology Paper | Download PDF |
| CBSE Class 10th Artificial Intelligence Paper | Download PDF |
CBSE Class 10th: Subject-Wise Paper Analysis
This section provides the expected difficulty level and paper analysis for each subject. The analysis is based on the question paper structure and question types.
| Subject | Difficulty Level (Expected) | Paper Analysis (Expected) |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics Standard | Moderate to Difficult | The paper was lengthy with more calculation-based questions. Difficult questions were from Surface areas & Volumes, Arithmetic progressions. |
| Mathematics Basics | Easy to Moderate | It was less time-consuming and manageable. Difficult questions were asked from Circles, Surface Areas & Volumes, and Triangles. |
| Home Science | Moderate | The paper was balanced with manageable questions. Questions included MCQs, short answers, long answers, and some application-based questions were also present. |
| Beauty and Wellness | Easy to Moderate | Questions are asked about techniques, safety protocols, tool usage, plus some scenario-based applications. |
| Marketing and Sales | Moderate | Many questions revolved around definitions and examples. Some situational questions where you apply principles in a business scenario are also asked. |
| Multi-Skill Foundation Course | Easy to Moderate | Questions were concept-based, covering employability and basic life/professional skills. |
| Physical Activity Trainer | Easy to Moderate | Practical scenario or planning questions took a bit more thought, but were not tough. |
| Multi-Media | Moderate | Questions tested basic understanding of digital media tools, design ideas, and multimedia components. Some project/descriptive questions were based on your preparation in practical work. |
| Data Science | Moderate to Tough | A mix of conceptual questions and simple case problems is asked. Questions included basic data interpretation, simple programming/logic, data handling, and tool usage. |
| Urdu (course B) | Easy | The exam was scoring with questions mostly based on the NCERTs. The passage-based questions were direct and easy to understand. |
| Elements of Business | Easy to Moderate | There were direct questions from NCERT topics like business activities, marketing, and entrepreneurship. The MCQs were mostly definition-based. |
| Science | Easy | The paper was easy, and students completed the exam around half an hour ago. However, the chemistry section was a little difficult. |
| Computer Applications | Easy to Moderate | The paper followed the official pattern with MCQs, short and long answers, and case study questions. Students found most questions familiar and syllabus-based. Case-study questions required basic application of concepts and were not difficult. |
CBSE Class 10 Exam 2026 Overview
The CBSE Class 10 board exam for 2026 is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education. The exams are scheduled to begin on 17 February 2026.
The exam pattern includes a theory paper and internal assessment. The minimum passing mark is 33% in each subject and overall.
CBSE Class 10th Datesheet (Revised)
The revised datesheet for the CBSE Class 10 exam 2026 is given below. The exams start on 17 February 2026 and end on 11 March 2026.
| CBSE Class 10th Exam Date 2026 | Subjects |
|---|---|
| 17-Feb-2026 | Mathematics Standard, Mathematics Basic |
| 18-Feb-2026 | Home Science |
| 20-Feb-2026 | Beauty and Wellness, Marketing and Sales, Multi Skill Foundation Course, Data Science |
| 21-Feb-2026 | English |
| 23-Feb-2026 | Urdu Course A, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati |
| 24-Feb-2026 | Element of Business, Urdu Course B |
| 25-Feb-2026 | Science |
| 26-Feb-2026 | Security, Automotive, Agriculture, Food Production, Banking and Insurance, Healthcare, Apparel, Design Thinking, Foundation skill for science |
| 27-Feb-2026 | Computer Applications, Information Technology, AI |
| 28-Feb-2026 | Arabic, Sanskrit, Rai, Gurung, Tamang, Sherpa |
| 2-March-2026 | Hindi (Course A), Hindi (Course b) |
| 5-March-2026 | Sindhi, Malayalam, Odia, Kannada |
| 6-March-2026 | Painting |
| 7-March-2026 | Social Science |
| 9-March-2026 | Telugu, Russian, Limboo, Lepcha, Nepali |
| 10-March-2026 | French |
| 11-March-2026 | Tibetan, German, Japanese, Spanish, Kashmiri, Mizo |
CBSE Class 10 Exam 2026 Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must fulfil the eligibility criteria before applying for the CBSE class 10 compartment exams. The criteria are listed below.
- Regular candidates who appeared for the CBSE class 10 exam in 2025 and were declared compartment.
- Regular candidates who appeared in 6/7 subjects and were declared "Pass" due to the replacement of subjects can appear in that subject under the improvement of performance category, subject to a valid combination of subjects as per the datesheet.
- Regular candidates who appeared in the CBSE class 10 exam and were declared "Pass" can appear in up to two subjects under the improvement of performance category, subject to a valid combination of subjects as per the datesheet.
CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2026
The exam pattern for the CBSE Class 10 exam 2026 is given below. The theory paper is for 80 marks and the internal assessment is for 20 marks.
| Component | Weightage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Theory Paper (Board) | 80 marks | 3 hours duration in most subjects |
| Internal Assessment | 20 marks | Periodic tests, practicals, portfolios etc |
| Question Paper Composition | ~50% competency-based, ~20% MCQs, ~30% descriptive | Applies to the theory 80-mark paper |
| Frequency of Exams | Two phases/year from 2026 | Phase 1 mandatory, Phase 2 optional |
| Minimum passing mark | 33% in each subject & overall | Applies to combined 100 marks (80+20) |
| Focus Areas | Understanding, applications, reasoning | Less emphasis on rote memorisation |
CBSE Class 10 Syllabus 2026
The syllabus for the CBSE Class 10 exam 2026 is based on the NCERT curriculum. Students should refer to the official CBSE website for the detailed syllabus for each subject.
CBSE Class X Board Exam Subject-Wise Syllabus and Weightage
The CBSE Class X Board Exam covers five main subjects. Each subject has specific units and a defined weightage of marks.
| Subject | Key Units / Chapters | Major Weightage Units* |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Number Systems; Algebra; Coordinate Geometry; Geometry; Trigonometry; Mensuration; Statistics & Probability. | Algebra (~20/80), Geometry (~15/80), Trigonometry (~12/80) |
| Science | Chemical Substances – Nature & Behaviour; World of Living; Natural Phenomena; etc. | First two units very high (~25 each) |
| Social Science | History (India & Contemporary World II); Political Science; Geography; Economics. | Spread across domains – ensure breadth |
| English | Reading Skills; Writing Skills & Grammar; Language through Literature. | Literature part is 40/80 marks |
| Hindi | Course A / Course B – Prose, Poetry, Grammar, Writing, Reading. | Similar multi-skill structure |
*Weightage is approximate and based on the total marks for the subject.
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