CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern

CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2025

Class 10 is a turning point in the student's schooling life because it plays a crucial role in their future educational journey. Class 10 Board examinations determine the level of learning of different subjects that the students have acquired, and their performance determines a sound foundation for their future courses of action.

Students must be aware of the syllabus, examination format, topic weightage, and knowledge of concepts to achieve good scores. This blog will provide a detailed overview of the CBSE 10 board exam pattern.

1.0CBSE Class 10 Subject-wise Exam Pattern 2025

CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern for Mathematics

In the CBSE Class 10th maths 2025 Exam, students can choose a mathematics question paper between standard and basic. If students do not want to pursue higher education in mathematics, they can opt for Mathematics Basic has a comparatively easier difficulty level, whereas Mathematics Standard is comparatively tougher and can be pursued by students who want to pursue the same stream in higher studies.

Both papers shall carry 100 marks, 80 of which shall be assigned to the theory paper and the remaining 20 marks shall be for internal assessment or project work. Refer to the below table for 10th cbse exam pattern Mathematics.

CBSE 10 EXAM PATTERN: Mathematics Basic / Mathematics Standard
For Theory Paper: 80 Marks
Section	Type of Questions	Number of Questions	Mark Per Question	Marks (out of 80)	Duration of Exam
Section-A (Q. 1 to Q.20)	MCQs	18	01	18	03 Hours
	Assertion- Reason Based	02	01	02
Section-B (Q. 21 to Q.25)	Very Short Answer	05	02	10
Section-C (Q. 26 to Q.31)	Short Answer Questions	06	03	18
Section-D (Q. 32 to Q. 35)	Long Answer Questions	04	05	20
Section-E (Q. 36 to Q. 38)	Case-Based Questions	03	04	12
Note: There is no overall choice, but internal choices are available: 2 questions in Section B, 2 questions in Section C, 2 questions in Section D, and 3 questions in Section E.
For Internal Assessment: 20 Marks
Assessment Type			Marks (Out of 20)
Pen-paper-based Periodic tests			05 Marks
Multiple Assessment			05 Marks
Portfolio			05 Marks
Subject Enrichment Activities (Lab Activities to be done from the prescribed books)			05 Marks

CBSE Class 10 Mathematics Marks Weightage

In the CBSE Class 10 Mathematics syllabus, Algebra (Unit-II) has the highest weightage at 25% of the total score. Following this, Geometry (Unit-IV) holds approx. 19% weightage. Trigonometry (Unit-V) contributes 15%, and Statistics & Probability (Unit-VII) add approx. 14%. Mensuration (Unit-VI) accounts for 12.5%, while Coordinate Geometry (Unit-III) and Number Systems (Unit-I) have the lowest weightage, each contributing 7.5%.

Unit Name	Chapter Name	Chapter-wise Marks	Unit-wise Marks
Unit-1 (Number Systems)	Real Number	06	06
Unit-II (Algebra)	Polynomials	04	20
	Pair of Linear Equations in Two Variables	06
	Quadratic Equations	06
	Arithmetic Progressions	04
Unit-III (Coordinate Geometry)	Coordinate Geometry	06	06
Unit-IV (Geometry)	Triangles	08	15
Unit-IV (Geometry)	Circles	07	15
Unit-V (Trigonometry)	Introduction to Trigonometry	08	12
	Trigonometric-Identities	-
	Heights & Distances	04
Unit-VI (Mensuration)	Areas Related to Circles	03	10
Unit-VI (Mensuration)	Surface Areas and Volumes	07	10
Unit-VII (Statistics & Probability)	Statistics	07	11
Unit-VII (Statistics & Probability)	Probability	04	11

CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern for Science

The CBSE Class 10 Science Syllabus for the year 2025 comprises 5 units from three subjects: Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The theory paper carries a weightage of 80 marks, whereas the internal assessment component accounts for 20 marks.

CBSE 10 EXAM PATTERN: Science
For Theory Paper: 80 Marks
Section	Type of Questions	Number of Questions	Mark Per Question	Marks (out of 80)	Duration of Exam
Section-A (Q.1 to Q.20)	MCQs	20	01	20	03 Hours
Section-B (Q.21 to Q.26)	Very Short Answer	06	02	12
Section-C (Q.27 to Q.33)	Short Answer Questions	07	03	21
Section-D (Q.34 to Q.36)	Long Answer Questions	03	05	15
Section-E (Q.37 to Q.39)	Case-Based Questions	03	04	12
Note: There is no overall choice. However, an internal choice has been provided in some sections. Only one of the alternatives has to be attempted in such questions.
For Internal Assessment: 20 Marks
Assessment Type			Marks (Out of 20)
Periodic Assessment			05 Marks + 05 Marks
Portfolio			05 Marks
Subject Enrichment Activities (Lab Activities to be done from the prescribed books)			05 Marks

CBSE Class 10 Science Marks Weightage

In the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus, 'Chemical Substances - Nature and Behaviour' (Unit-I) and 'World of Living' (Unit-II) each have the highest weightage of 31.25%. ‘Natural Phenomena' (Unit-III) contributes 15%, 'Effects of Current' (Unit-IV) holds approx. 16.5%, and 'Natural Resources' (Unit-V) has the lowest weightage at approx. 6%.

Unit Name	Chapter Name	Chapter-wise Marks	Unit-wise Marks
Unit-I (Chemical Substances- Nature and Behaviour)	Chemical Reactions and Equations	6	25
	Acid, Bases and Salts	3
	Metals and Non-Metals	10
	Carbon and its Compounds	6
Unit-II (World of Living)	Life Processes	9	25
	Control and Coordination	6
	How do Organisms Reproduce?	3
	Heredity and Evolution	7
Unit-III (Natural Phenomena)	Light- Reflection and Refraction	10	12
Unit-III (Natural Phenomena)	The Human Eye and the Colourful World	2	12
Unit-IV (Effects of Current)	Electricity	7	13
Unit-IV (Effects of Current)	Magnetic Effects of Electric Current	6	13
Unit-V (Natural Resources)	Our Environment	5	5

CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern for Social Science

The CBSE Class 10 Social Science syllabus encompasses four main sections: History, Political Science (Civics), Geography and Economics. The theory paper in Social Science will account for 100 marks, with 80 Marks for theory, while the internal assessment component will carry 20 marks. The exam also contains questions from maps.

CBSE 10 EXAM PATTERN: Social Science
For Theory Paper: 80 Marks
Section	Type of Questions	Number of Questions	Mark Per Question	Marks (out of 80)	Duration of Exam
Section-A (Q. 1 to Q.20)	MCQs	20	01	20	03 Hours
Section-B (Q. 21 to Q.24)	Very Short Answer	04	02	08
Section-C (Q. 25 to Q.29)	Short Answer Questions	05	03	15
Section-D (Q. 30 to Q. 33)	Long Answer Questions	04	05	20
Section-E (Q. 34 to Q. 36)	Case-Based Questions	03	04	12
Section-F (Q. 37)	Map-Skill Based	01	05	05
For Internal Assessment: 20 Marks
Assessment Type			Marks (Out of 20)
Pen-paper-based Periodic Assessment			05 Marks
Multiple Assessments (Quizzes, debate, role play etc. through interdisciplinary projects)			05 Marks
Portfolio (Classwork, work done, achievements of students in the subject throughout the year etc.)			05 Marks
Subject Enrichment Activities (Project Work on Consumer Rights OR Social Issues OR Sustainable Development)			05 Marks

CBSE Class 10 Social Science Marks Weightage

In the CBSE Class 10 Social Science syllabus, each unit—History, Political Science, Geography, and Economics—carries an equal weightage of 25%. Each unit contributes significantly to the overall understanding of Social Science concepts.

Unit Name	Chapter Name	Unit-wise Marks	Weightage
Unit-I (History)	The Rise of Nationalism in Europe	18 + 02	25%
	Nationalism in India
	The Making of a Global World Sub topics1 to 1.3
	Print Culture and the Modern World
	Map pointing
Unit-II (Political Science)	Power – sharing	20	25%
	Federalism
	Gender, Religion and Caste
	Political Parties
	Outcomes of Democracy
Unit-III (Geography)	Resources and Development	17 + 3	25%
	Forest and Wildlife Resources
	Water Resources
	Agriculture
	Mineral & Energy Resources
	Manufacturing industries
	Lifelines of National Economy (map pointing)
	Map pointing
Unit-IV (Economics)	Development	20	25%
	Sectors of the Indian Economy
	Money and Credit
	Globalization and The Indian Economy
	What is Globalization?
	Factors that have enabled Globalisation

CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern for English

The English curriculum is designed to develop students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The course consists of two books: First Flight (prose and poems) and Footprints Without Feet (supplementary). In addition to these two books, the syllabus covers grammar and topics related to writing skills, such as essays, formal letters, and others.

The theoretical exam carries 80 marks, and 20 marks are allocated for internal assessment.

CBSE 10 EXAM PATTERN: English
For Theory Paper: 80 Marks
Section	Topic	Number of Questions	Mark Per Question	Marks (out of 80)	Duration of Exam
Section-A (Reading Comprehension Through Unseen Passage)	Discursive passage	06	01	10	03 Hours
		02	02
	Case-based factual passage	06	01	10
		02	02
Section-B (Grammar)	Determinants Tenses Modals Subject-Verb Concord Reported Speech o Commands and requests o Statements o Questions	12 (attempt only 10)	01	10
Section-B (Creative Writing Skills)	Writing a format letter based on a given situation	2 (attempt only 1)	05	10
	Writing an analytical paragraph on a given Map/Chart /Graph/Cue	2 (attempt only 1)	05
Section-C (Literature)	Reference to the Context	04 + 04	05 + 05	40
	One extract out of two from Drama/Prose
	One extract out of two from poetry
	Short Answer Type Questions (First Flight)	5 (attempt only 4)	4*3
	Short Answer Type Questions (Footprints without Feet)	3 (attempt only 2)	2*3
	Very Long Answer Type Questions (First Flight)	2 (attempt only 1)	6*1
	Very Long Answer Type Questions (Footprints without Feet)	2 (attempt only 1)	6*1
For Internal Assessment: 20 Marks
Assessment Type			Marks (Out of 20)
Pen-paper-based Periodic Assessment			05 Marks
Multiple Assessments (Quizzes, debate, role play etc. through interdisciplinary projects)			05 Marks
Portfolio (Classwork, work done, achievements of students in the subject throughout the year etc.)			05 Marks
Subject Enrichment Activities (Project Work on Consumer Rights OR Social Issues OR Sustainable Development)			05 Marks

CBSE Class 10 English Marks Weightage

The CBSE Class 10 English syllabus is divided into three sections: Reading Comprehension (20 marks, 25%), Writing Skills and Grammar (20 marks, 25%), and Language through Literature (40 marks, 50%). Each section focuses on different competencies, such as analyzing texts, creative writing, and understanding literature, respectively, contributing to a comprehensive development of language skills.

Section Name	Competencies	Total Marks	Weightage
Reading Comprehension	Conceptual understanding, decoding, analyzing, inferring, interpreting and vocabulary	20	25%
Writing Skills and Grammar	Creative expression of an opinion, reasoning, justifying, illustrating, appropriacy of style and tone, using appropriate format and fluency. Applying 20 conventions, using integrated structures with accuracy and fluency	20	25%
Language through Literature	Recalling, reasoning, appreciating, applying literary conventions illustrating and justifying etc. Extract relevant information, identify the central theme and sub-theme, understand the writers’ message and write fluently	40	50%

CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern for Hindi

The Hindi curriculum is designed to develop students’ reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The course consists of two books: क्षितिज, भाग–2, and कृतिका भाग–2. In addition to these two books, the syllabus covers grammar and topics related to writing skills, such as essays and formal letters.

The theoretical exam carries 80 marks, and 20 marks are allocated for internal assessment.

CBSE 10 EXAM PATTERN: Hindi
For Theory Paper: 80 Marks
Section	Topic	Subtopic	No. of Questions	Mark Per Question	Marks (out of 80)	Duration of Exam
Part-A (MCQ Type Questions)	Comprehension ability and expression skills on unread prose and poetry	a. Unseen Passage (250 words)	5	01	05	3 hours
		b. Unseen Poetry (120 words)	5	01	05
	Grammar	a. रचना के आधार पर वाक्य भेद	5 (attempt only 4)	01	04
		b. वाच्य	5 (attempt only 4)	01	04
		c. पद परिचय	5 (attempt only 4)	01	04
		d. अलंकार	5 (attempt only 4)	01	04
	Literature	a. Pros	7	01	07
	Literature	b. Poetry	7	01	07
Part-B (Subjective Type Questions)	Pros	Very Short-form Answers	4 (attempt only 3)	02	06
	Poetry	Very Short-form Answers	4 (attempt only 3)	02	06
	Supplementary	Short-form Answers	3(attempt only 2)	04	08
	Writing	Paragraph Writing (on any 1 of 3 topics}	3(attempt only 1)	06	06
		Letter Writing (Any 1)	2(attempt only 1)	05	05
		Resume Writing or Email Wilting	2(attempt only 1)	05	05
		Letter Writing /Advertisement Writing	2(attempt only 1)	04	04
For Internal Assessment: 20 Marks
Assessment Type				Marks (Out of 20)
Periodic Assessment				05
Project				05
Portfolio				05
Listening & Speaking				05

CBSE Class 10 Hindi Marks Weightage

The CBSE Class 10 Hindi syllabus is divided into three sections: Reading Comprehension (20 marks, 25%), Writing Skills and Grammar (20 marks, 25%), and Language through Literature (40 marks, 50%). Each section focuses on different competencies, such as analyzing texts, creative writing, and understanding literature, respectively, contributing to a comprehensive development of language skills.

Section Name	Competencies	Total Marks	Weightage
Reading Comprehension	Conceptual understanding, decoding, analyzing, inferring, interpreting and vocabulary	20	25%
Writing Skills and Grammar	Creative expression of an opinion, reasoning, justifying, illustrating, appropriacy of style and tone, using appropriate format and fluency. Applying 20 conventions, using integrated structures with accuracy and fluency	20	25%
Language through Literature	Recalling, reasoning, appreciating, applying literary conventions illustrating and justifying etc. Extract relevant information, identify the central theme and sub-theme, understand the writers’ message and write fluently	40	50%

Smart preparation is key to doing well in the CBSE Class 10th 2025 Exam. Understanding the CBSE Syllabus for Class 10, exam pattern and chapter-wise weightage is essential. The details provided above can guide your preparation and help you succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions:

According to the officials, the CBSE 10th board exams will start on February 15, 2025. However, the complete exam schedule will be released on the official website.

Yes, the syllabus for CBSE class 10 exams 2025 is the same for regular and compartment exams.

Students can go to the cbseacademic.nic.in to check and download the CBSE class 10th syllabus 2025 online.

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CBSE Class 10 Maths Previous Year Solved Papers: Download PDFs

Students can download the Class 10 Math Previous Year Question Paper with detailed solutions from the table below, available in PDF format.

CBSE Class 10 Maths: Detailed Syllabus and Marking Scheme

The CBSE curriculum helps students explore mathematical concepts in depth and apply them in real-life situations

CBSE Class 10 Science

Covering a variety of topics in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, mastering this subject requires commitment, careful planning

Class 10 Science Previous Year Question Papers 2024

CBSE is responsible for conducting the exam, so it provides sample papers and previous-year questions as well.

Class 10 English Previous Year Question Paper

Students preparing for Board Exams 2025 are advised to download the Previous Year's Question Papers to excel in their board exams.

CBSE Syllabus for Class 10

Students may go through or download their 10 standard CBSE syllabus for all subjects, which covers the entire curriculum.