CBSE Class 10 Science Exam 2026: Teacher Praise Balanced Paper; Students Say It Was Easy

CBSE Class 10th Science Paper 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the Class 10 Science exam on Wednesday, February 25, in a single shift from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Outside exam centers, the atmosphere was a blend of relief and nervous energy, as students completed last-minute revisions while parents waited anxiously.

While teachers largely described the paper as balanced and competency-focused, student reactions ranged from easy to slightly lengthy, depending on the set received.

What do teachers say?

According to Jyoti Patil, TGT Science Teacher at DAV Public School in Thane, the CBSE Class 10 Science paper was well-balanced, competency-based, and more application-oriented than previous years. 

She rated the difficulty level 7–8 out of 10, noting that MCQs across physics and chemistry were clear and unambiguous, with even assertion–reasoning questions framed directly. Physics featured more diagram-based questions, while the overall paper structure was completely revamped, with separate sections for biology, chemistry, and physics without any mixing. 

She pointed out that although the paper was mostly NCERT-based, the inclusion of 'Rancidity,' a topic removed from the new NCERT textbook and not part of the official syllabus, was unexpected. Patil added that except for a slightly tricky circuit-based physics question, most questions were approachable, and even average students were able to attempt the paper confidently.

Patil added that the paper pattern had undergone a complete overhaul this year, marking a major shift from previous formats. For the first time, the science question paper was divided into three distinct sections, such as Section A for biology, Section B for chemistry, and Section C for physics, with no mixing of questions across subjects. Students were instructed to attempt each section separately, as per a CBSE circular.

She mentioned that this revamped structure aligned with the board’s push towards competency-based assessment, making the paper more structured and application-focused than before.

What do Students Say?

A Class 10 student said the science paper was “very easy”, adding that most questions were straightforward and NCERT-based. He received Set 1 and rated the difficulty level 4 out of 10. According to him, 40–50 marks’ worth of questions were expected, and several were directly from previous years’ papers. Topics like esterification appeared as predicted, while expected chapters such as the left-hand rule and respiration did not come in the exam.

He mentioned that only one Physics 2 marker felt slightly tricky, and the rest were simple. “My friends were very happy after the exam,” he added, saying the overall paper was smoother than expected. 

The student also credited educator Prashant Kirad for significantly helping with the science exam preparation. He shared that nearly 40–45 marks worth of questions in the paper came directly from Kirad’s “4 AM Endgame” YouTube marathon session, which he had followed before the exam.

“People may have different opinions about him, but his 4 AM marathon really helped. He told us the most expected questions,” the student said. He added that this session was widely circulated among Class 10 students on YouTube and proved extremely useful during last-minute revision.

Another student shared that "The paper was heavily theory-based and moderate in difficulty. Expected questions were missing, with hardly any numericals or PYQs. It was full of theory and nothing like the sample paper CBSE issued".

CBSE Class 12 Science Exam Pattern

The science theory paper is worth 80 marks and has 39 required questions, according to the new exam format. The three sections of the paper—Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are clearly separated. A range of question types and levels of difficulty are included in each section, including multiple-choice questions (MCQs), assertion-reasoning questions, short answer questions, long answer questions, and case-based questions.

Published on: Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 03:24 PM IST