CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2025: Check Subject Wise Pattern, Marking Scheme, Best Books

Samia Miraj

Updated On: May 12, 2025 12:07 PM

CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025 is available on the official website of the Central Board of Secondary Education. Students can download the exam pattern for every subject included in the curriculum to prepare for the board exams. 
CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2024-25
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About CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025

The Central Board of Secondary Education has provided the blueprints for every subject included in the curriculum on the official website. For class 10th, there are five compulsory subjects included in the curriculum, followed by two optional subjects. In the five compulsory subjects, there are two languages and three other subjects, including Mathematics, Social Science, and Science. According to the marking scheme followed by CBSE, the paper in every subject will be conducted for 100 marks, including theory and practical exams. Usually, the theory paper is conducted for 80 marks. Also Check: CBSE Class 10 Registration Form 2025

According to the sources, no new changes will be recorded in the exam pattern for this academic year. In class 10th, around 50% of the questions will be based on competency, according to last year's trends. The passing marks for class 10th are 33%. Students must score 33% marks in theory and practical exams to pass. According to the latest notification released by CBSE, the board exams will start from 15th February 2025. Check more about the CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025 here.

CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025: Overview

Students can review some of the major highlights regarding the CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025 here:

Parameters Details

Exam Mode

Offline

Medium

Hindi & English

Duration

3 Hours

Type of Questions

Multiple Choice, Competency-Based Questions, Long/Short Questions

Compulsory Subjects

Language 1, Language 2, Mathematics, Science, Social Science

Total Marks

100

Negative Marking

No

Theory Exam

80

Internal Assessment

20

Passing Marks

33% Aggregate in Each Subject & Overall

    CBSE Class 10 Blueprint 2024-25

    CBSE Class 10 Exam 2025 will be conducted in offline mode. The subjects that are included in class 10 are Language 1, Language 2, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, and the 6th Additional Subject. The exam will be conducted for a total of 3 hours. The overall marks as per the CBSE Class 10th Blueprint 2025 will be 100 marks (80 marks for the theory paper and 20 marks for the internal assessment). The CBSE 10th exam will consist of different types of questions, such as multiple-choice, competency-based, and long/ short answer questions. There will be no negative marking for incorrect answers. The long and short-answer questions will range from 1 mark to 5 marks. Check the question types and their weightage from the table below:

    Question Type

    Percentage

    Competency Focused Questions - MCQs/Case Based Questions, Source-based Integrated Questions, or any other type

    50%

    Select Response Type Questions - Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

    20%

    Constructed Response Questions - Short Answer/Long Answer type Questions (as per existing pattern)

    30%

    How To Download CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025?

    Central Board of Secondary Education has uploaded the latest curriculum PDFs on its official website. Students can follow the simple procedure given below to easily download the exam pattern of CBSE class 10 2025:

    • Step 1: You will first have to visit the official website of the Central Board of Secondary Education at cbseacademics.nic.in.
    • Step 2: On the homepage, click on the Curriculum option present on the menu bar. A drop-down menu will open on your screen.
    • Step 3: From the drop-down menu, click on Curriculum 2024-25.
    • Step 4: Select the Secondary Curriculum (IX-X) option. A list of PDFs will open on your screen for the different subjects included in the curriculum. Download the PDF of your choice and check the exam pattern of CBSE class 10 2025 accordingly.

    CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2024-25 Subject Wise

    Even though the overall CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2024-25 will be the same for all the subjects, there are some minor specifications for each subject pattern. We will discuss in this section the subject-wise exam pattern of CBSE class 10 2025 and its marking scheme:

    CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2024-25 for Mathematics

    There are a total of 7 units included in the CBSE Class 10 Math Exam Pattern 2024-25 . Students can refer to the details exam pattern from the table given below. The same syllabus is followed by Mathematics Basics and Mathematics Standard:

    Topics

    Marks

    Number System

    6

    Algebra

    20

    Coordinate Geometry

    6

    Geometry

    15

    Trigonometry 12

    Mensuration

    10

    Statistics and Probability

    11

    Total Marks

    80

    Also Read: CBSE Class 10 Math Sample Paper 2024-25

    CBSE Class 10 Science Paper Pattern 2024-25

    A total of 5 units are included in the CBSE Class 10 Science Exam Pattern 2024-25 . Students can refer to the detailed information about the class 10 Science paper pattern 2024-25 from the table given below:

    Topic

    Marks

    Chemical Substances- Nature and Behavior

    25

    World of Living

    25

    Natural Phenomena

    12

    Effects of Current

    13

    Natural Resources

    5

    Total Marks

    80

    Also Read: CBSE Class 10 Science Sample Paper 2024-25

    CBSE Class 10 Blueprint 2024-25 for Social Science

    CBSE Class 10 Social Science Syllabus is divided into four parts with equal marks allotted to each of them. Students can refer to the detailed information about the same from the table given below. Check CBSE Class 10 Social Science Exam Pattern 2024-25

    Subject

    Syllabus

    Marks

    Percentage

    History

    The Rise of Nationalism in Europe.

    Nationalism in India:

    The Making of a Global World Sub topics1 to 1.3

    Print Culture and the Modern World

    Map pointing

    18 + 2

    25%

    Political Science

    Power – sharing

    Federalism

    Gender, Religion and Caste

    Political Parties

    Outcomes of Democracy

    20

    25%

    Geography

    Resources and Development

    Forest and Wildlife Resources

    Water Resources

    Agriculture

    Mineral& Energy resources

    Manufacturing industries.

    Lifelines of National Economy (map pointing)

    Map pointing

    17+3

    25%

    Economics

    Development

    Sectors of the Indian Economy

    Money and Credit

    Globalization and The Indian Economy

    Sub-topics:

    What is Globalization?

    Factors that have enabled Globalisation

    20

    25%

    Total

    -

    80

    100%

    Also Read: CBSE Class 10 Social Science Sample Paper 2024-25

    CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2024-25 for English

    As per CBSE Class 10 English Exam Pattern 2024-25 , the question paper will consist of a total of 11 questions which will be divided into 3 sections: Sections A, B, and C. The exam pattern and topic-wise weightage for class 10th English can be checked below:

    Section

    Number of questions

    Total marks

    A: Reading

    2

    20

    B: Writing and Grammar

    5

    20

    C: Literature

    4

    40

    Total

    80

    Also Read: CBSE Class 10 English Sample Paper 2024-25

    CBSE Class 10 Exam Pattern 2024-25 for Computer Application

    Students can refer to the information about the exam pattern for Computer Applications from the table given below:

    Unit No.

    Unit Name

    Marks

    Periods (Theory)

    Periods (Practical)

    1

    Networking

    15

    17

    05

    2

    HTML

    25

    30

    50

    3

    Cyber ethics

    10

    08

    10

    4

    Practicals

    50

    -

    -

    Total

    100

    55

    65

    CBSE 10th Marking Scheme 2025

    A lot of new changes will be reflected in the curriculum from the academic year 2026 for CBSE class 10 students, such as:

    • There will be two exams conducted in one academic year. First exams will be conducted from 17th February to 6th March 2026, and the second exams will be conducted from 5th to 20th May 2026.
    • The exams will be conducted on the full current syllabus.
    • The scheme of studies and the scheme of examinations will remain the same.
    • The examination centres will be fixed for the 1st examination, and for the 2nd examination too, the same centres shall be allotted.
    • The first and second exams will also act as supplementary exams, and no special examinations will be conducted except for them.
    • Online services of verification, photocopy, and revaluation will be provided according to the availability of time after the result is released.
    • No passing document will be issued after the results of the 1st examinations.
    • Performance of the 1st examination will be made available in DigiLocker. This could be used for admission to class XI if the student does not wish to appear in the 2nd examination.
    • All the candidates will be issued passing documents after the second examination results.
    • The practical/Internal assessment paper will be done only once.
    • Mark Sheet cum Passing Certificate will have marks secured in the first examination, the second examination, marks secured in Practical/Internal assessment and Grades. Also, the better of the two marks will be mentioned.
    • Students not qualified in the 1st examination could be allowed admission in Class XI, and based on the result of the 2nd examination, their admission will be finalised.
    • A merit certificate will be issued after the 2nd examination.
    • Students passing all 5 subjects will be declared as passing.
    • Students who failed to pass from 1 to 5 subjects in 1st examination will be placed under the “Improvement Category” and will be allowed to appear in 2nd examination.
    • Students appeared only in the 2nd examination; no further examination will be conducted. Such students will be allowed to appear in the 1st examination of the subsequent year, but the syllabus shall be the syllabus applicable for the subsequent year.

    CBSE Class 10 Grading System 2025

    CBSE has introduced a grading system for class 10th, which will be implemented in each subject. The grades will be provided to the candidates based on marks obtained in the board exa,m following a 9-point grading system. Grades will be awarded in each scholastic subject. For awarding the grades, the Board will put all the passed students in rank order and will award the grades as follows:

    Grade

    Awarded To

    Marks Range

    A1

    Top 1/8th of the passed candidates

    91 - 100

    A2

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    81 - 90

    B1

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    71 - 80

    B2

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    61 - 70

    C1

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    51 - 60

    C2

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    41 - 50

    D1

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    31 - 40

    D2

    Next 1/8th of the passed candidates

    21 - 30

    E*

    Essential Repeat

    0 - 20

    Some of the major points regarding the CBSE Class 10 Grading System 2025 are listed below:

    • In case of a tie, there will be some minor variations in the proportions of candidates.
    • In case of a tie, all the students with the same score will get the same grade. However, if at any score points, there needs to be a division of 2 segments for the number of candidates, then the smaller segment will go with the larger segment.
    • The grading method by CBSE will be used in the subjects where the number of candidates who have passed is more than 500.
    • In respect of subjects where the total number of candidates passing a subject is less than 500, the grading would be adopted on the pattern of grading and distribution in other similar subjects.
    • Class 10 internal assessment 2024-25 will be conducted for a total of 20 marks.
    • The minimum passing mark for all the students is 33% aggregate overall. The students must score at least 33% aggregate in each subject to pass the exam.
    • The class 10 internal assessment 2024-25 will consist of periodic tests for 10 marks, notebook submission for 5 marks, and Subject Enrichment Activity for 5 marks.
    • There will be no negative marking.

    CBSE Class 10 Passing Marks 2025

    Students can refer to the passing marks required to pass the board exams from the table given below for both theory and practical exams:

    Theory

    Subjects

    Maximum Marks

    Passing Marks

    Social Science

    80

    26

    Science

    80

    26

    Other Regional and Foreign Languages

    80

    26

    Mathematics- Advance

    80

    26

    Mathematics - Basic

    80

    26

    English

    80

    26

    Computer Application

    30

    10

    Practical

    Subjects

    Maximum Marks for Internal Assessment/Practical Exams

    Passing Marks for Internal Assessment/Practical Exams

    Social Science

    20

    7

    Science

    20

    7

    Other Regional and Foreign Languages

    20

    7

    Mathematics- Basic

    20

    7

    Mathematics- Advanced

    20

    7

    English

    20

    7

    Computer Applications

    70

    23

    Also Check CBSE Roll Number Finder 2025

    CBSE Internal Assessment Class 10 CBSE 2024-25: Marking Scheme

    The Internal Assessment Class 10 CBSE 2024-25 is a major benchmark for the 10th class exam, as it will test the eligibility of the students to sit for the written exam. The internal assessment has been divided into multiple components, such as:

    Periodic Test

    5 Marks

    Multiple Assessment

    5 Marks

    Portfolio

    5 Marks

    Subject Enrichment Activity

    5 Marks

    Internal Assessment

    20 Marks

    CBSE Class 10 Important Books 2024-25

    To prepare for the competitive nature of the class 10 board examination, books will be the most essential and meaningful tools that applicants can rely on to prepare for their class 10 board examination 2025. Check out the table given below to learn more about the books:

    Subjects

    Books

    Mathematics

    Secondary School Mathematics for Class 10 – R S Aggarwal

    All in One Mathematics – Arihant

    Science

    Science for 10th Class: Physics by Lakhmir Singh and Manjit Kaur

    Principles of Physics: S Chand books, N. K Chowdhry

    Fundamentals of Physics: Pradeep Publication

    Science for 10th Class: Biology by Lakhmir Singh and Manjit Kaur

    Science for 10th Class: Chemistry by Lakhmir Singh and Manjit Kaur

    Social Science

    All in One Social Science CBSE Class 10 – Arihant

    Golden Guide for Social Science – Sudha Rastogi, S.A. Siddiqui, J.P. Singhal & Dr. Gulshan Rai

    S Chand for Social Science – N.K Chowdhry

    Xam Idea for Social Science – Editorial Board

    English

    English Communicative – Oswaal School Books

    CBSE All-in-One English Language & Literature Class 10 by Arihant Experts

    High School English Grammar and Composition Book by Wren and Martin for Grammar.

    Xam Idea Complete Course English for CBSE Class 10 by VK Global

    Hindi

    Kshitij

    Kritika

    Sparsh

    Sanchayan

    CBSE Class 10 Preparations Tips 2024-25

    There are some tips and tricks for class 10 students to prepare for the 10th class board examination for the CBSE. Check out the tips and tricks:

    • Students should check out the CBSE Class 10 Syllabus 2024-25 in advance. It introduces students to the topics included in the syllabus of each subject.
    • The students should divide the syllabus in such a manner that they can complete the syllabus for each subject in advance. They should prepare a study schedule and follow it.
    • When preparing the syllabus, students can also focus on the exam pattern. This will help them to set their priorities and prepare well for the exams.
    • Students can also focus on the mark allocation and give importance to the topics that carry high mark weightage.
    • After completing the syllabus, students can start solving the questions through sample papers and previous year's question papers. The familiarity with a variety of questions makes it easy for students to write answers.

    Also Read- CBSE Class 10 Result 2025

    CBSE class 10 exam pattern 2024-25 is now officially updated on the official website of the Central Board of Secondary Education which the students can access. By taking into account the marking scheme, and topic-wise marks distribution, students should create their strategies based on their strengths and prepare themselves accordingly.

    FAQs

    Are 91% marks in CBSE 10th Exams 2024-25 enough?

    Cut-off marks from prominent schools can easily help you determine whether the score that you have achieved in CBSE 10th Board 2024-25 is good enough or not. For example, you need an aggregate of 80% to secure admission to prominent schools such as DPS. For the science stream, you may require greater marks.

    What happens if I fail one subject for CBSE 10th Exams 2025?

    If you fail in one subject in CBSE 10th Board 2025, then you can appear for the compartment exams that are held in July 2025. However, if you fail in two or more subjects, you will have to repeat your grade.

    How to download the CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025?

    To download the CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025, the students can visit the official website of CBSE Academics and navigate to the curriculum option in its menu bar. The details are in PDF formats as per the academic year, from where you can download the curriculums. The curriculum is available separately for each subject group included by the CBSE.

    Will CBSE give me grace marks for CBSE 10th Exams 2025?

    Yes, CBSE authorities are known for giving grace marks to students in CBSE 10th Board 2025 if they fail in more than one subject by two or three marks. However, there is no fixed policy on how many marks would be allotted by the examiners. The final decision will be taken based on the overall performance of the students.

    Will the CBSE marking process be very strict for the 10th Board Exams 2025?

    CBSE 10th Exams 2025 checking is not very strict. The evaluation is done in steps, and the marks are also provided according to the steps. There is also no negative marking done by the examiners.

    What are some of the best reference books for the CBSE 10th Exams 2025?

    The first and foremost books that you must complete in order to prepare for the CBSE 10th Exams 2025 are your NCERTs. For side books, you can use the RD Sharma or RS Agarwal for Mathematics and Arihant Publication - All in One for Science. You can also buy subject-wise sample papers by Arihant.

    What are the best ways to get more than 95% marks in the CBSE class 10th Exams 2025?

    To secure above 95% marks in CBSE 10th Board 2025, you must practice with the previous year's question papers. CBSE released sample papers and also tried solving model test papers. Students can download model test papers from the CBSE Academics website.

    Will CBSE consider the best 5 subjects out of the total subjects?

    According to the recent updates, CBSE has decided that it will include the marks of skill subjects in the best 5 marks secured by the CBSE 10th students if they are not able to score better marks in the main subjects.

    What are the recent changes in the CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025?

    CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025 has not changed however, some minor changes have been introduced. Students are presented with a choice between Standard and Basic Mathematics. There will be more questions on analytical thinking and problem-solving.

    What is the CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025?

    According to the latest CBSE 10th Exam Pattern 2025, the theory exams will be conducted for 80 marks followed by the practical exams for 20 marks. No new changes are recorded in the curriculum and the blueprint for each subject remains the same. 

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