NIOS 12th Exam Pattern is released by National Institute of Open Schooling every year on the official website. Students must go through the NIOS Class 12 Exam Pattern 2025 to have an insight into the type of questions and the marking scheme.
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NIOS exam pattern 2025 for class 12 is published by the National Institute of Open Schooling on its official website. The exam duration for each subject is 3 hours except for painting which is 1.5 hours. Candidates can choose the optional subjects from the list provided by NIOS. NIOS 2025 Exam Pattern includes 10 subjects worth 100 marks involving theory, internal, and practical components. The internal assessment will have a weightage of 10 marks, and the practical exam will carry 30 marks. NIOS Class 12 registration 2025 will be opened soon. Along with the official notification, the revised pattern is also released. Students must also go through the entire NIOS Class 12 Syllabus and ensure that they cover the whole syllabus well in time. The students can check on this page the subject-wise NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 along with important details such as highlights, marking scheme, internal assessment, and more.
Quick Links:
| NIOS 12th Board |
|---|
| NIOS 12th Date Sheet 2025 |
| NIOS 12th Result 2025 |
| NIOS 12th Previous Year Question Paper |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 Highlights
The table below shows some of the main highlights and factors related to the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025:
Exam Mode | Offline |
|---|---|
Medium | Hindi & English |
Duration | 3 Hours |
Type of Questions | Multiple Choice, Long/Short Questions |
Subjects | Science, Commerce, Arts |
Total Marks | 100 |
Negative Marking | No Negative Marking |
Theory Exam | 60 |
Practical Exam | 30 |
Internal Assessment | 10 |
Passing Marks | 33% Aggregate in Each Subject & Overall |
NIOS 12th Exam Duration 2025
For NIOS Class 12 exams, students will be given a total time of 3 hours. The optional papers including Mass Communication and Painting will be conducted for less duration. The details for all subjects are mentioned below:
Subjects | Marks | Time duration |
|---|---|---|
Commerce (Business studies) | 100 | 3 hours |
Home Science | 100 | 3 hours |
Accountancy | 100 | 3 hours |
Sociology | 100 | 3 hours |
Chemistry | 80 | 3 hours |
Geography | 80 | 3 hours |
English | 100 | 3 hours |
History | 80 | 3 hours |
Mass Communication | 80 | 3 hours |
Painting | 30 | 1 hour and 30 minutes |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025
Along with the NIOS 12th Date Sheet 2025 , the board releases the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 every year. We have listed below in detail the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for the students:
- There will be a total of 7 subjects in the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025. Out of these 7 subjects, 5 will be compulsory and 2 will be optional subjects.
- The candidates will be free to choose their optional subjects from the list of subjects released by NIOS.
- There will be internal assessments for 10 marks.
- The overall score of the candidates will be calculated on the basis of the theory exam + practicals + internal assessment.
- The students must obtain a minimum score & aggregate of 30 & 30% respectively to pass each subject and overall.
- The student must pass in 5 subjects including at least one but not more than two languages.
Subject Wise NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025
While it is important for students to learn about the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the pattern for the individual subject may vary in a few aspects. Hence, the students should also go through the subject-wise pattern to understand the nature of the questions. The following section will talk about the subject-wise NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025:
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for English
As per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the English paper will be conducted for a total of 3 hours duration. The total marks for the exam will be 100. Given below is the section-wise exam pattern for the subject:
Sections | Marks |
|---|---|
Prescribed texts | 20 Marks |
Functional Grammar | 15 Marks |
Functional writing skills | 25 Marks |
Comprehension (unseen passages) | 20 Marks |
Optional module | 20 Marks |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Mathematics
As per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the Mathematics paper will be conducted for a total of 3 hours duration. The total marks for the exam will be 100. There will be internal assessments for 10 marks which will be conducted by respective schools. The students will have to acquire a minimum of 33% aggregate marks in the subject to pass. Given below is the section wise exam pattern for the subject:
Chapters | Marks |
|---|---|
Complex Numbers & Quadratic Equations | 10 |
Determinants & Matrices | 10 |
Permutations & Combinations | 8 |
Sequences & Series | 8 |
Trigonometry | 10 |
Coordinate Geometry | 10 |
Differential Calculus | 17 |
Integral Calculus | 17 |
Optional | |
Statistics & Probability (or) Vectors & Analytical Solid Geometry (or) Linear Programming | 10 each |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Physics
As per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the Physics paper will be conducted for a total of 3 hours duration. The total marks for the exam will be 70. The students will have to acquire a minimum of 33% aggregate marks in the subject to pass. Given below is the section-wise exam pattern for the subject:
Topics | Marks |
|---|---|
Motion, force, and Energy | 14 |
Electricity and Magnetism | 14 |
Properties of Matter | 8 |
Optics and Optical Instruments | 8 |
Atoms and Nuclei | 7 |
Semiconductors and their Applications | 7 |
Heat and Thermodynamics | 6 |
Optional Mode | |
Astrophysics | 10 |
Electronics | 10 |
Photography and Audio-Videography | 10 |
Physics in Medical Sciences | 10 |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Chemistry
As per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the Chemistry paper will be conducted for a total of 3 hours duration. Given below is the section-wise exam pattern for the subject:
Chapters | Marks |
|---|---|
Atom Molecule and Chemical Arithmetics | 7 |
Atomic Structure and Chemical Bonding | 12 |
States of Matter | 12 |
Chemical Energetics | 8 |
Chemical Dynamics | 8 |
Chemistry of Elements | 10 |
Chemistry of Organic Compounds | 12 |
Optional | |
Environmental Chemistry (or) Chemistry and Industry | 15 |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Biology
As per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the Biology paper will be conducted for a total of 3 hours duration. Given below is the section-wise exam pattern for the subject:
Chapters | Marks |
|---|---|
Diversity and evolution of life | 6 |
Cell, Cell functions, and Tissues | 10 |
Functional morphology and Life processes in animals | 11 |
Reproduction and Development | 10 |
Heredity and Genetics | 10 |
Population Explosion and Family Planning | 4 |
Environmental Biology | 8 |
Optional | |
Tools and Techniques in Biology (or) Economic Biology (or) Health Science (or) Emerging Areas in BiologyBiochemistry, Biotechnology, and Immunobiology | 10 |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025 for Business Studies
As per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the Business Studies paper will be conducted for a total of 3 hours duration. Given below is the section-wise exam pattern for the subject:
Chapters | Marks |
|---|---|
Introduction to Business | 16 |
Business as a Career | 8 |
Trade and Service Activities | 16 |
Management of Business | 16 |
Financing of Business | 12 |
Marketing | 12 |
Optional | |
Office procedures and Practices (or) Practical Banking (or) Introduction to Factory Set-up (or) Agency Services | 20 |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern - Marking Scheme
Similar to the exam pattern, the marking scheme is also different for different subjects in NIOS class 12th exam. Given below is the subject-wise marking scheme as per the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025:
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for English
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for English:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Literature | 30 |
Grammar | 30 |
Reading | 15 |
Writing | 25 |
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for Mathematics
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Mathematics:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 25 |
Understanding | 42 |
Application | 10 |
Skills | 8 |
Practicals | 15 |
NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Physics
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Physics:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 25 |
Understanding | 42 |
Application | 10 |
Skills | 8 |
Practicals | 15 |
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for Chemistry
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Chemistry:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 25 |
Understanding | 42 |
Application | 10 |
Skills | 8 |
Practicals | 15 |
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for Biology
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Biology:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 25 |
Understanding | 42 |
Application | 10 |
Skills | 8 |
Practicals | 15 |
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for Accountancy
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Accountancy:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 20 |
Understanding | 50 |
Application | 20 |
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for Business Studies
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for Business Studies:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 30 |
Understanding | 50 |
Application | 20 |
NIOS 12th Marking Scheme for History
Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Marking scheme for History:
Sections | Marks Allotted |
|---|---|
Knowledge | 20 |
Understanding | 50 |
Application | 20 |
NIOS 12th Exam Pattern for Internal Assessment
According to the NIOS 12th Exam Pattern 2025, the internal assessment will include a Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) for each subject, accounting for 10% of the overall score. Each TMA will feature a variety of question types, such as short, long, and project-based questions, with an emphasis on application-oriented inquiries.
Students can conveniently download the TMAs from the NIOS website and must submit them before the specified deadline. This assessment component is designed to evaluate students' understanding and practical application of concepts outside traditional exam settings.
NIOS 12th Grading System
The NIOS 12th Grading System is done on the basis of the percentage obtained by the students. The grading is done for each subject as well as overall. Given in the table below is the NIOS 12th Grading System:
Percentage in 12th | Grade | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
100% to 76% | A | Very Good |
75% to 51% | B | Good |
50% to 26% | C | Average |
25% to 0% | D | Fail/ Re-Appear |
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