CBSE Class 12 Exam Pattern 2026-2025: Marking Scheme, Sample Papers , Important Question & Answer PDF

CBSE Class 12 New Exam Pattern 2025 -2026 : Marking Scheme, Sample Papers , Exam Dates , Important Question & Answer PDF

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According to the suggested National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF), released by the Ministry of Education, an important change for class 12 students is the introduction of the semester system for class 12 exams. As per the new changes in the CBSE Class 12 Exam Pattern, students will now get more MCQs in their exams. CBSE 12th Exam Pattern 2025: The board revised CBSE 12th Exam Pattern 2025 in April 2024. CBSE Class 12 exams 2025 will be conducted in pen and paper format between February and April 2025.

CBSE Class 12 Exams have a total of 100 marks per subject. CBSE Class 12 Result is prepared by calculating both the theory and practical exam marks. Practical exams are conducted internally by schools and have a weightage of 20 marks. Students need to score a minimum of 33% in each subject and in aggregate to pass the exams.

In the curriculum information released by the Board for the upcoming board exams, CBSE stated that the board exam question papers will now comprise more of competency-based questions. The number of constructed response questions will also decrease by 10 per cent compared to previous year.

Changes in CBSE Classes 11-12
 Academic session 2023-24Academic session 2024-25
Composition of question paper for year-end examination, board examination (theory)Competency focused questions in the form of MCQs/ case-based questions, source-based integrated questions or any other type = 40%

Select response type questions (MCQ) = 20%

Constructed response questions (short answer/long answer type questions, as per existing pattern) = 40%
Competency focused questions in the form of MCQs/ case-based questions, source-based integrated questions or any other type = 50%

Select response type questions (MCQ) = 20%

Constructed response questions (short answer/long answer type questions, as per existing pattern) = 30%

In the Accountancy subject, the Board decided to do away with the answer books wherein tables were provided for the subject of Accountancy in 2024.

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CBSE Class 12 Exam Pattern 2025-2026 : Highlights

CBSE class 12 exam pattern 2024-25 highlights can be checked from the table below:

ParticularsDetails
Conducting Body Central Board of Secondary Education 
Question Paper Pattern Competency-based questions in the form of MCQs, case-based questions, source-based questions, or any other types – 50% Short answer/long answer type questions- 30%
Duration 3 Hours 
Medium English / Hindi
Mode Offline
Number of subjects 5 or 6 (as elected by the student)
Maximum Marks 100 (theory + practical) 80 marks theory + 20 marks Project works for Commerce subjects (Accountancy, Business Studies & Economics)  70 marks theory + 30 marks practical for Physics, Chemistry & Biology  80 marks Maths written exam + 20 marks internal assessment 
Passing marks for each subject 33%
Passing marks for the overall exam Aggregate 33%

CBSE 12th Date Sheet 2025 

The CBSE Date Sheet 2025 has been released at cbse.gov.in, providing exam dates for Class 10 and Class 12. Class 10th exams are from Feb 15, 2025 till March 18, 2025. Class 12th exam are from Feb 15, 2025 till April 4, 2025. Download the  subject-wise exam schedule in PDF here.

DateDayTimeSubject
15 February 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMEntrepreneurship
17 February 2025Monday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMPhysical Education
19 February 2025Wednesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMFood Production
20 February 2025Thursday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMComputer Application
21 February 2025Friday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMPhysics
22 February 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMBusiness Studies, Business Administration
24 February 2025Monday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMGeography
25 February 2025Tuesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMFrench, Artificial Intelligence
01 March 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMCost Accounting
03 March 2025Monday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMLegal Studies
04 March 2025Tuesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMNCC
05 March 2025Wednesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMAgriculture
07 March 2025Friday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMMass Media Studies
08 March 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMMathematics, Applied Mathematics
11 March 2025Tuesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMEnglish Elective, English Core
15 March 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMHindi Elective, Hindi Core
17 March 2025Monday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMUrdu Elective, Sanskrit Elective
19 March 2025Wednesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMEconomics
21 March 2025Friday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMBiotechnology
22 March 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMPolitical Science
24 March 2025Monday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMSanskrit Core
25 March 2025Tuesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMBiology
26 March 2025Wednesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMAccountancy
27 March 2025Thursday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMSociology
29 March 2025Saturday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMInformation Practices, Computer Science, Information Technology
01 April 2025Tuesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMHistory
02 April 2025Wednesday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMPunjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, etc.
03 April 2025Thursday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMHome Science
04 April 2025Friday10:30 AM – 01:30 PMPsychology

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CBSE Class 12 Subject-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme 2025-26

The updated CBSE Class 12 Exam Pattern for different subjects and the marking scheme associated with each subject are explained in the below-mentioned sections:

SubjectsTheory ExamPractical Exam
English8020
Sociology8020
Political Science8020
Physics7030
Mathematics8020
History8020
Geography7030
Economics8020
Computer Science7030
Chemistry7030
Business Studies8020
Accountancy8020
Biology7030

Class 12 Important Question & Answer Pdf Free

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CBSE Class 12 Maths: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

For CBSE Class 12 Maths the theory part has a total weightage of 80 marks and the internal assessment is for 30 marks. Chapter-wise CBSE class 12 exam pattern and the marking scheme for Mathematics is explained below.

TopicMarks
Relations & Functions08
Calculus35
Algebra10
Vectors & 3-Dimensional Geometry14
Linear Programming 05
Probability 08
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CBSE Class 12 Science Exam Pattern 2025-26

CBSE Class 12 Science subject-wise exam pattern 2024-25 along with the marks weightage is provided below. 

CBSE Class 12 Physics: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

For CBSE Class 12 Physics, the theory part has a total weightage of 70 marks. The remaining 30 marks belong to the practicals. CBSE Class 12 Physics chapter-wise exam pattern and the marking scheme are explained below. 

Topics Marks 
Unit 1: Electrostatics
Unit 2: Current Electricity 
16
Unit 3: Magnetic Effects of Current & Magnetism
Unit 4: Electromagnetic Induction & Alternating Currents 
17
Unit 5: Electromagnetic Waves
Unit 6: Optics 
18
Unit 7: Dual Nature of Radiation & Matter
Unit 8: Atoms & Nuclei
12
Unit 9: Electronic Devices 7
Practicals 
2 experiments 1 from each section 7+7
Practical record 5
1 activity from any section 3
Investigatory project 3
Viva 5

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CBSE Class 12 Chemistry: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

For Chemistry the theory part has a total weightage of 70 marks. The remaining 30 marks are assigned to the practicals. The table below contains CBSE class 12 exam pattern for Class 12 Chemistry Chapters and the marking scheme.

Topics Marks 
Solutions 7
Electrochemistry 9
Chemical Kinetics 7
d -and f- block elements 7
Coordination Compounds 7
Haloalkaline s & Haloarnes6
Alcohol, Phenols & Ethers 6
Aldehydes, Ketones & Carboxylic Acids 8
Amines 6
Biomolecules 7
Practicals 
Volumetric Analysis 8
Salt Analysis 8
Content-Based Experiment 6
Project 4
Class record & viva 4

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CBSE Class 12 Biology: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

For CBSE Class 12 Biology the theory part has a total weightage of 70 marks and Practicals constitute of the remaining 30 marks. It is explained below in tabular form CBSE Class 12 Biology chapter-wise exam pattern and the marking scheme. 

Topics Marks 
Reproduction 16
Genetics & Evolution 20 
Biology & Human Welfare 12
Biotechnology & its Applications 12
Ecology & Environment 10
Practical 
1 major experiment 5
1 minor experiment 4
Slide preparation 5
Spotting 7
Practical record + viva voce 4
Project record + viva voce 5
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CBSE Class 12 Accountancy: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The Theory part has a total weightage of 80 marks which are divided into Part A: 60 marks & Part B: 20 marks. The practical part has a total weightage of 20 marks which comes under Part C. Accountancy chapter-wise class 12 exam pattern and the marking scheme according to the topics is as follows: 

Topic Marks 
Part A: Accounting for Partnership Firms & Companies
Unit 1: Accounting for Partnership Firms
Unit 2: Accounting for Companies 
36
24
Part B: Financial Statement Analysis 
Unit 3: Analysis of Financial Statements
Unit 4: Cash Flow Statement 
12
08
OR 
Part B: Computerised Accounting 20
Part C: Project work which includes:
Project file
Written test (1 hour)
Viva voce

04
12
04

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CBSE Class 12 Business Studies: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The theory section is divided into 2 parts carrying 40 marks each. The remaining 20 marks come under the project work. For Business Studies chapter-wise exam pattern and the marking scheme according to the topics are shown below.

Topic Marks 
Part A: Principles & Function of Management
Nature & Significance of Management  Principles of Management  Business Environment 16
Planning  Organising Staffing 14
Directing  Controlling20
Part B: Business Finance & Marketing
Financial Management  Financial Markets15
Marketing Management  Consumer Protection15
Project 20 

CBSE Class 12 Economics: Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The theory part has a total weightage of 80 marks which are equally divided into 2 parts. The Practical part has a total weightage of 20 marks. For Class 12 Economics, the chapter-wise CBSE class 12 exam pattern and the marking scheme according to the topics are as follows:

Topic Marks 
Part A: Introductory Macroeconomics 
National Income & Related Aggregrate  Money & Banking  Determination of Income & Employment  Government Budget & Economy  Balance of Payments10
06
12
06
06
Part B: Indian Economic Development 
Development Experience (1947-90) & Economic Reforms since 1991 Current Challenges facing the Indian Economy Development Experience of India- A Comparison with Neighbors28
50
12
Project 20 

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CBSE Class 12 English (Core): Chapter-Wise Exam Pattern & Marking Scheme

The class 12 English paper contains sections for reading skills, creative writing, literature, and assessments. The marks contained by each section are mentioned below:

Topics Marks 
Reading Skills 20
Creative Writing Skills 20
Literature Textbooks & Supplementary Reading Texts 40
Assessment of Listening & Speaking Skills 10
Internal assessment: Listening  Speaking  Project work 
5
5
10

CBSE Class 12 Sample Paper 2024-2025 & Marking Scheme PDF

In the table below previous year’s CBSE Class 12 Subject-wise Sample Question Papers with Answer Key pdf & Marking Scheme are provided for students to understand the question paper pattern as per the updated syllabus. Students are advised to download the question papers from the links for better understanding and preparation. 

Sample Papers of Language Subjects
SubjectSample PaperMarking Scheme
English CoreSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
English ElectiveSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Hindi CoreSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Hindi ElectiveSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Sample Papers for CBSE Class 12 Science
MathematicsSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Applied MathematicsSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
PhysicsSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
ChemistrySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
BiologySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Sample Papers for CBSE Class 12 Commerce
AccountancySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Business StudiesSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
EconomicsSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Sample Papers for CBSE Class 12 Arts (Humanities)
GeographySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
HistorySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Political ScienceSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
PsychologySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
SociologySample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF
Home ScienceSample Paper PDFMarking Scheme PDF

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Important Changes in CBSE Class 12 Exam Pattern 2023-24

CBSE has introduced certain changes in the CBSE class 12 exam pattern 2023-24. CBSE introduced a new exam pattern according to which there will be more MCQ questions in class 12. The new pattern also included more application-based questions to assess students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

  • English Language and Literature: There will be multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, and synonym/antonym questions. 
  • Biology: Assertion and reason-based questions have been introduced by the board in place of the multiple-choice questions that were previously included. There will be five questions for one mark, however, they will be more descriptive in character.

Class 12 Books

As per the syllabus provided by the CBSE, it is advised for students to study from NCERT books for all the subjects due to its strict abiding and updated syllabus. 

  • NCERT Chemistry Textbook for Class 12 – Part 1 & 2 (Set of 2 books)
  • NCERT, CLASS – 12 SET OF 8 BOOKS ( MATHEMATICS PART 1 & 2, CHEMISTRY PART 1 & 2, PHYSICS PART 1 & 2, FLAMINGO, VISTAS
  • NCERT Textbooks in English for class 12 – Flamingo and Vistas
  • NCERT Combo textbooks Class 12th Physics Part 1&2 Chemistry part 1 and 2 and Biology (pack of 5 books) present by NCERT MART
  • NEW NCERT Contemporary World Politics Textbook in Political Science for Class – 12 AND Politics in India since Independence Textbook in Political Science for Class – 12 

CBSE Class 12 Preparation Tips

Here are some tips that can help students prepare effectively for their CBSE Class 12 Exams 2024:

  • Make a study plan and stick to it. Break down the syllabus into smaller parts and allocate sufficient time to each section.
  • Prioritize your studies based on the weightage of each chapter in the syllabus. 
  • Focus more on the chapters that carry higher marks.
  • Solving previous year’s question papers will help students understand the exam pattern, and types of questions asked, and improve their time management skills.
  • Practice Sample Papers 
  • Take regular breaks between study sessions to relax and rejuvenate. This will help improve focus and concentration.
  • Revise regularly to reinforce concepts and information. 
  • Create notes and revise them frequently.
  • Take care of your physical and mental health. Get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, and exercise regularly. This will help in reducing stress levels and improve concentration.
  • Don’t hesitate to seek help from your teachers, mentors, or peers. They can offer valuable guidance and support.

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