CBSE Class 10 Board Exam 2026 LIVE: Science paper begins; question paper, passing criteria, analysis

CBSE has announced several major changes for the 2025–26 board exams. The board has made APAAR ID linking mandatory for students, revised the exam registration fee, and again stated that students must have 75% attendance to appear for the Class 10 and 12 board exams.

Also read: CBSE unveils 8 major changes for Class 10, 12 board exams; what students need to know

According to the CBSE Class 10 exam date sheet 2026, the Security, Automotive, Agriculture, Food Production, Banking and Insurance, Healthcare, Apparel, Design Thinking, and Foundation Skills for Science papers will be held tomorrow from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Starting from the 2026 board exams, CBSE is introducing On-Screen Marking (OSM), a digital system where teachers evaluate scanned answer sheets online to make the process faster and more accurate.

The CBSE Class 10 Science Board Exam 2026 has begun. Students must answer 39 compulsory questions separated into three sections: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will start the Class 10 Science exam today at 10:30 am, and it will end at 1:30 pm.

Yes, students can wear a simple analogue wristwatch to check the time in the CBSE Class 10 board exam 2026. However, digital watches, smartwatches and any electronic, Bluetooth or cellular devices are strictly not allowed inside the examination hall.

In CBSE Class 10 board exams, students can use blue or royal blue ink pens, including ballpoint, gel or fountain pens. It is recommended to use pens that do not leak and are comfortable to write with for long periods. Black pens, coloured pens and white ones are not allowed.

The CBSE Class 10 annual exam will be for 80 marks, and 20 marks will be given for the internal assessment. Out of the 80 marks, 68 marks will be for theory, and 12 marks will be for practical-based questions.

To pass the CBSE Class 10 board exams, students need to score at least 33% marks in all five subjects, including theory and internal assessment or practical. Students need to score above 'E' in all subjects. For practical subjects, they need to pass both theory and practical separately.

Yes, CBSE Class 10 uses the "best of 5" rule to calculate the overall percentage. If a student has scored 6 or more subjects, the five subjects with the highest marks, including the compulsory language, will count towards the final percentage. This allows a subject with lower marks to be replaced by an optional subject with higher marks.

The CBSE Class 10 exam pattern for 2025–26 includes an 80-mark theory test of 3 hours duration and 20 marks for internal assessment conducted by schools. In 2026, the question paper consists of 50% skill-based questions (MCQs and case-based questions), 30% short and long answer questions and 20% objective questions. Students need to score at least 33% marks in each subject to pass.

To pass the CBSE Class 10 board exam, students must score at least 33% in theory, 33% in practical or internal assessment separately, and 33% overall. This means students need a minimum of 26.4 marks out of 80 in the theory exam to pass.

In CBSE Class 10, as per the 80/20 rule, 80 marks are for the board theory exam, and 20 marks are for internal assessment like projects, practicals and exams.

In CBSE Class 10 Science, the toughest chapter varies from student to student, but most students find these chapters the most difficult:

• Electricity (Physics)
• Magnetic Effects of Electric Current (Physics)
• Carbon and Its Compounds (Chemistry)
• Life Processes (Biology)

For the first time this year, the CBSE Class 10 Science answer booklet is divided into three sections: Section A for Biology, Section B for Chemistry, and Section C for Physics.

This year, nearly 25 lakh students will take the Class 10 exams, including around 14 lakh boys and 10.9 lakh girls and for Class 12, approximately 10.2 lakh boys and 8.3 lakh girls are expected to appear.

As per the CBSE guidelines, students must strictly follow these rules on exam days:

• Arrive at the examination centre at least 45–60 minutes before the scheduled start time.

• Entry will be denied once the gates are closed.

• Students must remain seated until the exam ends and the final bell is announced.

• Exchanging stationery or discussing answers inside the exam hall is not permitted.

The following items are strictly banned inside the examination hall:

• Mobile phones and other electronic gadgets

• Smartwatches or digital devices

• Calculators, unless officially allowed

• Notes, papers, or any written material

Students must score at least 33% marks in every subject to pass, including theory, practical, and internal assessment components. They are also required to pass theory and practical exams separately wherever applicable.

Students appearing for the exams should bring the following:

• Admit card

• School identity card

• Blue or black ballpoint pens

• Pencils and eraser

• Transparent water bottle

The chapters included in the Physics sections are:

• Electricity
• Light-Reflection & Refraction
• Human Eye & Colourful World
• Magnetic Effects of Electric Current

The weightage of chemistry section is 25 marks. Electricity chapter carriers 10 marks, Light-Reflection & Refraction consits 8 marks, Human Eye & Colourful World chapter include 4 marks and Magnetic Effects  of Electric Current carries 3 marks.

The chapters included in the CBSE Class 10 Chemistry Board Exam 2026 is Mentals & Non-metals chapter, Acid, Bases & Salts and Carbon & its Compounds

The weightage of chemistry section is 25 marks. Mentals & Non-metals chapter carriers 12 marks, Acid, Bases & Salts chapter consits 7 marks and Carbon & its Compounds carries 6 marks.

The weightage of biology section is 30 marks. Only Life processes chapter include 10 marks and other four chapters: Control & Coordination, How Do Organisms Reproduce?, Our Environment, and Heredity & Evolution consists 5 marks each.

Biology section consits five chapters: Life processes, Control & Coordination, How Do Organisms Reproduce?, Our Environment, and Heredity & Evolution.

To register for the CBSE Class 10 Board phase 2 exam 2026, students must qualify in the mentioned below category.

• Candidates who completed Phase 1 but want to enhance their scores in up to three subjects.
• Those who failed one or two subjects in Phase 1 might reapply to pass those specific exams.
• Those who qualified after replacing a failed primary subject with a vocational/skills subject.
• Athletes that competed in national/international sporting events that conflicted with Phase 1 dates may participate in Phase 2.

This year, CBSE will conduct the class 10 board exams twice a year. This initative aims to reduce student stress by giving a second chance to improve scores within the same year.