CBSE Class 10 PYQ: Previous Year Question Papers 2016–2026

This page lists CBSE Class 10 previous year question papers for 11 years, 2016 to 2026, with 132 official PDFs (question papers and answer keys). CBSE Class 10 (CBSE Class 10 Board Examination) is conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and covers subject-wise board papers such as Mathematics (Standard and Basic), Science, Social Science, English and Hindi (Course A and B). Pick a year below for the paper, answer key and a timed practice plan; confirm dates and pattern on cbse.gov.in.

Explore: Question papers by year · Papers by subject · Syllabus & pattern · Pattern changes · FAQ

Year-wise question papers

Prefer to practise one chapter at a time? CBSE Class 10 chapter-wise PYQs lists all 1070 questions from 40 official CBSE Class 10 papers by chapter.

Papers by subject

Every year page from 2016 onward (except 2021, when there was no exam) has its own page for Mathematics, Science, Social Science, English Language and Literature, Hindi Course A and Hindi Course B, and from 2020 for Mathematics Basic too. Each subject page has the official question paper and marking scheme from CBSE, the paper’s code, marks and question count, and a comparison with other years.

For older years, open the year card above and pick the subject from that page. One thing to know about the Maths links: Maths split into Standard and Basic papers in 2020, so for 2016 to 2019 there is a single Maths page for the paper everyone wrote then (for example Maths 2019). If you take Maths Basic, the Standard paper is still good practice for the chapters both papers share. For Sanskrit, other languages and skill subjects, use CBSE’s question paper archive.

About the CBSE Class 10 board exam

The Class 10 board exam is the first public exam most students in CBSE schools sit. More than 20 lakh students write it every year, in India and in CBSE schools abroad. The marks decide your stream in Class 11 at many schools, and they stay on your record for years, so it matters even though it does not lead directly to a college seat.

CBSE sets the papers from the NCERT textbooks. Each main subject has an 80-mark theory paper of 3 hours, plus 20 marks of internal assessment that your school awards from periodic tests, notebooks, projects and practical work.

Old papers help more in a board exam than in most entrance tests. CBSE publishes a marking scheme with every paper, and that scheme shows exactly which steps, keywords and diagram labels earn the marks. Once you have read a few marking schemes, you write answers differently. The full syllabus and internal assessment details are on the CBSE Class 10 syllabus and pattern page.

How the paper has changed since 2016

Ten years of Class 10 papers cover four different systems. The questions from 2016 are still useful, but you should know which kind of paper you are looking at before you time yourself on it.

The question count has grown as marks per question have fallen. The 2019 Maths paper had 30 questions. The 2025 Maths Standard paper had 38, and the 2025 Science paper had 39. More of them are one-mark multiple-choice and assertion-reason questions, and the long answers at the end are now case studies built around a passage, a table or a diagram.

The syllabus has also shrunk. NCERT rationalised its textbooks after the pandemic and CBSE followed, so a few topics that appear in older papers are no longer examined. The constructions chapter in Maths is one example. Check the current syllabus PDF before you spend time on a question you can’t place.

From 2026, CBSE holds two Class 10 board exams each year. The first, in February, is the main exam and everyone sits it. The second, in May, is optional and is meant for students who want to improve their score. The rules on which subjects you can retake are set by CBSE’s circular for that year, so read it rather than relying on what friends tell you. The question papers for both sittings follow the same syllabus and design, so the way you practise does not change.

What the papers show, subject by subject

Mathematics

Maths is the subject where past papers pay off fastest, because the same question types return almost every year. Expect a proof that a number is irrational, a word problem leading to a quadratic, an arithmetic progression sum, a similar-triangles proof, a heights-and-distances problem, a tangent theorem from the circles chapter, and a grouped-data question on mean, median or mode. Surface areas and volumes and probability are steady too.

When you mark your paper against the marking scheme, look at where the marks sit inside each long answer. A 5-mark question usually gives marks for the setup, the working and the final line separately. Students who jump steps lose marks even when the answer is right. Keep your silly errors (a sign, a copying slip) in a separate list from questions you could not start, because they need different fixes.

Science

Science is three subjects in one paper, so sort every mistake into Physics, Chemistry or Biology. The Physics questions come mostly from light (mirror and lens formula, refraction, ray diagrams), electricity (resistors in series and parallel, power) and magnetic effects of current. Chemistry leans on chemical reactions and equations, acids, bases and salts, metals and non-metals, and carbon compounds. Biology questions come from life processes, control and coordination, reproduction and heredity.

Diagrams carry marks in this paper. The marking scheme often gives a mark for the diagram and another for correct labels, so practise drawing the human heart, the nephron, the eye and ray diagrams quickly and neatly. Assertion-reason questions trip up students who know the facts but read the two statements carelessly. Read both, decide whether each is true, and only then ask whether the reason explains the assertion.

Social Science

Social Science has four parts: History, Geography, Political Science and Economics. Keep your error log in those four columns. History questions come back to nationalism in Europe and in India, and to the print culture and global world chapters. Geography asks about resources, agriculture, water resources and minerals. Political Science asks about power sharing, federalism and political parties, and Economics about development, sectors of the economy, money and credit, and globalisation.

The map question at the end is a few easy marks most students under-practise. Old papers show which places and features CBSE likes to ask about, and the list is short. Source-based and case-based questions give you a passage and ask you to apply it, so the answer should use the passage rather than repeat your textbook notes.

English Language and Literature

The English paper has three parts. Reading has two unseen passages. Writing and grammar cover a formal letter, an analytical paragraph and grammar tasks such as gap filling and reported speech. Literature has extract-based questions and longer answers from First Flight and Footprints Without Feet.

Students lose marks here through format and word limits more than through ideas. Check your letters against the marking scheme’s format points (sender’s address, date, subject line, closing) and count your words once or twice so you get a feel for the length. For literature, the long answers reward a clear point about the character or theme, backed by a detail from the chapter.

Notes on recent years

2026 is the newest full set on this hub: Set 1 papers and marking schemes for Maths (Standard), Science, Social Science and English. The Science paper is now split into Biology, Chemistry and Physics sections. Keep these for your last month so you see them when your preparation is at its best. The second Class 10 board exam papers of 2026 are in the CBSE archive linked below.

2025 follows the same five-section design as 2024, with around half the marks on competency-based questions.

2024 is the closest match to 2025 and a good paper for your first full timed attempt. Use the marking scheme carefully here, because it was written for the current question types.

2023 was the first single full-syllabus exam since 2020. It introduced many students to the case-based Section E. If you found case studies hard, start here.

2022 papers are the Term 2 papers. They are 40 marks in 2 hours and cover only part of the syllabus, so use them as chapter practice, not as full mocks. The Term 1 MCQ papers are not the same kind of exam and are less useful now.

2021 had no board exam. Results were calculated from school assessment after the exams were cancelled.

2016 to 2020 are the older formats. The 2018 to 2020 papers are 80-mark papers with fewer one-mark questions than now. The 2016 and 2017 papers are 90 marks. All of them are good extra practice for long answers in Maths and Science. In 2018 the Class 10 Maths paper was leaked before the exam, and CBSE decided not to hold a re-test. That does not affect the paper’s use for practice.

Using old papers at different stages of preparation

From the start of Class 10

Study chapter by chapter. When you finish a chapter in class, find that chapter’s questions in the last five or six years of papers and do them. You will see what CBSE asks from each chapter, and your notes will get shorter because of it. Don’t try full papers yet.

After the pre-boards (December to January)

By now most schools have finished the syllabus. Sit one full subject paper each weekend, in 3 hours, with no breaks. Start with 2018 to 2020 and move towards 2023. Mark each paper with the official marking scheme on the same day or the next, and write down every question where you lost marks and why.

In the last month

Sit 2024 and 2025 for each subject, plus the current year’s sample paper from CBSE. The sample paper shows the design of the paper you will actually face, and the past papers show you how CBSE writes real questions. Between papers, revise only from your list of mistakes and the NCERT chapters they point to. Stop starting new guidebooks.

Mistakes students make with past papers

The biggest mistake is solving a paper and never checking it against the marking scheme. Your answer might be correct and still lose marks because a step, a unit or a label was missing. The marking scheme is free on the CBSE site and is as useful as the paper itself.

Some students also practise by reading. They look at a question, decide they know it, and move on. In a board exam the marks go to what you write, so write full answers at least for the long questions.

Another common habit is spending all the practice time on Maths and Science and leaving Social Science and English to the last week. Those two papers have long answers that need writing speed, and you only build that by writing. Finally, be careful with very old papers: if a question looks completely unfamiliar, check whether the topic is still in the syllabus before you worry about it.

FAQ

Where can I get CBSE Class 10 previous year question papers?

CBSE publishes question papers and marking schemes on cbse.gov.in under its question paper archive. Each year page on this hub links to those official files and has a separate page for Maths (Standard and Basic), Science, Social Science, English, Hindi Course A and Hindi Course B.

How many years of Class 10 papers should I solve?

For each main subject, solve 2023, 2024 and 2025 as full timed papers, and the current sample paper. Then use 2018 to 2020 and the 2022 Term 2 papers for extra practice on weak chapters. If you have time, the 2016 and 2017 papers add more long-answer questions.

What is the CBSE Class 10 exam pattern now?

Each main subject has an 80-mark theory paper of 3 hours and 20 marks of internal assessment. The paper is in sections, from one-mark multiple-choice and assertion-reason questions to case-based and long answers. About half the marks are for competency-based questions. Check the current sample paper for the exact layout.

How do the two board exams from 2026 work?

CBSE now holds a main Class 10 exam in February that every student sits, and an optional second exam in May for students who want to improve their marks. The subjects you can retake and how the better score is counted are set in CBSE’s circular, so read the latest one on cbse.gov.in.

Is there a CBSE Class 10 question paper for 2021?

No. The 2021 board exams were cancelled because of COVID-19, and results were worked out from school assessment. Use the 2020 and 2022 papers instead.

Are the 2022 Term 2 papers useful for practice?

Yes, as chapter practice. They are 40 marks in 2 hours and cover only part of the syllabus, so they are not good full mocks. The written questions are close in style to today’s short and long answers.

What is the difference between sample papers and previous year papers?

A sample paper is released by CBSE before the exam to show the design of the coming paper. A previous year paper is what students actually wrote. Use the sample paper to learn the layout, and past papers to see how CBSE words real questions and awards marks.

Should I practise Maths Standard papers if I take Maths Basic?

Yes. The two papers share most chapters, and the Standard paper gives you harder versions of the same question types. Sit the Basic paper for timing, and use Standard questions for extra practice on chapters you find easy.

Where to get the official papers

CBSE publishes previous year question papers and marking schemes in its question paper archive on cbse.gov.in, and sample papers on its academic website. We host the official files on each subject page and link to the source. For syllabus, dates and the two-exam rules, CBSE’s latest circulars are the final word.