CBSE sample paper 2026-27: Class 10 and 12 SQP, marking scheme, pattern and week-by-week plan

CBSE sample paper 2026-27: how to download Class 10 and Class 12

You do not need a login, a school code or a fee.

1. Open cbseacademic.nic.in and find SQP 2026-2027 in the Sample Question Paper menu.
2. Choose Class X or Class XII. Direct pages: Class 10 and Class 12.
3. Find your subject in the table. Each row has two links: SQP (the paper) and MS (the marking scheme).
4. Download both. Several Science, Maths and Humanities rows also have a Hindi version, labelled with the Hindi title of the paper.
5. For skill subjects such as 402 Information Technology, use the separate SQP (Skill Subjects) link at the top of the page.

CBSE's notification lists an email address for queries and feedback on the papers.

Download only from cbseacademic.nic.in.

Our news report on the release has more.

Which subjects have a CBSE sample paper for 2026-27?

Class 10 has papers for Science, Mathematics (Standard and Basic, each also for visually impaired students), Social Science, English (Language and Literature, and Communicative), Hindi A and B, Computer Application, Information and Communication Technology, Foundation of Information Technology, Home Science, NCC, and the Elements of Business and Book Keeping subjects. There are also music, Painting and many language papers, including Gujarati, Sanskrit, Marathi, Urdu, French and German.

Class 12 covers Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics, History, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Informatics Practices, Computer Science, Physical Education, English Core and Elective, Hindi Core and Elective, Gujarati, and many arts and language papers.

Two things to watch:

• Class 10 Maths: both Standard and Basic papers are on the page. The curriculum says the Basic and Standard split is being discontinued from 2026-27 in favour of a common paper with an optional Advanced paper, but students who are in Class 10 in 2026-27 may opt for Mathematics Basic as in 2025-26. The Advanced papers (25 marks, 1 hour) start with the Class 10 board exam of 2027-28.
• Broken rows: on 21 October 2026, the SQP and MS links for ten Class 10 rows (Bhutia, Lepcha, Limboo, Mizo, Sherpa, Tamil, Tangkhul, Telugu AP, Telugu Telangana, Tibetan) and eight Class 12 rows (Bhutia, Lepcha, Manipuri, Mizo, KTPI, Tamil, Telugu AP, Tangkhul) led to an error file. Check the page again before assuming a paper does not exist.

What is the CBSE 2026-27 paper pattern?

The notification and the SQPs carry the same line: no change in design or assessment pattern. From the 2026-27 cover instructions:

There is no overall choice in any of these. Internal choice appears only in some questions.

What is new in 2026-27: competency-based questions, MCQs and internal choice

Nothing in the paper design is new this year. What CBSE has done is write down the design more plainly in the Secondary Curriculum 2026-27, section 3.1:

• Competency-focused questions: "Presently, approximately 50% of the questions are competency-focused, such as case-based, source-based, integrated, data interpretation, situational, and application-oriented." The rest are select-response (MCQs) and constructed-response (short and long answer). The curriculum adds that this structure "may be reviewed periodically".
• Sections: the curriculum describes Section A as objective or MCQs, B and C as short answers, D as long answers and E as case studies "in certain subjects".
• Internal choice: "internal choices provided where appropriate". The English Language and Literature SQP for Class 10 is organised differently: three sections, Reading, Grammar and Creative Writing, and Literature, with 11 questions.
• Passing marks: a student must secure "a minimum of 33% marks separately in external and internal assessments". Both parts are compulsory.
• Internal assessment: 20 marks for major subjects in Class 10 alongside the 80-mark board paper. Periodic assessment carries 25% of the weight within it, and at least one periodic test must be competency-based.

CBSE says SQPs "provide a broad template" and should be used with "an overall focus on promoting the application of concepts in real-life".

Class 10 two board exams: how they affect sample paper practice

Class 10 students in 2026-27 are the second batch under CBSE's two-board-exam scheme, set out in the board's notification of 25 June 2025. It says:

• "It is mandatory for all the students to appear in the first Board examination."
• All passed and eligible students can improve their performance "in any of the three subjects out of Science, Mathematics, Social Science and languages".
• A student who has not appeared in three or more subjects in the first exam cannot take the second and is placed in the "Essential Repeat" category.
• "Internal assessment will be conducted only once before the main examinations."
• The main exams "will begin from Mid-February" and the second exam "will be conducted in the month of May".

That notification covers Class 10 only. For dates, the LOC and private forms, see our CBSE board exam 2027 guide. No 2027 date sheet was on cbse.gov.in when we last read it for that guide, so do not trust a date sheet that arrives on social media.

What this means for you: use the SQPs for the February main exam first. If you plan to improve a subject in May, the same papers still serve you.

How to use CBSE sample papers: a week-by-week plan

This is our plan, not a CBSE schedule. It runs from 26 October 2026 to the weeks before the main exams, which CBSE says begin in mid-February. Adjust the dates once the date sheet is out.

Habits that help:

1. Mark with the MS, line by line. In the Class 12 Physics marking scheme, even a 1-mark MCQ carries a written reason beside the answer.
2. Read the instructions first. Sections, internal choice and map questions change how you plan your time.
3. Time yourself. The Class 10 Maths Standard SQP has 38 questions for 80 marks in 3 hours, and the Science SQP has 39. Practise the speed early.
4. Do not memorise the SQP. CBSE says it gives a "broad template", not the exam questions.
5. Add older SQPs. The CBSE menu also lists 2025-26 and earlier sessions.

Studying in a CBSE school in Gujarat? These are the papers for you. For what to choose after the boards, see our 10th and 12th career guide.

Third language and these papers

If your school is adding a third language, see our three-language policy guide. The Secondary Curriculum says the R3 requirement for Class 10 applies from 2027-28, so it does not change this year's sample papers.