The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released a new press release mentioning the changes in Class 10 Science, Social Science Board Exams 2026. As per the announcement,  CBSE made significant changes to the CBSE Class 10  Exam pattern for Science and Social Science subjects for the upcoming exam session. This year, the Class 10 Science question exam is divided into three sections: Biology (A), Chemistry (B), and Physics (C). Students have been instructed to mark out the same three parts of their response sheet before trying any question. The Social Science paper will have four sections: History (A), Geography (B), Political Science (C), and Economics (D). It is instructed that students write each answer exclusively in the space designated for that specific section.

CBSE Update on Class 10 Science, SST Exam Pattern

Class 10 students who do not clearly understand the latest changes made by the students should watch the video.

Sectional Changes In Class 10 Board Exam

This year, in class X, in Science and in Social Science, question papers have been divided into different sections as per the given
details with a view to improving the quality of evaluation:

Key instructions about latest changes

Important instructions to be communicated to the students appearing in Class X, Board examinations:-

1. Students will divide the answer book into 03 sections in Science and 04 sections in Social Science for writing answers.
2. Replies to questions are to be written only within the space identified for the concerned section.
3. Reply to a section should not be written or mixed in any other section.
4. In case replies are mixed, these will not be evaluated, and no marks will be awarded.
5.  Such mistakes will not be accepted and addressed even during the verification or revaluation process after the results are declared.
6. All schools are therefore requested to kindly ensure that the required practice is done by the students in advance to ensure that they are not making any mistakes when writing Board examinations. Schools can also include these instructions in the Pre-Board examinations.
7. In this regard, the Sample Question Papers of both Science and Social Science hosted on the CBSE Academic website may please be referred to.

Also Check:  

• CBSE Class 10 Science Sample Paper with Solutions
• CBSE Class 10 Social Science Sample Paper with Solutions

Strict Writing instructions in Answer Sheet

To make the evaluation process very smooth, CBSE strictly advised students to write their answers within the prescribed portion for each subject area, and not outside of it.  For example, chemistry answers cannot be categorised as Biology or physics in a Science paper, while Economics answers cannot be classified as Geography in a Social Science paper. The Board also warns against combining answers from different parts or writing them under incorrect headings, as these will not be considered. Examiners will not award marks for such comments, even if they are factually accurate.

Check:-CBSE Date Sheet 2026

CBSE Class 10 Board Exam 2026

For the year 2026, the board will hold the CBSE 10th exams twice yearly. The Board will hold Phase 1 CBSE 10th examinations 2026 between February 17 and March 10, 2026, and Phase 2 exams 2026 between May 15 and June 1, 2026. Phase 1 of the CBSE Class 10 examinations 2026 is required for all students. CBSE 10th Phase 2 exams will be optional for students who want to improve their performance in any of the following subjects: science, mathematics, social science, and languages. Students can also view the detailed CBSE exam class 10 date sheet 2026 by clicking on the link provided below.

Now 50% questions are now competency-based

In an earlier notification, the board officials were already informed about the updated structure of Class 10 examinations. From 2026 onwards, 50% of the questions will be competency-based, MCQs, case-based, source-based, integrated, data interpretation, or situational issues. This means that half of each question paper will evaluate students’ mental clarity and ability to apply what they have acquired, rather than just recalling material. The paper will be made up of 20% select-response (MCQ) questions and 30% constructed-response questions, which will include both short and long responses.