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CBSE Class 12 Psychology Board Paper Analysis: ‘Moderately-difficult paper, worked for all’
Educator at Apeejay School Pitampura, says the CBSE Class XII Psychology paper was balanced and NCERT-aligned
The Class XII Psychology Board exam was conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) held on March 5, 2026, in a single shift from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm across exam centres nationwide. The theory paper carried a weightage of 70 marks and was conducted in offline mode as part of the ongoing CBSE Board exams.
The paper followed the standard CBSE format with five sections containing a mix of objective, very short-answer, short-answer, and long-answer questions along with case-based items. These questions were designed to assess students’ analytical thinking and application of psychological concepts.
Paper overview
- Total marks: 70
- Exam duration: 3 hours
- Internal assessment: 30 marks (conducted by schools)
- Total questions in the paper: Around 33 questions
- Sections: The paper was divided into five sections
Question pattern
- Section A: Objective-type / MCQ questions
- Section B: Very short answer questions
- Section C: Short answer questions
- Section D: Long answer questions
- Section E: Case-based / application-based questions
Educator Analysis
Ms Dharini Sahni, PGT Psychology and School Counsellor at Apeejay School Pitampura, shared that the paper was overall balanced and moderately difficult. According to her, the paper did not include any highly technical or alarming concepts that would have made it difficult for students to attempt. “Most of the questions were predictable and based on the prescribed syllabus, making the paper manageable for students with varying levels of preparation,” she shared.
She noted that the question paper was based on NCERT concepts, and the application-based questions were framed clearly without ambiguity. “Students who had prepared the syllabus well would have found the paper approachable and scorable. The distribution of chapters was also balanced, with questions spread across different units rather than focusing heavily on a single chapter,” she said
One question that stood out slightly was Question 27, which required students to draw on multiple concepts from a single chapter. “The question included four application-based statements, requiring students to broaden their thinking and apply their knowledge across different ideas within the topic. While it was not extremely difficult, it required careful understanding and could feel slightly heavy for some students.”
However, Ms Sahni pointed out that the length of several questions was a concern. Even direct questions were framed with long descriptions, which could make reading and comprehension time-consuming during a three-hour exam.
Case-based question
Two case-study questions were included in the paper. One case study was quite lengthy, while the other was short and precise, creating some inconsistency in the framing of questions. Despite this, the answers themselves were not overly complex. Students who carefully read the questions and focused on what was being asked would be able to respond effectively.
She also mentioned that with CBSE introducing online evaluation for Class XII answer sheets, students must focus on clear presentation, structured answers, and highlighting key terms so that examiners can assess responses easily during digital checking.
Overall, she described the paper as fair, NCERT-based, and accessible to students across different performance levels, although some students might have felt slightly fatigued due to the length of the questions.
