CBSE Class 12 Artificial Intelligence Board Paper analysis: “The paper was well-designed, balanced”

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is conducting the Class 12 board exam 2026 from February to April in the traditional pen-and-paper format. As part of the ongoing CBSE board exams 2026, students appeared for the Artificial Intelligence paper on 24 March 2026.

The two-hour exam commenced at 10:30 am and concluded at 12:30 pm. Students were given an additional 15 minutes, from 10:15 am to 10:30 am, to read the question paper before beginning the exam.

As per estimates, over 45 lakh students are appearing for the board exams across India and abroad this year.

Format of the Question Paper

The question paper was of 50 marks, with a duration of three hours, and was divided into 2 sections.

1. Section A consisted of objective-type questions, whereas Section B contained subjective-type questions.
2. Out of the given (5 + 16 = 21) questions, a candidate was required to answer (5 + 10 = 15) questions within the allotted time of two hours.
3. All questions in a particular section had to be attempted in the correct order.

Section A – Objective Type Questions (24 Marks):
i. This section had 5 questions.
ii. Marks allotted were mentioned against each question/part.
iii. There was no negative marking.
iv. Students were required to follow the instructions given.

Section B – Subjective Type Questions (26 Marks):
i. This section had 16 questions.
ii. A candidate had to attempt 10 questions.
iii. Students were required to follow the instructions given.
iv. Marks allotted were mentioned against each question/part

Teacher Analysis

According to Ms. Anuradha Mittal, Artificial Intelligence Faculty at Apeejay School, Noida, the paper was “well-designed, balanced and aligned with the prescribed examination pattern.”

She described the overall difficulty level as “easy to moderate,” noting that students with a clear conceptual understanding would have been able to attempt the paper with confidence.

Highlighting the structure of the paper, she added that it “reflected proper weightage across all sections,” ensuring comprehensive coverage of the syllabus. There were no out-of-syllabus questions, making the paper “confidence-boosting” for students.

Ms. Mittal further observed that most questions were direct and concept-based, with a focus on application and real-life scenarios.

Overall, she concluded that it was “a fair and well-balanced paper,” which students were able to complete comfortably within the allotted time.