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CBSE Class 12 Board Exam Analysis: ‘Paper was moderate in difficulty, but lengthy’
A Math educator stated that nearly all questions came from NCERT, benefiting students who thoroughly studied it
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) scheduled the Class XII exams for 2025 to be conducted from February 15, 2025, to April 4, 2025, in the traditional pen-and-paper format. The exams opened with the subject of Entrepreneurship and will conclude with Psychology. The Board had also released the 2025 syllabus, outlining the critical chapters and topics that students must focus on.
The Board conducted the Class XII Math exam on March 8, 2025. The three-hour exam commenced at 10:30 am and concluded at 1:30 pm, marking the completion of this year’s CBSE Board exams. Students were allotted 15 minutes, from 10:15 am to 10:30 am, to thoroughly review the question paper before beginning the test.
The Board had declared the date sheet in November last year. This year, approximately 44 lakh students from 26 countries appeared for the Board exams.
· Format of the question paper: Maximum Marks: 80; Duration: 3 hours
· The Question paper contains 38 questions.
· All questions are compulsory. This Question paper is divided into five Sections – A, B, C, D and E.
Section A: Questions No 1 to 18 were MCQs and questions No 19 and 20 were Assertion-reason based questions of 1 mark each.
Section B: Questions No 21 to 25 were very short answer (VSA)-type questions, carried 2 marks each.
Section C: Questions No 26 to 31 were short answer (SA)-type questions, carried 3 marks each.
Section D: Questions No 32 to 35 were long answer (LA)-type questions, carried 5 marks each.
Section E: Questions No 36 to 38 were case study-based questions, carried 4 marks each.
There is no overall choice. However, an internal choice has been provided in 2 questions in Section B; 3 questions in Section C; 2 questions in Section D and one sub-part each in 2 questions of Section E.
The use of calculators was not allowed.
According to Ms Madhuri Patwal, PGT Math, Apeejay Svran Global School, the Class XII Mathematics Board Exam this year was well-structured and strictly followed the NCERT syllabus. “Having reviewed all three sets of the paper, I found that almost all questions were directly sourced from NCERT. This meant that students who had diligently studied from the textbook were well-prepared. The exam adhered to CBSE guidelines, with no questions from outside the syllabus, ensuring fairness for students,” the educator shared.
Talking about the choice, Ms Patwal said: Section A: 20 MCQs had no internal choice. Section B: There were five questions of two marks each, with internal choices in two questions. Section C: Had six questions of three marks each, with internal choices in three questions. Section D: Had five questions of five marks each, with internal choices in two questions. Section E (Case-Based Questions): Three questions, with internal choices in the third part of Q37 and Q38.
“The overall difficulty level of the paper was moderate but lengthy. While the questions were not excessively difficult, many students struggled with time management. The MCQs also required calculations, which added to the time pressure. All students used the full three hours to complete the paper,” Ms Patwal said and added that compared to last year, this year’s paper was more student-friendly.
“Last year, some technically complex questions were present, which made it harder for students to answer within the allotted time. This year, the questions were conceptually easier, ensuring that students who had studied well could attempt them. However, the time required to solve all questions remained a significant challenge,” she shared.
