CBSE Class 12 Physics Board Paper Analysis: ‘The paper was largely concept-based’

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 Physics paper on February 20, 2026.

The three-hour exam commenced at 10:30 am and concluded at 1:30 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 70 marks, with a duration of three hours, and was divided into five sections. All sections were compulsory.

• Section A contained 16 questions: 12 MCQs and four assertion-reasoning-based questions of 1 mark each.
  
• Section B contained five questions of two marks each.
  
• Section C contained seven questions of three marks each.
  
• Section D contained two case study-based questions of four marks each.
  
• Section E contained three long-answer questions of five marks each.

There was no overall choice. However, internal choices were provided in two questions in Section B, one question in Section C, and all three questions in Section E. Students were required to attempt only one option in such questions.

The use of calculators was not allowed. Students could use the given values of physical constants wherever necessary.

Teacher analysis

According to Ms Preeti Gaur, PGT Physics at Apeejay School, Pitampura, the overall difficulty level of the paper was moderate. While most questions were straightforward and based on NCERT concepts, a few required deeper conceptual clarity and careful calculations.

She noted that the question paper was well-balanced in terms of syllabus coverage, with proportionate distribution across key units like Electrostatics, Current Electricity, Magnetism and Matter, Electromagnetic Induction, Optics, Modern Physics, and Semiconductor Electronics. The weightage closely followed the CBSE blueprint.

“The paper was largely concept-based and application-orientated. Numerical questions required a clear understanding of formulas rather than direct substitution, while theory questions were mostly direct and NCERT-based,” she said.

The educator pointed out that although the paper did not include any out-of-syllabus questions, a few numericals, particularly from Electromagnetic Induction/Alternating Current and Ray Optics, were slightly tricky and demanded careful interpretation.

Highlighting the scoring areas, she shared that Modern Physics and Semiconductor Electronics were the easiest sections, with direct and formula-based questions. Optics, especially the theory portion of Wave Optics, was also manageable for students who were well-prepared.

The paper included derivation-based questions carrying a total of 17 marks, largely drawn from standard and frequently asked concepts. Additionally, most of the two-, three- and five-mark questions were aligned with previous years’ questions, making the paper feel familiar to students.

“The MCQs were straightforward and did not involve lengthy calculations. The Semiconductor case study was direct and based on conceptual clarity. However, the Ray Optics case study was comparatively more challenging and required deeper understanding, as it involved the application of a less-emphasised concept,” she added.