CBSE Class XII Board Exam Analysis: ‘The paper was trickier, more conceptual, and indirect’

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 also released the 2025 syllabus, outlining the critical chapters and topics that students must focus on.

The Board conducted the Class XII Economics exam on March 19, 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

The question paper had two parts: Part A and Part B. Each part included: 

•             10 MCQs (1 mark each) from two different books: Macroeconomics and Economic Development. 

•             Two 3-mark questions from each part. 

•             Three 4-mark questions from each part. 

•             Two 6-mark questions from each part. 

The total mark for each part was 40; for two parts – the maximum mark was 80. The question paper was for three hours. 

According to Ms Aashima Sood, HoD Economics, Apeejay School, Mahavir Marg, after reviewing all three sets of the Class XII Economics Board exam question papers, she observed that there was an internal choice in certain questions.

“However, my overall feedback on the paper is that it was more theoretical than practical, which was somewhat unexpected. We had anticipated a balance between the two, but practical application-based questions were minimal. One significant observation was the structure of the questions. Most of them were divided into sub-parts. For instance, a six-mark question was bifurcated into 3+3 or 2+4, and a four-mark question was divided into 2+2. This structure ensured that no single lengthy question was present, but it also made the paper more segmented and time-consuming,” the educator shared.

While the students were prepared for the importance of practical applications and structured responses for six-mark questions, the actual paper followed a different approach. “None of the questions were direct; they were all case study-based or statement-driven. Students had to carefully analyse the question, determine its source chapter, and then frame their answers accordingly. This led to confusion, as some students struggled to identify which chapter the question was derived from,” Ms Sood said.

From the students’ perspective, those who were above average performed well, she added. The students could identify the relevant chapter and understand the intent behind the questions. They were able to break down case-based problems and apply conceptual clarity to derive the correct answers. Furthermore, although the paper was lengthy, most students managed to complete it within the allotted time.

“The Indian Economy section (Part B) was simpler compared to the first part. Many questions were derived from NCERT’s back exercises, albeit with slight modifications in wording. While these changes made questions look unfamiliar, students who had a strong grasp of NCERT concepts found them manageable. However, Part A (Macroeconomics) was more challenging, with more case-based questions that required analytical skills,” she said.

Compared to last year’s Economics Board exam, this paper was more conceptual, trickier, and less direct.