CBSE Class XII Exam Analysis: ‘The paper was easy and student-friendly’

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the Class XII Geography exam on February 24, 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 initiated the exam process for Classes X and XII on February 15, with Class XII exams concluding on April 4, 2025. 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.

The format of the question paper

The CBSE Class 12 Geography exam was of 70 marks with a total of 30 questions. All questions are compulsory. The question paper was divided into five sections: A, B, C, D, and E.

Section A: Questions 1 to 17 are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). Each question carried 1 mark.

Section B: Questions 18 and 19 were source-based questions. Each question carried 3 marks.

Section C: Questions 20 to 23 were short answer-type questions.   Each question carried 3 marks. Answers were to be written in 80 to 100 words.

Section D: Questions 24 to 28 are long answer-type questions. Each question carried 5 marks. Answers were to be written in 120 to 150 words.

Section E: Questions 29 and 30 were map-based. Each question carries 5 marks.

There was no overall choice provided in the question paper. However, internal choices were available in some questions across all sections except Section A.

Ms Shilpa Maitra, a Geography teacher at Apeejay School, Faridabad, Sector 15, shared that she reviewed all three sets of the Class 12 Geography exam papers. “The overall paper was quite straightforward and student-friendly. The CBSE maintained consistency in terms of difficulty across them. There were internal choices provided in various sections, which offered students a good level of flexibility. For instance, in the five-marker questions, students had an internal choice. Similarly, in the three-marker section, there was also an internal choice. Even in the map work section, students were required to attempt only five questions out of seven options,” she said.

Starting with Section A, they were easy, especially when compared to last year’s paper. Moving on to Section B, the educator found that the answers were straightforward and could be easily found within the provided material. Students didn’t have to think too hard or analyse deeply.

Section C also followed the trend of simplicity. In Section D, questions covered important topics such as the problems faced by Indian agriculture, regional variations in population growth, rainwater harvesting, and the factors responsible for the uneven distribution of the population in India.

Compared to last year’s paper, this year’s exam was easier and more student-centric. This year, the questions were simple, direct, and straightforward. “In terms of paper length and time management, the exam was manageable. None of my students found the paper lengthy or rushed for time. They were able to complete the paper comfortably,” Ms Maitra shared.