CBSE Class 10 Sample Papers: How to Use Them in the Last 60 Days Before the Board Exam

By the Ajay Vatsyayan Classes Home Tutors Team · Reviewed by Ajay Vatsyayan (Founder; B.Tech; IB and Cambridge IGCSE experienced). Last reviewed: 29 September 2026.

The official CBSE Class 10 sample paper for each subject, with its marking scheme, is the closest thing to the real board paper you can practise with. In the last 60 days, use it as a test, not as reading material: attempt it in a strict three-hour sitting, mark it yourself against CBSE's marking scheme, and log every lost mark in an error log. Then rotate Maths, Science, Social Science, English and your second language so that each subject gets several full timed papers before the exam.

This guide is part of our Class 10 home tutors in Gurgaon series for CBSE families. It covers where CBSE publishes the 2026–27 sample question papers, what each paper looks like, how to run a timed attempt at home, how to self-mark with the official scheme, how to keep an error log, and a day-by-day 60-day plan with a weekly subject rotation.

What CBSE sample question papers are for

A CBSE sample question paper (SQP) shows you the design of the board paper: how many questions, which types, how many marks each, how the sections are split and where the internal choices are. It is not a list of questions that will come in the exam.

CBSE says this itself. Its notification of 21 September 2026 on the 2026–27 papers explains that the Board issues sample question papers and marking schemes for Classes X and XII "to provide a broad template and serve as a guide for ensuring uniformity and proper coverage of the curricula", and that they "give a broad understanding of the question paper design". The same notification states that there is no change in the question paper design and assessment pattern for 2026–27, and that the passing criteria remain the same as in 2025–26.

Each sample paper comes with a marking scheme. This is the more valuable of the two documents in the final weeks, because it shows how marks are split inside an answer: which step earns a mark, which keyword or value point the examiner is looking for, and where CBSE accepts "any other relevant point". Students who only solve the paper and check the final answer miss most of what it can teach.

So the sample paper is useful for three things:

• Knowing the format so well that nothing on the day surprises you. Section order, question types, internal choices and the length of each section.
• Practising time management across a full three-hour paper.
• Learning to write answers the way they are marked, using the marking scheme.

Where to download the 2026–27 sample papers

Download sample papers only from CBSE's academic website. When we checked on 29 September 2026, the page Class X Sample Question Paper & Marking Scheme for Exam 2026-27 on cbseacademic.nic.in listed a sample paper and a separate marking scheme for each subject, as PDF files.

The subjects most Class 10 students in Gurgaon need are all there: Science, Mathematics (Standard), Mathematics (Basic), Social Science, English (Language and Literature), English (Communicative), Hindi Course A, Hindi Course B, Sanskrit, French and German, along with many other languages and skill subjects. Download the CBSE Class 10 sample paper and its marking scheme for every subject you take, and print them if you can; practising on paper is closer to the real exam than scrolling a PDF.

A few practical points:

• Check the session on the first page. Every paper carries its session in the header, for example "Class X (2026–27)". Websites often re-host older papers under new titles.
• Keep the previous session's sample paper too. CBSE's 2025–26 Class X sample paper page is still online. Because CBSE has said the paper design has not changed for 2026–27, the 2025–26 papers are a second full paper in the current format for each subject. Check any question against the 2026–27 curriculum before counting it.
• Some papers include alternative questions for visually impaired candidates in place of questions with diagrams or maps. Other students should skip these.

What the 2026–27 papers look like

All four main written papers are 80 marks and three hours long. The remaining 20 marks in each subject come from internal assessment in school (in Maths and Science, the 2026–27 curriculum splits these 20 marks across periodic or pen-paper tests, multiple assessment, a portfolio and practical or lab work). The table below is taken from the general instructions of each 2026–27 sample paper.

Two points in this table change how you practise. In Mathematics, the Section A multiple-choice questions carry no part marks in the marking scheme, so accuracy on 1-mark questions matters. In Social Science, the word limits are part of the design, so your practice answers should respect them; long answers cost time you need later in the paper. For the full chapter-by-chapter syllabus behind these papers, see our guides to the CBSE Class 10 Maths syllabus 2026–27 and the CBSE Class 10 Science syllabus 2026–27.

How many papers you actually have

CBSE publishes one sample paper per subject per session, which is not enough for 60 days on its own. You fill the plan with other official papers that follow the same design, and you save the newest ones for last.

Board papers come as ZIP files containing several sets, and CBSE also publishes marking schemes for them. How to use them properly, including the syllabus check, is covered in our guide to CBSE Class 10 previous year question papers.

A rough count for Maths or Science: two sample papers plus the sets from the most recent board examinations gives far more full papers than you can do well in 60 days. The limit is not supply; it is the time to mark and analyse each paper properly. Five papers analysed carefully teach more than fifteen papers checked only for a total.

When the 60 days start

Count back 60 days from your first board paper, not from the start of the exam season. Your first paper is the date your final revision must be ready for.

Under CBSE's two-board-exams scheme for Class 10, which began in 2026, the first (main) examination is compulsory for every student and is held in February. For 2026, CBSE held the main examination from 17 February to 11 March and the second examination from 15 to 21 May. When we checked on 29 September 2026, CBSE had not yet published the date sheet for the 2027 examinations on cbse.gov.in, so use the official date sheet once it is out.

Plan for the first examination as if it were the only one. The second examination is an optional chance to improve in up to three subjects from Science, Mathematics, Social Science and languages, and CBSE's clarification of 14 February 2026 says that students who miss three or more subjects in the first examination cannot sit the second. Our guide to CBSE Class 10 two board exams explains the rules in full.

If the first paper falls in mid-February, day 60 is in mid-December. Before then, you should have:

• finished the syllabus in every subject, with the NCERT exercises done;
• read through each 2026–27 sample paper once, untimed, just to learn its layout (you can do this as soon as the papers are released);
• solved chapter-wise questions for every chapter, so that the full papers test recall, not first learning.

If you are behind on the syllabus when the 60 days begin, do not skip full papers altogether. Shift the ratio: more chapter work in the first three weeks and fewer full papers, then catch up. Our CBSE Class 10 month-by-month board exam plan covers the months before this window.

How to do a timed attempt at home

A timed attempt only helps if it copies exam conditions: one sitting, three hours, no help and no breaks. Anything less tells you about your knowledge but not about your exam performance.

1. Pick the time of day of the real exam. Check the timing printed on the official date sheet and sit your practice papers at the same time, so that your concentration peaks when it will matter.
2. Clear the desk. Question paper, answer sheets, pens, pencil, ruler, geometry box. No phone in the room, no notes, no calculator for Maths.
3. Read the whole paper first. Spend a few minutes reading every question before writing, and mark the internal choices you will take.
4. Set a section budget. For Maths, a common split is to finish Section A quickly, then give steady time to the 3- and 5-mark questions, and keep 10 to 15 minutes at the end to check. Write your planned time for each section at the top of the paper.
5. Keep going when stuck. Leave a space, mark the question, move on and come back. This is the skill full papers train.
6. Stop at three hours. Draw a line where you were when time ran out. Anything written after the line is not counted in your score, but finish it afterwards so you can learn from it.

After each paper, note three numbers: the marks by section, the time you actually spent on each section, and the number of questions left or rushed. Over several papers these show whether your problem is knowledge, speed or planning.

Self-marking with the official marking scheme

Self-mark every paper against CBSE's marking scheme, strictly, on the same day or the next. The aim is not a flattering total but an accurate picture of where marks are lost.

How to mark

1. Mark in a different colour from the one you wrote in, question by question, with the scheme beside you.
2. Award marks only for what is on the page. If the scheme gives a mark for a step you did in your head but did not write, you do not get it.
3. Follow the split shown in the scheme. The Maths marking schemes show marks against individual steps, often in half marks. Give yourself only the steps you actually wrote.
4. No part marks where the scheme gives none. In the 2026–27 Maths Standard marking scheme, Section A multiple-choice questions are marked "no part marks": right or wrong.
5. Accept a different correct method. Marking schemes give one method and sometimes note alternatives; a different correct method usually still earns marks, but check that every step is justified.
6. For Social Science and English, match value points. These schemes list the points expected, often with "any other relevant point" or "any two" or "any three". Count how many distinct relevant points your answer makes, not how long it is.

What to watch for by subject

Once every two weeks, ask a parent, teacher or tutor to mark one paper independently and compare. If their total is well below yours, you are marking too kindly. For how examiners read an answer, see our guide to CBSE Class 10 answer writing.

The error log

An error log is a short record of every mark you lost, why you lost it and what you will do differently. The log, not the pile of solved papers, is what you revise from in the final week.

Keep one log per subject and keep it short: one line per error. After three or four papers, sort the log by error type. A "presentation" pile (missing units, unlabelled diagrams, steps skipped) is usually the quickest to fix, because it is a habit rather than a gap in learning. A "concept" pile in one chapter means going back to the NCERT chapter before the next paper, not solving more papers.

The 60-day plan, phase by phase

Split the 60 days into four phases: diagnose, fix, simulate and consolidate. The number of papers rises through the middle phases and falls sharply in the final week.

What a typical day looks like in phases 2 and 3

• A paper day: three-hour timed paper at the exam time; a break; marking against the scheme (about an hour); error log entries; a short, light revision of another subject in the evening.
• A non-paper day: two or three focused blocks of chapter work on logged weak areas, plus 30 to 45 minutes of error log re-attempts.

Students in Gurugram who are still attending regular school classes through this period can shift paper days to weekends and holidays, and use school days for shorter chapter work and marking. The phases still apply; only the density changes.

How much is too much?

Two full papers in one day is the practical maximum, and one is better. A third paper in a day is usually solved on autopilot and marked carelessly. If you find you are skipping the marking to fit in another paper, cut the number of papers.

Subject rotation and subject-specific tips

Rotate subjects so that none goes more than about a week without a full paper, and give Maths and Science the most papers because most students find timing hardest there. A simple weekly rotation for phase 2 looks like this:

Once the date sheet is out, rearrange the rotation in phase 3 to follow the order of your exams, so that the subject of the first paper gets the most recent practice.

Maths (Standard or Basic)

• Practise the paper you will actually sit. Standard and Basic have the same layout but different questions; a Basic student gains little from Standard papers in the final weeks.
• The five-section layout rewards a plan: Section A quickly and carefully, then the 2- and 3-mark questions, then the 5-mark and case-study questions with full working.
• Write every step the marking scheme gives a mark for, and write the formula before substituting.
• No calculator is allowed, so keep your arithmetic practice going; many lost marks in Maths papers are arithmetic, not method.

Science

• The 2026–27 paper is organised as Biology, then Chemistry, then Physics. Decide in advance whether you will attempt the sections in order or start with your strongest, and practise that order.
• Balanced equations, labelled diagrams and units carry marks. Include them every time in practice, even when rushed.
• Assertion–reason and case-based questions reward careful reading. If you lose marks there, log it as "reading", not "concept".

Social Science

• Respect the word limits; they are in the paper's instructions. Practise writing distinct points, not paragraphs.
• Do the map question in every practice paper. Map marks are fixed in the design and are among the most reliable marks in the paper.
• History, Geography, Political Science and Economics each carry 20 marks. If one section is always slow, time it separately.

English

• Literature carries half the paper (40 of 80 marks in Language and Literature). Revise the chapters and poems, and practise answering the exact question asked.
• For writing tasks, follow the format and word limit stated, and plan for a minute before writing.
• Reading comprehension improves with timed practice more than with any other method; do the reading section under time in every paper.

Languages (Hindi, Sanskrit, French, German and others)

• CBSE publishes sample papers and marking schemes for Hindi Course A and B, Sanskrit, French, German and many other languages; use the course you are registered for.
• Grammar sections are highly learnable; log every grammar error by rule and revise the rules, not just the answers.
• Languages are often the subject left until last. A full paper every week keeps them from becoming the surprise weak subject.

Common sample paper mistakes our tutors see

• Using up the 2026–27 sample paper too early, untimed and with notes open. Then there is no clean current-design paper left for the final simulation.
• Checking the answer, not the marking. Getting the final answer right but losing step marks is the most common hidden loss in Maths and Science.
• Treating unofficial "sample papers" as official. Papers from books and websites can be useful practice, but they are someone's guess. Only the cbseacademic.nic.in papers show CBSE's design.
• Doing papers without an error log. The same mistakes repeat from paper to paper.
• Doing only the favourite subject. Full papers in weak subjects are uncomfortable, which is exactly why they are needed.
• Starting new material in the last week. The final week is for the error log and NCERT, not a new question bank.
• Relying on the second board exam. The first exam is compulsory for everyone; prepare for it as the one that counts.

How parents can help

Parents help most by protecting the conditions for timed papers, not by checking content. A quiet room for three hours, no phone and a fixed start time make a bigger difference than extra material.

• Be the invigilator. Start and stop the clock, collect the phone and do not interrupt.
• Look at the error log, not the score. Ask "what kind of mistakes were these?" rather than "how much did you get?". It keeps the focus on the fix.
• Keep the calendar realistic. Pre-boards, school practicals and project deadlines fall in the same weeks. Mark them on the plan and move paper days around them.
• Get help early, not in the final week. If the error log shows the same concept gap after three papers, a few focused sessions with a teacher or tutor will do more than more papers.

Families in Gurgaon who want structured final-weeks support can look at our Class 10 board exam crash course in Gurgaon, or one-to-one tuition through the board exam home tutor for Class 10 page. Our Home Tutors Team, drawn from 500+ verified tutors, has worked with Class 10 students across 50+ Gurgaon schools over 12+ years.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CBSE Class 10 sample paper for 2026–27 released?

Yes. CBSE announced the 2026–27 sample question papers and marking schemes for Classes X and XII in a notification dated 21 September 2026. The Class X papers are on the cbseacademic.nic.in page "Class X Sample Question Paper & Marking Scheme for Exam 2026-27". CBSE also said that there is no change in the question paper design and assessment pattern for 2026–27.

Do questions from the sample paper come in the board exam?

You should not expect them to. CBSE describes the sample papers as a broad template and a guide to the question paper design. They show the pattern and the level, not the questions.

How many sample papers should a Class 10 student solve?

There is no official number. In the last 60 days, a realistic target is several full timed papers per main subject, with more in Maths and Science, each marked against the official scheme and logged. Fewer papers analysed properly are worth more than many papers only checked for a total.

Is the 2025–26 sample paper still useful?

Yes. CBSE has stated that the question paper design has not changed for 2026–27, so the 2025–26 sample paper is a second paper in the current format. Check each question against the 2026–27 curriculum first.

Should I solve sample papers or previous year papers first?

Use previous year papers chapter by chapter during the year, and full papers from both sources in the last 60 days. Keep the current session's sample paper for a full simulation near the end.

How long should it take to mark one paper?

Plan for about an hour per paper, including error log entries. If marking takes much less, you are probably checking only final answers rather than steps and value points.

Are sample papers different for Maths Standard and Maths Basic?

Yes. CBSE publishes a separate sample paper and marking scheme for Mathematics Standard (041) and Mathematics Basic (241). Both are 80 marks and three hours with the same five-section layout, but the questions differ. Practise the one you are registered for.

Can a home tutor help in the last 60 days?

Yes, mainly by marking papers strictly against the scheme, reading the error log with the student and teaching the weak chapters it shows. Our Class 10 home tutors in Gurgaon teach at home or online, and male and female tutors are available.