CBSE Class 10 board exam preparation tips

Start from the sample paper, not the textbook

CBSE publishes a sample question paper and marking scheme for every subject each year. Read it before you revise: it tells you how many marks come from case-based questions, assertion-reason, short answers and long answers. Studying without knowing the paper structure is how prepared students still run out of time.

A 60-day revision plan

• Days 1–30: one full revision of every chapter, subject rotated daily
• Days 31–45: one solved sample paper per subject, timed, plus correction
• Days 46–55: previous-year papers, focusing on repeated question types
• Days 56–60: only formulas, maps, dates, diagrams and your error notes

Answer writing is worth marks on its own

Marking schemes award points for keywords and steps. Write in points where the question allows, underline technical terms, and always draw the labelled diagram when the chapter has one. In Maths, write the formula line before substituting — partial credit exists for the method.

Subject notes

Science: keep one sheet per chapter with reactions, formulas and diagrams. Most lost marks come from unbalanced equations and unlabelled diagrams, not from unknown concepts.

Mathematics: practise full papers, not isolated sums. Accuracy in the first 20 minutes sets the tone for the paper.

Social Science: convert chapters into cause-effect chains and practise map work weekly; it is the easiest section to score full marks in.

English: writing-skills formats (letter, analytical paragraph) are fixed marks — memorise the format once and never lose them again.

Common mistakes that cost easy marks

• Skipping the reading time instead of planning question order
• Writing long paragraphs for 2-mark questions and running short on time
• Leaving MCQs blank — there is no negative marking in the board exam
• Ignoring the internal-choice questions until the last minute