MyAiSchool 
CBSE released the 2026-27 sample question papers and marking schemes for Classes 10 and 12 on 21 September 2026 at cbseacademic.nic.in, and says the question-paper design and assessment pattern are unchanged from last year. About half the paper is competency-based. Use each paper three times — once to read, once timed, once to mark yourself against the scheme — and read the scheme before you attempt the paper, not after.
Last updated: 25 September 2026
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Released | 21 September 2026 |
| Where | cbseacademic.nic.in → Sample Question Paper → SQP 2026-27 → Class X / Class XII, subject by subject (PDF) |
| What is in each set | a full sample paper and its marking scheme |
| Design change for 2026-27 | none — CBSE has said the question-paper design and assessment pattern are the same as last year |
| Competency-based share | about 50% of the paper (case-based, source-based, assertion–reason, application MCQs) |
| Class 12 evaluation | answer books have been scanned and marked on screen since the 2026 exams; every step has to be visible on the page |
| Class 10 in 2027 | the first (February) exam is compulsory; a second, optional exam follows in May for up to three subjects, the better score counting |
Saturday 3 October, 6:00–7:15 PM · free and live. CBSE Sample Papers 2026-27, Decoded — the paper section by section, the marking scheme mark by mark, one Science and one Maths answer marked on screen against the official scheme, then a section of the real 2026 board paper marked the same way. Classes 10 & 12; 9 & 11 welcome. Recording to everyone who registers.
What did CBSE release on 21 September?
One PDF per subject for Class 10 and one for Class 12 — the sample question paper — and, beside each, its marking scheme. The marking scheme is the document most students never open, and it is the more useful of the two: it says, question by question, what an answer must contain to earn each mark.
The board has said the design has not changed. That is good news in a specific way: the papers from the last two years, and the 2026 board papers themselves, are now reliable practice for the shape of the 2027 paper.
Did the pattern change?
No. The structure that has settled since 2024-25 holds: roughly half the paper is competency-focused — questions that give you a situation, a passage, a graph or a pair of statements and ask you to apply a concept rather than repeat it — with the rest split between objective questions and the traditional short and long answers.
What that means in practice for a Class 10 Science paper: a 20-question objective section that includes assertion–reason items, short and long answer sections marked on value points, and a case-based section at the end where each case carries four marks. Open your subject’s PDF and count the sections yourself; the counts differ by subject.
How should you use a sample paper — the three passes
| Pass | What you do | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Read only | Read the whole paper without answering. Note the sections, the marks per question, where the internal choices are. | The structure — so it is not new on exam day. |
| 2 · Timed | Sit it in three hours, on paper, with the clock. No book. | Your pace, and which sections eat time. |
| 3 · Mark yourself with the scheme | Open the marking scheme and give yourself marks the way it says — per value point, per step. | Where the marks actually went, and the habits that lose half-marks. |
Pass three is where the learning is, and it is the one most students skip. It is also the pass we do live on Saturday.
What does the marking scheme tell you that the paper does not?
Three things you cannot see from the question alone.
Value points. A 3-mark question is usually three specific things, one mark each. An answer written as a paragraph that contains two of them scores two — however long the paragraph.
Step marks. In a numerical, the scheme pays separately for the formula, the substitution, the working and the final answer with its unit. A right answer with no unit loses a mark; a wrong final answer with the right method keeps most of them.
Where the examiner is told to be strict. Diagrams need labels, units must be present, and a question left with two options marked scores zero. None of that is in the paper. All of it is in the scheme.
What should Class 12 students know about on-screen marking?
Since the 2026 exams, Class 12 answer books are scanned and evaluated on screen. The practical consequence is that your working has to be readable as an image: steps on separate lines, units written, diagrams labelled, nothing crammed into a margin. The scheme has not changed because of this — but a step the examiner cannot see on the scan is a step that cannot be paid.
Where do you get real papers to practise on?
The 2026 board papers for Class 10 — Science, Mathematics (Standard), Social Science and English — are on myAiSchool, typed in word for word with their marking schemes, and marked against those schemes when you sit them. Two papers are free on any account: Science 31/1/1 and Mathematics Standard 30/1/1 are the two to start with.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I download the CBSE sample papers 2026-27?
From cbseacademic.nic.in — Sample Question Paper → SQP 2026-27 → your class → your subject. Each PDF has the paper; the marking scheme is a separate PDF beside it.
Has the CBSE exam pattern changed for 2027?
No. CBSE has said the 2026-27 question-paper design and assessment pattern are unchanged from last year.
What share of the paper is competency-based?
About half. The rest is objective questions and traditional short and long answers.
Should I attempt the sample paper now or after the syllabus is finished?
Read it now (pass one) so the structure is familiar; attempt it timed after your syllabus is done; mark it against the scheme the same day.
Is the sample paper the same as the board paper?
No — it shows the design, the sections and the marks, not the questions. The 2026 board papers are the closest thing to a real rehearsal.
Is the Class 10 board exam really held twice in 2027?
The February exam is compulsory. A second, optional exam in May lets a student improve up to three subjects, and the better score counts. The rules are in our guide to the two Class 10 board exams.
Try a real 2026 board paper, marked against the scheme. Two papers are free on any account — no card.