The CBSE Class 10 Mathematics Standard board exam held on February 17, 2026, has received mixed yet largely balanced feedback from teachers and students across schools.
Most educators agree on one thing — the paper stayed close to NCERT. But how easy it felt depended largely on time management.
NCERT-BASED AND FAMILIAR PATTERN
Vamanrao S Patil and Benasir PA from JAIN International Residential School, Bengaluru, said, “The Grade 10 Mathematics examination conducted today was assessed as moderate in difficulty and comparatively easier than last year’s paper.” They added that the paper covered the entire syllabus and was largely NCERT-based, helping well-prepared students attempt questions confidently.
Varun Goel, Head of Department, Mathematics, NC, Shiv Nadar School, Gurugram, noted that nearly 70% of the questions were directly from textbook exercises and familiar formats. Direct questions included proof of the Basic Proportionality Theorem (BPT), properties of cyclic quadrilaterals, tangents and radii, and finding median and mode of grouped data. There was also an application-based trigonometry question.
Shilpi Jain from Silverline Prestige School, Ghaziabad, said the three-hour, 80-mark paper had internal choices and followed the CBSE sample paper pattern closely. “Students were able to complete the paper within the allotted time and expressed satisfaction with the overall standard of the examination. All sets were considered easy.”
MCQS AND SECTION-WISE BREAKDOWN
According to Prableen Kaur from KIIT World School, Gurgaon, the Basic paper was “medium to difficult level.” The structure included 18 MCQs and 2 assertion-reason questions (1 mark each), 6 very short answers (2 marks), 6 short answers (3 marks), 4 long answers (5 marks), and 3 case-based questions (4 marks).
She said the MCQ and assertion-reason section was concept-based and “was designed in such a way that average student found it little bit difficult to solve it.”
Nilutpal Bora from Modern English School, Guwahati, shared that MCQs from HCF, LCM, AP and Probability were easy, though assertion-reason questions were slightly tricky. The MCQs remained consistent across all sets. Two-mark questions were moderate, and Sections C and D included many previous years’ style questions from circles, triangles, irrational numbers, probability on dice, linear equations, and statistics.
Sections B and C were generally seen as easier. Karan Pal from Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Lucknow, said, “Section B was all easy and it did not required much work.” He added that Section C had a few NCERT questions and was relatively easy.
SECTION D, CASE STUDIES AND LENGTH CONCERNS
Long-answer questions in Section D required deeper understanding and structured steps. The final two questions in Section D were seen as challenging by some teachers.
Case-based questions from Arithmetic Progressions, surface area and volume, and application of trigonometry tested real-life application skills. Most teachers found them aligned with NCERT.
However, Shashi Kant Prasad from Vidyagyan School, Bulandshahr, offered a sharper view: “The overall level of the Mathematics Standard question paper was moderate to difficult The paper was also considered lengthy, making time management challenging for several students.” He added that MCQs were time-consuming and that in Set 1, Question 35 from Circles was particularly challenging.
Student reactions varied. Abhimanyu from Vidyagyan School, Bulandshahr, said, “The paper was very difficult and lengthy.” Aditi, from the same school, commented, “I got Set 3 and my paper was good. I did my best.”
Principal Dr. Alka Kapur from Modern Public School said the paper was balanced, well structured and manageable, adding that students completed it within time.
STRUCTURE OF THE PAPER
The paper followed a clear structure:
Section A: 18 MCQs + 2 Assertion-Reasoning (1 mark each)
Section B: 6 Very Short Answer (2 marks each)
Section C: 6 Short Answer (3 marks each)
Section D: 4 Long Answer (5 marks each)
Section E: 3 Case/Source-based Questions (4 marks each)
Short answer questions in Sections B and C included some direct questions from NCERT. Two-mark questions were moderate. Sections C and D also featured many questions similar to previous years’ papers, including topics like circles and triangle theorems, irrational numbers, probability on dice, linear equations, and statistics such as mean, median and mode.
MATH BASIC VS STANDARD PAPERS
“In comparison to last year, this year’s Class 10 Math board exam Standard Paper was simple, but to our surprise the Maths Basic paper was trickier than the current year’s Maths Standard paper,” notes the maths department of Manav Rachna International School, Gurugram.
“Some questions in standard paper were based on direct application of the concepts while questions from the same topic required twisted interpretation in Basic paper. For example, the probability question in Standard paper was formula based while it required data interpretation in Basic paper. Similarly, in Geometry, there were questions which required multiple step reasoning in Basic paper while they were simpler in Standard Paper,” they say.
“The Standard Paper required Mathematical understanding while the Basic Paper required patience and careful reading and analysis, which actually made it feel harder,” they add.
Overall, the paper seems to have rewarded students who revised NCERT well, practised PYQs and managed their time wisely. While most sections were manageable, smart planning during the exam made all the difference.
More expert reactions are expected as detailed feedback continues to come in.
Check out the CBSE Class 10 Maths Standard board exam 2026 full question paper here.
Check out the CBSE Class 10 Maths Basic paper analysis here.
Check the CBSE Board Exam 2026 Live Blog here.
