CBSE 12th Board Exams 2026: 10 most effective prep tips to score above 90% in 12th board exams
In this article we have compiled a few tips and tricks suggested by experienced CBSE teachers and board exam toppers, to help students conduct CBSE 12th board exam preparation in an effective and organised manner.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is expected to release the CBSE 12th Board Exams 2026 date sheet in November 2025. While the Board is yet to release the official CBSE Date Sheet 2026 Class 12, the Board has already released CBSE 12th Sample Papers 2026 online. Students must note that the CBSE 12th exams are in less than 6 months and preparing for such crucial examinations is definitely not a walk in the park. This year, CBSE has asked students to prepare the complete CBSE Class 12 syllabus, which is released on the official website. Shiksha.com has compiled some most effective prep tips to help students score above 90%.
With the school and coaching for CBSE Class 12 board exams 2026 ongoing, students must be finding it difficult to make a schedule and concentrate on studies. Since not many days are left until the CBSE 10th and CBSE 12th Board Exams to begin, students are advised to adopt the smarter way to begin the CBSE 12th board exam preparation.
There is no concept of good or bad marks in class 12 CBSE board. You must focus on your studies and work hard towards schieveing good score in the board exams. The concept of good/bad marks can be benchmarked by you depending on the stream/career you have chosen for yourself. If you wish to enter IIT and become an engineer, you must aim for 90+ percentage, so on and so forth.
Thus, set an aim for yourself and build a way to reach the goal and THAT shall be good enough for you.
All the best!
For Class 12th, it is considered to be strict. However, it is said that the checking done by evaluators is linient in comparison to the checking done by them in Class 9, 11 in their schools.
So, if u have covered the entire CBSE 12th syllabus and your preparation is on point, then you must not worry about the strict checking. Also, you can click on the link below to check the CBSE 12th important preparation points.
Top tips to score high in CBSE board exams
Top mistakes students make while preparing for CBSE 12th board exams
In this article we have compiled a few tips and tricks suggested by experienced CBSE teachers and board exam toppers, to help students conduct CBSE 12th board exam preparation in an effective and organised manner. These tips will not only help students to cope with examination stress but will also increase their chances to grab more than 90 per cent in upcoming 12th board exams.
10 Most effective tips for CBSE Board Exam Preparation are listed below:
- Identify Strength and Weakness
- Prepare a Study Plan/Schedule
- Stay Connected
- Cover the Prescribed CBSE Syllabus
- Practice Previous Year’s CBSE Question Papers
- Go through CBSE Sample Papers and Marking Scheme
- Take Regular Breaks
- Meditate and Relax
- Decode the Art of Writing Board Exams
Identify Strength and Weakness
Identifying strengths and weakness before beginning with the preparation helps to set goals. Discovering strengths and weaknesses allows students to pick and choose subjects to begin with first. This way, students can begin preparation for the subjects they find difficult to study and try completing the syllabus way before the examinations begin. This method would buy them time to revise the subjects they find difficult. However, this does not mean that they don’t need to study the subjects that they find easy. Students must note that scoring well in CBSE Board Exams is easy only with thorough and smart preparation.
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Prepare a Study Plan/Schedule
Preparing a timetable and sticking to it becomes a task sometimes. However, if a student is dedicated to scoring well in board exams, then s/he must prepare a study schedule and follow it religiously. By planning a study schedule does not mean that one needs to fill each and every hour with studies. Schedule the hours with dedicated subjects as well as leisure time. Keeping mind off the study for some time actually helps to concentrate better. Keep dedicated hours for everything and never postpone the decided schedule.
Students appearing for CBSE 10th Board Exam 2026 must understand the strategy to utilize CBSE date sheet 2026 for preparation of CBSE Board Exams 2026. CBSE 10th Phase 1 Board Exam 2026 will commence on February 17 and will conclude on March 9, 2026. Now, let us understand ways to use CBSE date sheet to commence CBSE Class 10 preparation 2026.
Prepare a subject-wise list for CBSE Class 10, 12
List down all the subjects of CBSE Class 10 Board Exam 2026. Students appearing for CBSE Class 10 Board Exam 2026 will commonly be appearing for English, Hindi, Science, Social Science and Mathematics.
List down CBSE Class 10, 12 syllabus and list of topics to cover
Students are advised to cover the complete CBSE 10th syllabus 2026. It is important for students to cover the whole syllabus to score well in board exams. Students must also not forget to make note of important topics to cover to avoid last minute hassles.
Know your subject-wise strengths and weakness
Prioritize the subjects you think you are weak in. Try to cover the whole syllabus using time management. It is important to cover weak subjects before the ones you feel confident about. Use the CBSE 10th timetable to know the number of preparatory days allotted to each subject. Try and cover lengthy subjects much prior to any other subjects.
Make Notes for Revision
While preparing for CBSE Board Exams 2025 Class 10, students are advised to make notes for all the subjects. The short notes prepared during the preparation process will help students in last-minute revisions.
Don’t forget to test yourself!
While preparing for CBSE Class 10 Board Exam 2026, students are advised to keep testing themselves. Practice as many CBSE Class 10 Sample Paper 2026. Use previous year question papers to revise and practice for CBSE board exams 2025. Practicing sample papers will not only help students understand their preparation level but also teach them time management while making under the CBSE 10th exam pattern.
No, you can easily clear the CBSE 10th board exams with hardwork and smart studying. Study effectively and remain attentive in classes. Be regular with your work. Divide the CBSE 10th syllabus in parts and work towards achieving the daily goal set by you.
And when there are 2-3 months left for the exams to begin, practice solving sample papers. Stick to NCERT and DO IT WELL. NCERT is enough to fetch you good marks.
And last but not the least the most important thing is have faith and confidence on yourself. Don't take these exams too seriously. No, I'm not denying the fact that “boards are important", boards are definitely important but don't pressurise yourself.
In CBSE 10th class, there are basically Maths, Science, Social studies, English and one other language subject. And it is compulsory to divide (unequally) your study hours for each and every subject.
Identify your weak subjects and try to allot maximum time to them and you will start to gain benefit in just few days.
Revise the notes on a regular basis, solve their practice questions or Question banks. In case you are self preparing without any help then here are some tips
- Science - Take any chapter and read it thoroughly from NCERT. Just read it first time, don't try to make any notes in the first time or mark some imp. points.
Then read it just one more time and this time mark important points, formulae, reaction, definitions and make short notes of them . They will help you a lot during your exam time . You will have no time to revise the whole NCERT book during your exam time.
Now coming to the practice part, obviously first solve all the questions from your NCERT text book and then download 5 previous year papers from CBSE official site and solve them or you can just buy some book which has previous year questions.
If you want to solve more variety of questions then download support material from edudel. CBSE releases a help book on edudel every year which contains short notes of each chapter and some good questions also.
If you face problem in numericals then prepare a separate numerical register and try to solve every numerical in your register that you come across whether it is from NCERT or from previous year or from any other book.
It is just more than enough to score 95+ marks in science. Make good notes, do previous years' papers and believe in yourself.
2. Maths : Now it need a good amount of practice from each chapter.
Again start from Ncert. Make a good base of concepts given it. And then solve questions from any reference book . You can consult maths book by Mr. M.L. Aggarwal or RD sharma.
Then you can solve previous year papers in last one or two month for gaining confidence and managing your time.
For other subjects, start from ncert and then take additional help from previous years and support materials .
So. all the very best for the upcoming exams and may you score well!
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Stay Connected
Meeting friends, interacting with experts and teachers is quite beneficial to cope up with the learning process. However, students are advised not to compromise over conducting interactive sessions with friends and teachers. Conduct mock tests with friends, exchange study material online and gather as much knowledge as possible. This would not only help to prepare for CBSE Board Exams in a smarter way but will also keep one sane in the midst of these difficult times.
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Cover the Prescribed CBSE Syllabus
Over the years many toppers talked about this secret mantra of excelling in the board exams. Approximately 90 per cent of the CBSE board exam question paper comes from the NCERT books. Students are advised to thoroughly complete the prescribed CBSE syllabus from their books before going overboard in search of outside study material.
Also Read: CBSE 12th Syllabus 2026
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Practice Previous Year’s CBSE Question Papers
The way completing the prescribed CBSE syllabus is important, it is also necessary to go through the questions that appeared in the past. Practicing previous years' CBSE question papers help students prepare a strategy to attempt board exams. Once done with the syllabus and revision, students are advised to start practicing question papers to track their preparation level and know where their preparation for CBSE 12th board exams is lacking. Practicing papers for subjects such as mathematics, physics, accountancy, chemistry, and more helps students track the pattern, style, and type of questions that never change over the years.
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Go through CBSE Sample Papers and Marking Scheme
CBSE Sample papers are released by the board for all subjects for CBSE 10th and CBSE 12th students on the official website. Teachers often recommend practicing CBSE sample papers, when asked about how to prepare for CBSE Board Exams to score well? They also ask students to go through the marking schemes released by the board to understand how their answers would be evaluated in board exams. Knowing the subject-wise weightage prescribed by CBSE helps students formulate their study plan well.
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Take Regular Breaks
Concentration and thorough study is definitely the mantra to get excellent CBSE 12th Results, but taking out some leisure time increases the chances of scoring well the board exams. Taking regular breaks from studies helps to calm the mind. A continuous studying method would result in tired mind and lack of concentration. While preparing for CBSE 12th Board Exams, students are advised to avoid studying for long hours continuously. Instead, they must take regular intervals every 50 to 60 minutes. These intervals are important to relax the brain and retrieve energy to get ready for the next study session. Taking breaks while studying helps to keep the brain focused and alert.
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Meditate and Relax
Experiencing anxiety and stress while preparing for CBSE 12th Board Exams is common. However, students must note that this anxiety and stress can become a reason behind their poor performance in CBSE board exams. While talking about the mantra of achieving success in CBSE Board exams, Hansika Shukla, the CBSE 12th Topper, who scored 99.9 per cent in CBSE 12th Board Exams, stated that the most important thing is to believe in self. No matter how much the student study it will always appear less until s/he appears for the exam. Therefore, student must refrain their brain from playing tricks with them by mediating well. Meditation also improves sleep, brain performance and increases the ability to concentrate for long hours.
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Decode the Art of Writing Board Exams
Board exams are not all about mugging up the syllabus thoroughly. Presentation of what the students have studied matters the most. Decoding the art of expressing and writing answers during the board exams is the most important step to get excellent CBSE 12th results. After preparing hard for the CBSE 12th board exam, the answer sheet must reflect the hard work. Students must learn the proper technique and strategy to write the CBSE Board Exam answers in the best way and complete the exam well on time. Students must make the best use of the 15 minutes reading time allotted before starting writing the exam. Prioritizing the well-prepared questions is a must. Writing brief and to-the-point answers while sticking to the word limits helps score good marks. Choosing the right question from the choice-based question is another wise step to learn. Do not panic, attempt all questions and write clean are some points on which the students must focus while appearing for CBSE Board Exams.
Going by the past trend, CBSE 12th Date Sheet 2026 will be released soon. In line with the conduct of CBSE Board Exams 2026 Class 12, the Board will announce CBSE 10th Results 2026 and CBSE 12th Result 2026 in the month of May. Students still have a lot of time to study well and score excellent 12 board results.
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