What if I fail in the NIOS 10th exams?

If a student is unable to clear the NIOS 10th exams, then they can appear for the exams in the same year. This is under the NIOS On-Demand Examination System. Students need not worry even if they fail for the NIOS exam. NIOS provides chance for the student to appear for the subjects that they failed during the on-demand examination. With proper preparation, they can easily clear the exam.

Can an aspirant change their NIOS study centre?

A learner must choose his/her Study Centre/AI very carefully. In case a learner wishes to change his/her Study Centre from one centre to another centre, they will have to apply online through E-Service. The learner have to upload valid reasons and documents. Also there is a fee of INR 400 for the same. Students have to pay via online.

What is the exam pattern of NIOS 10th grade?

The grading of subjects is made of two parts, Tutor Marked Assignments, or TMAs and the final examinations. For subjects without practicals, such as the Group A subjects, TMAs account for 20% of the grade. The final exam for most subjects will be for 3 hours. However, a few subjects, such as Home Science, have an exam duration of 2.5 hours. Students should refer to the NIOS exam pattern before starting the preparation for the NIOS 10th exams. This will help them to know the marking scheme. Thus students can prepare accordingly.

How many groups are there for NIOS 12th subjects?

NIOS has divided the subjects for class 12 into six groups namely Group A, B, C, D, E and F. Group A consists language subjects. Other groups include subjects from Science, Commerce, Humanities and others. Each student has to select a minimum 5 subjects in total while applying for NIOS admission 2025. It is mandatory to choose one language subject from group A and other subjects can be chosen from any group.

What are the subjects available for NIOS Class 10th?

Subjects available for students at the secondary level include Hindi English Urdu, Sanskrit, Bengali, Odia, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Assamese, Nepali, Malayalam, Arabic, Persian, Tamil, Sindhi, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Science, Economics, Business Studies, Home Science; Psychology, Indian Culture and Heritage, Painting, Data Entry Operations, Accountancy, Hindustan Music, Carnatic Music, Veda Adhyan, Sanskrit Vyakaran, Bharatiya Darshan, Sanskrit Sahitya. NIOS offers 35 subjects including 18 languages for Class 10 students. The NIOS tenth class student is required to complete a minimum of 5 subjects with a minimum of one language and a maximum of two languages, to be eligible for certification. The subjects are broadly divided into two categories- Group A and Group B. Group A includes English Hindi Urdu, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Nepali, Assamese, Marathi, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Odia, Arabic, Persian and Tamil. Group B includes Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Science, Economics, Business Studies, Home Science, Data Entry Operations, Psychology, Indian Culture and Heritage, Accountancy, Painting, and Data Entry Operations.

Where is the NIOS 10th syllabus released?

National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) releases the NIOS 10th syllabus online. Students have to check the official website - nios.ac.in. for the NIOS 10th syllabus. They can download the NIOS 10th syllabus in PDF form. NIOS syllabus for 10th 2026 is the same for public and on-demand exams. NIOS 10th Syllabus is available for all subjects namely English, Maths, Hindi, Science, Social Science and more.

From where can I download the NIOS 10th Sample papers?

NIOS will release the NIOS 10th sample papers on the official website. Students will be able to download the NIOS Class 10 Sample papers by visiting official website of NIOS. They can also check the NIOS 10th sample papers on this page. They are advised to solve and learn the sample papers. This will help them to improve their scores for the NIOS 10th exams.

What are the prep tips for NIOS exam?

Making a study schedule helps in covering each subject and the important topics. Students can attend tuition classes. Solving previous years’ NIOS 10th question papers prepares the students in completing the paper on time. Make notes while learning diagrams, formulae and important points. It helps in learning faster and notes come handy in revision. Students must follow their study plan and keep themselves motivated. They must cover the entire syllabus thoroughly and also the NIOS 10th exam pattern.

NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026: Check Latest Pattern & Marking Scheme

Q: When will be the NIOS 10th exam 2026 held?

NIOS 10th theory exam 2026 was held from April 10 to May 6, 2026. The board released the NIOS date sheet 2026 on the official website - nios.ac.in. We have provided the NIOS 10th time table 2026 PDF in our NIOS 10th dates 2026 page.

Updated on Jul 5, 2026 18:44 IST

By Md Shahzad, Assistant Manager – Editorial Content

NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026: The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) will release the NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026 for Class 10 on the official website. NIOS Class 10 exam pattern 2026 mentions the marking scheme, duration, different types of questions asked in the exams, and more. NIOS is an Open School that provides education to a heterogeneous group of learners up to higher secondary level through open and distance learning (ODL) mode. The learning happens through printed self-instructional material, audio and video programs, personal contact program (PCP) and Tutor Marked Assignments (TMA).

Students must also solve the NIOS 10th sample question papers to know the type of questions asked in the examination.

Table of contents

NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026: Overview
NIOS Class 10th Exam Pattern 2026: Subject-wise Weightage
NIOS 10th Marking Scheme
NIOS Class 10 Exam Sections and Important Topics 2026
FAQs on NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026

NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026: Overview

Students can check NIOS 10th exam pattern in the table below:

Particulars	Details
Conducting Body	National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
Exam Mode	Offline (Pen-and-Paper)
Exam Sessions	Conducted twice a year (April–May and October–November)
Exam Duration	3 Hours (varies slightly by subject)
Maximum Marks	100 Marks per subject
Theory & Practical	Theory-only subjects: 100 marks; Practical subjects: 85 marks (Theory) + 15 marks (Practical)
Question Types	MCQs, Very Short Answer, Short Answer, and Long Answer Questions
Tutor Marked Assignments (TMA)	TMA marks are included in the final result as per NIOS guidelines

NIOS 10th Passing Criteria

The NIOS Result 2026 passing criteria is provided below for class 10 board examination:

Course	Pass Criteria	Certification Criteria
Secondary Course (NIOS 10th)	A minimum of 33% marks in aggregate (Theory plus Practicals where applicable) in public examination.	Pass in 5 subjects, including at least one but not more than two languages

NIOS Class 10th Exam Pattern 2026: Subject-wise Weightage

We have provided the subject-wise weightage for NIOS 10th exams in the table below:

Subject	Theory	Practical / TMA	Total Marks
English	80	20 (TMA)	100
Hindi	80	20 (TMA)	100
Mathematics	80	20 (TMA)	100
Social Science	80	20 (TMA)	100
Economics	80	20 (TMA)	100
Business Studies	80	20 (TMA)	100
Science	85	15 (Practical)	100
Home Science	85	15 (Practical)	100
Painting	40	60 (Practical)	100
Indian Culture & Heritage	80	20 (TMA)	100

NIOS 10th Marking Scheme

Subject	Marking scheme
English	Reading: 15 marks Writing: 25 marks Grammar: 30 marks Literature: 30 marks
Mathematics	Knowledge: 25 marks Understanding: 42 marks Application: 10 marks Skills: 8 marks Practicals: 15 marks
Social Science	Knowledge: 30 marks Understanding: 48 marks Application: 14 marks Skill: 8 marks
Economics	Knowledge: 30 Understanding: 50 Application: 20
Business Studies	Knowledge: 30 Understanding: 50 Application: 20
Home Science	Knowledge: 25 marks Understanding: 42 marks Application: 10 marks Skills: 8 marks Practicals: 15 marks
Psychology	Knowledge: 30 marks Understanding: 50 marks Application: 20 marks
Indian Culture and Heritage	Knowledge: 30 marks Understanding: 50 marks Application: 20 marks
Accountancy	Knowledge: 20 marks Understanding: 50 marks Application: 20 marks
Painting	Knowledge: 10 marks Understanding: 15 marks Application: 5 marks Practical: 30 marks
Data Entry Operations	Theory: 40 marks Practicals: 60 marks

A student has nine chances to appear in the public examinations that are spread over a period of five years. The credits gained are accumulated until the student gains the required credits for certification. NIOS has an evaluation system where the student has the freedom to answer the questions in public examinations in any one of the scheduled regional languages, although the question papers supplied are generally in English, Hindi and regional languages.

The information about examination centres and results are available online. The public examinations are held twice a year in the months of April-May and October-November. Students can appear through On-Demand Examination at the secondary level in those subjects for which students have been given admission in NIOS.

Students need to register by filling up the examination form and paying the examination fee as indicated. Examination centres are chosen by NIOS but they are normally district headquarters, sub-divisional headquarters and other available places nearest to the AIs.

Also Read:

NIOS Class 10 Result 2025

NIOS 10th Hall Ticket 2025

NIOS preparation tips

NIOS Subjects Categories

The NIOS secondary course is equivalent to the tenth class and a student is required to complete a minimum of 5 subjects with a minimum of one language and a maximum of two languages, to be eligible for certification. The subjects are broadly divided into two categories- Group A and Group B.

Groups	Subjects
Group A	English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Telugu, Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Nepali, Assamese, Marathi, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Odia, Arabic, Persian and Tamil.
Group B	Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Science, Economics, Business Studies, Home Science, Data Entry Operations, Psychology, Indian Culture and Heritage, Accountancy, Painting, and Data Entry Operations.

NIOS has an On-Demand Examination System (ODES) at the secondary level and offers 28 subjects in eight mediums namely Hindi, English, Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam and Odia for secondary examinations. NIOS also offers vocational subjects in combination with academic subjects at the secondary stage.

To pass the exam, a student must attend all the classes at the centre so that he/she can get complete guidance from their tutors and also attain a good score in the tutor-marked assignment as it carries 20% weightage.

NIOS Class 10 Exam Sections and Important Topics 2026

The student has to choose the subjects and languages based on their interest and aptitude. Since there are no regular classroom teaching and coaching sessions, the students have to find resources and books on their own. The NIOS course material is available for download on the official NIOS website. Students can find the NIOS 10th class exam sections and important topics in the table below:

Subject	Exam Sections	Important Topics
English	Reading, Writing, Grammar, Literature	Reading Comprehension, Letter & Paragraph Writing, Grammar, Prose and Poetry Lessons
Hindi	अपठित बोध, लेखन, व्याकरण, साहित्य	अपठित गद्यांश, पत्र एवं निबंध लेखन, व्याकरण, गद्य एवं पद्य पाठ
Mathematics	Algebra, Geometry, Mensuration, Statistics	Real Numbers, Algebraic Expressions, Linear Equations, Trigonometry, Circles, Surface Areas & Volumes, Statistics, Probability
Science & Technology	Physics, Chemistry, Biology	Motion, Force, Light, Electricity, Chemical Reactions, Acids & Bases, Life Processes, Heredity, Natural Resources
Social Science	History, Geography, Political Science, Economics	Indian National Movement, Indian Constitution, Resources, Agriculture, Democracy, Development, Consumer Awareness
Economics	Basic Economic Concepts, Indian Economy	Demand & Supply, Money and Banking, Economic Development, Consumer Rights
Business Studies	Business Fundamentals, Trade, Marketing	Forms of Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Banking, Insurance, Consumer Protection
Home Science	Nutrition, Health, Family Resource Management	Balanced Diet, Child Care, Health & Hygiene, Home Management, Consumer Education
Psychology	Foundations of Psychology, Human Behaviour	Learning, Memory, Intelligence, Personality, Mental Health, Motivation
Indian Culture & Heritage	Indian History, Art and Culture	Cultural Heritage, Religions, Architecture, Literature, Music, Dance and Festivals

FAQs on NIOS 10th Exam Pattern 2026

Q: When will be the NIOS 10th exam 2026 held?

NIOS 10th theory exam 2026 was held from April 10 to May 6, 2026. The board released the NIOS date sheet 2026 on the official website - nios.ac.in. We have provided the NIOS 10th time table 2026 PDF in our NIOS 10th dates 2026 page.

Q: What are the mediums of studies available in NIOS?

The NIOS offers a choice in the medium of studies at the secondary level in English Hindi Urdu, Marathi, Odia, Telugu, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam and Punjabi medium. Students can choose accordingly at the secondary level. The learner is free to choose any one of these mediums for studies. At Class 12 level, the course is offered only Hindi English Urdu mediums. The learner is free to choose any one of these mediums for studies.

Q: What is the passing marks for NIOS 10th exam?

Students should score 33% of the total marks for passing the NIOS Class 10 exam. For 10th and 12th, you need to score a minimum of 33% in the aggregate in the practical and theory exams.

Q: How many marks are required in NIOS Class 10th in each subject?

NIOS total marks for each subject of class 10th is 100 with theory, internal, and practical evaluation. For example, marking scheme of English is as follows. Reading: 15 marks, Writing: 25 marks, Grammar: 30 marks, and Literature: 30 marks. Markig scheme of Maths is different. Knowledge: 25 marks, Understanding: 42 marks, Application: 10 marks, Skills: 8 marks and Practicals: 15 marks. A student is required to complete a minimum of 5 subjects with a minimum of one language and a maximum of two languages, to be eligible for certification.

Q: Can a NIOS aspirant choose any subject combination?

Students have the option to choose subjects of their choice from the list given on NIOS website. The NIOS Class 10 subjects are divided into two. They are Group A and Group B. Students at the Secondary level need to take a minimum of 5 subjects, including at least one language, and no more than 2 languages. They can take a maximum of 7 subjects.