The Joint Entrance Examination- Mains (JEE Mains) is one of the biggest competitive entrance exams that are conducted in India. The National Testing Agency is responsible for conducting the JEE Main exam. It offers admission to top engineering colleges like NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. Choosing the right board and course plays a crucial role as it helps students with their JEE main exam preparation.
The CBSE Class 12 English exam carries a total of 100 marks, of which 80 marks are allotted to the theory paper, and 20 marks are reserved for internal assessment.
This Story also Contains
Many students ask questions like which board is better for preparing for JEE Mains 2025. The most common dilemma is choosing between CBSE and the state board. Below, we have provided a detailed analysis of CBSE vs state board, which board is best for JEE mains.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) curriculum is specially designed in a way that helps students with preparation for competitive exams like JEE mains, NEET etc. NCERT is highly recommended for JEE Mains preparation.
The CBSE board follows the NCERT books for CBSE classes 11 and 12 in chemistry, physics and mathematics subject. Hence, CBSE is highly recommended for students who want to appear for competitive exams like JEE Mains.
Most state boards have their own curriculum and do not cover all the topics that are needed for preparing for the JEE Mains examination. Students will have to take extra lessons to catch up, while some might come across language issues. Since many state boards conduct their board exams in their language.
However, if a student is studying under state boards like Tamil Nadu Board and Maharashtra Board that also follow NCERT textbooks, he/she will have more advantages as compared to other state boards that do not follow NCERT.
Both the CBSE and the state board are good. Many CBSE curriculum and state boards follow the NCERT textbook, which is also followed by the JEE Main 2025 syllabus. Below, we have provided data analysis of CBSE and the state board as per the 2018 report. Students can use it as a reference to check out which board suits them the most.
Below, we have provided a comparison between the CBSE board and the Maharashtra board using 2018 candidate demographics for student reference.
Board | Students registered % | Students qualifying % | Students admitted % |
CBSE Board | 43.32 | 55.71 | 55.18 |
Maharashtra Board | 7.88 | 7.21 | 7.13 |
As per the 2018 report, the students from the CBSE board have performed better as compared to the Maharashtra board students. The qualifying percentage of CBSE board students is higher than the students who registered for the examination. While the Maha board students’ qualifying percentage has decreased. This shows that students have underperformed in the JEE main examination.
To pass the JEE mains exam, students must be aware of the basic concepts of physics, chemistry and mathematics. As we know, the CBSE board follows the NCERT curriculum, which aligns perfectly with the JEE mains syllabus. It gives CBSE an advantage as compared to the state board.
However, both the CBSE and State board are good. It depends on students, their skills and hard work. The board might give them a bit of an advantage, but in the end, what matters is how a student has prepared for the examination. To pass in the JEE mains, they must build a strong foundation, study and practice every day.
On Question asked by student community
Dear Student,
If you have 6 subjects with Hindi as an additional subject and you have failed in one compartment subject, your additional subject which is Hindi can be considered pass in the board examination.
Hi,
The CBSE Class 10 Computer Applications exam (Set-1) was conducted on 27 February 2026 from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM as part of the CBSE board exams. The paper included MCQs, very short answer questions, short answers, long answers, and case-study questions based on topics like HTML, networking, internet
You can check this link:
https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-safal-question-paper-2025-26
Dear Student,
Please go through the link to check 12th CBSE Chemistry question paper: https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-previous-year-question-papers-class-12-chemistry
The Second Language English paper for the 2025-26 academic session (Summative Assessment 2 or SA-2 phase) focused on comprehension, grammar, and literature.
The second language English paper is divided into four main sections, totalling 80 Marks (for most state boards like Karnataka)
As per latest syllabus. Physics formulas, equations, & laws of class 11 & 12th chapters
As per latest syllabus. Chemistry formulas, equations, & laws of class 11 & 12th chapters
As per latest 2024 syllabus. Study 40% syllabus and score upto 100% marks in JEE
As per latest syllabus. Maths formulas, equations, & theorems of class 11 & 12th chapters