How Many Sets Are There in CBSE Board Exams? CBSE Class 10 & Class 12 Clarified for 2026
  • CBSE Class 10th Exam
  • How Many Sets Are There in CBSE Board Exams? CBSE Class 10 & Class 12 Clarified for 2026

How Many Sets Are There in CBSE Board Exams? CBSE Class 10 & Class 12 Clarified for 2026

Mallika ThaledderUpdated on 04 Dec 2025, 12:48 PM IST

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conduct the board examination for CBSE class 10 and CBSE class 12 exams every year. Lakhs of students appear in the CBSE board exam. To ensure a fair implementation of the examination, the board uses different sets of question papers. It is to maintain fairness and prevent any malpractice during the examination. It helps the board to prevent any chance of the paper leaking. The board is expected to publish 15 sets, which will include 5 major sets, and each will further be divided into 3 subsets.

How Many Sets Are There in CBSE Board Exams? CBSE Class 10 & Class 12 Clarified for 2026
How Many Paper Sets Are There in CBSE Board Exams?

The questions in major sets will be different from one another, while questions in subsets will be the same but in a different order. To perform better and score passing marks in the CBSE results, students can solve previous years’ CBSE board sample papers. It will help them familiarise themselves with the variety of questions that are asked in the exam and improve their problem-solving skills. Below, we have provided more information on the CBSE board exam sets for students' information.

What are CBSE Question Paper Sets?

The board prepares the CBSE question paper for classes 10 and 12 in multiple sets to maintain fairness in the examination and prevent cheating. Each CBSE board exam set contains different questions, but the level of difficulty and the distribution of marks remain the same. The set number should not matter as long as students are familiar with the CBSE syllabus and have prepared well for the examination.

Number of Sets in the CBSE Board Exam

Last year, the CBSE board released a total of 15 sets of question papers for each subject, including Science, Social Science, Hindi, etc. These sets were labelled as Set 1, Set 2, Set 3, Set 4 and Set 5. Each major set comes with 3 subsets. Most questions in each subset are usually the same but arranged differently or phrased slightly differently.

CBSE Class 10th Syllabus 2025-26
Students can access the subject-wise CBSE Class 10 syllabus for the 2025–26 academic session.
Check Now

Total Sets in CBSE Class 10 Board Exam

Subject

Number of Sets

Number of Subsets

Hindi

5

3

English

5

3

Mathematics

5

3

Science

5

3

Social Science

5

3

CBSE Board Exam Class 12 Number of Sets

Subject

Number of Sets

Number of Subsets

Hindi

5

3

English

5

3

Mathematics

5

3

Accountancy

5

3

Business Studies

5

3

Economics

5

3

Geography

5

3

History

5

3

Political Science

5

3

Biology

5 major sets and 1 set B for VI candidates

3

Chemistry

5 major sets and 1 set B for VI candidates

3

Physics

5 major sets and 1 set B for VI candidates

3

Note: VI stands for Visually Impaired candidates.

Purpose of Sets in CBSE Exam

  • Multiple sets ensure that no particular group of students have access to the same questions. It promotes fairness in the examination and helps avoid unnecessary circumstances.

  • It also reduces the risk of question paper leaks before the exam and cheating during the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many sets of question papers does CBSE publish for board exams?
A:

The CBSE board publishes three sets of question papers for each subject.

Q: What is the purpose of multiple sets?
A:

The multiple sets ensure fairness in the examination, enhance the security of the exam process and help avoid unnecessary circumstances such as risk of question paper leaks and cheating. 

Q: Will the different set numbers affect students’ performance in the examination?
A:

No, the set number will not affect the student’s performance as long as they are well prepared for the examination.

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Questions related to CBSE Class 10th

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CBSE Class 10th ?

Hello,

The CBSE board under Sahodaya School Complexes conducts the Sahodaya School Complex Examination. This examination is based on the latest CBSE syllabus and guidelines.

Practicing with the Sahodaya question papers will give one an overview of the entire examination pattern of the finals, it's marking scheme and types of

HELLO,

I am attaching the link through which you can download and access the Bangalore Sahodaya Class 10th CBSE question paper of Mathematics ( Basic )

Here is the link :- https://school.careers360.com/download/ebooks/bangalore-sahodaya-class-10-mathematics-basic-question-paper-2025-26

It will help you to practice basic level numerical questions, strengthen fundamentals and prepare confidently for the board

HELLO,

Below i am attaching the direct link of Careers360 through which you can download the Bangalore Sahodaya Class 10th Mathematics Basic Question paper 2025 2026

Here is the link :- https://school.careers360.com/download/ebooks/bangalore-sahodaya-class-10-mathematics-basic-question-paper-2025-26

Hope this will help you!

Hello

You will be able to download the CBSE Class 10th Maths Sample Paper 2025-26 using the link which is given below.

https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-10th-maths-sample-papers-2025-26

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you.

Hello,

Here you can access the last 5 years CBSE Class 10 Board Exam Question Papers from the mentioned link below:

https://school.careers360.com/boards/cbse/cbse-previous-year-question-papers-class-10

Hope it helps.