CBSE Board Exams 2026: The CBSE Class 12 Chemistry board examination began today, February 28, at 10:30 am and will conclude at 1:30 pm. Around 25 lakh students are appearing for the Class 12 exams at 7,574 centres across the country. Students are required to secure at least 33 per cent marks to pass. The board may award one or two grace marks, if necessary.
Candidates reached their examination centres before 10 am, as entry closed strictly at 10 am. A 15-minute reading time was provided from 10:15 am to 10:30 am before the exam commenced.
CBSE Class 12 Chemistry Board Exam: Important Instructions
Educators had highlighted common mistakes that could cost five to eight marks. These include writing incorrect IUPAC order, skipping steps in chemical conversions, omitting units in numerical answers, using the wrong sign for oxidation numbers, and stating incorrect molecular geometry (for example, writing tetrahedral instead of square planar).
The Class 12 board examinations are being conducted from February 17 to April 10, 2026. Of the total 25 lakh students, approximately 10.2 lakh boys and 8.3 lakh girls are appearing for the exams this year.
Here Are The Highlights On CBSE Class 12 Chemistry Board Exam:
CBSE Board Result Live: Theoretical Questions Required Analytical Thinking
"The numerical problems were manageable, with clear guidelines and familiar patterns. Theoretical questions required some analytical thinking, but nothing was out of syllabus. The questions on chemical bonding, coordination compounds, and p-block elements were straightforward, allowing students to demonstrate their clarity of concepts.
Time management was decent, with the paper not requiring excessive brainstorming. The overall structure was student-friendly, covering all major topics without giving excessive weight to any single chapter." said Shalini Gupta, Subject matter expert, Lancers Army Schools.
CBSE Board Result Live: Student Reactions
"The paper was of moderate difficulty level. We found the paper time-taking especially in solving numericals in section C. The questions of organic conversions were a bit difficult. We were able to do the paper in allotted time. " said Kushagra Tripathi, Kartik Srivastava, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Ghaziabad.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Will There Be Grace Marks For Physics Paper?
At present, CBSE has not issued any official statement addressing these demands. While there is uncertainty over whether grace marks or liberal checking will be implemented, certain established guidelines outline when such measures may be considered.
CBSE Board Exam Live: Was There A Difference In Paper Across Sets
The Class 12 Chemistry paper conducted today has not yet reported any difference across paper sets unlike the Physics examination conducted earlier.
CBSE Board Result Live: Paper Analysis By Educator
Dr. Alka Kapur, Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh said even though the paper was NCERT-based, it required an in-depth study of the textbook and practice of questions.
"Today's Chemistry examination was perceived as easy to moderate. The paper was NCERT based and had numerous questions directly from NCERT textbooks. Though NCERT based, the paper required an in depth study of the textbook and practice of questions to ensure accuracy in the answers." Kapur said.
"Overall, the paper maintained a balanced composition with direct questions, competency based questions and concept oriented question." she added.
CBSE Board Result Live: Paper Analysis
Somya Hooda, Chemistry Department at Silverline Prestige School said:
"The paper includes a good mix of competency-based and moderate questions, which assesses the application of knowledge. The paper was average and the questions were mainly CBSE sample paper based. Direct questions were straight forward and easy to answer. The MCQs and competency-based questions were also of average difficulty, ensuring a balanced assessment.
Students finished the paper well in time and were satisfied with the level of the paper. Overall all the sets were moderate to easy."
CBSE Board Exam Live: Overall Paper Analysis
Time management played a key role in this examination. While the paper could comfortably be completed within the three-hour duration, certain numericals and reasoning-based questions required careful calculation and explanation. Students who allocated time wisely would have been able to review their answers before submission.
Overall, the Chemistry board paper was fair, student-friendly, and aligned with the CBSE examination pattern.
Paper Analysis By Sonam Chauhan (PGT) Chemistry at JAIN International Residential School (JIRS), Bengaluru
CBSE Board Exam Live: Physical Chemistry Featured Moderate-Level Numericals
From a unit-wise perspective, Physical Chemistry featured moderate-level numericals that were largely direct and formula-driven. Organic Chemistry was slightly tricky but entirely NCERT-based, emphasizing mechanisms and conversions. Inorganic Chemistry, especially Coordination Compounds and d and f-Block elements, was largely memory-based but predictable for those who studied the textbook thoroughly.
(Paper Analysis By Sonam Chauhan (PGT) Chemistry at JAIN International Residential School (JIRS), Bengaluru )
CBSE Board Exam 2026 Live: MCQs And Long-Answer Section Analysis (Class 12 Chemistry)
Section A (MCQs) was mostly NCERT-based and straightforward, though a few questions required careful reading. Section B, which included short-answer questions, demanded stronger conceptual clarity. Topics such as Electrochemistry, Chemical Kinetics, and Coordination Compounds required logical reasoning and a step-by-step approach. Students who had practiced derivations and understood underlying principles likely found this section fair and scoring.
The long-answer section was comprehensive yet balanced. Organic chemistry conversions, reaction mechanisms, and named reactions were given importance. Numerical problems were straightforward and formula-based, without being excessively lengthy. The internal choices provided flexibility, allowing students to attempt questions from their stronger areas.
(Paper Analysis By Sonam Chauhan (PGT) Chemistry at JAIN International Residential School (JIRS), Bengaluru )
CBSE Board Exam Live: Paper Analysis By Educator
Sonam Chauhan (PGT) Chemistry at JAIN International Residential School (JIRS), Bengaluru described the paper as moderate, which focused more on understanding instead of rote memorization.
"The CBSE Chemistry Board Examination 2026 proved to be a well-balanced and thoughtfully designed paper that tested students' conceptual understanding rather than rote memorization. Overall, the difficulty level was moderate, making it accessible to well-prepared students while still encouraging analytical thinking and clarity of concepts."
CBSE Board Exams 2026 Live: Class 12 Chemistry Exam Concludes, Paper Analysis Soon
The CBSE Class 12 Chemistry exam concluded at 1:30 pm. The exam began at 10:30 am. Analysis from subject experts, teachers, and students will be available soon.
CBSE Board Exam Live: Five-Year Past Year Percentages
Year Class 12
2024 87.98%
2023 87.33%
2022 92.71%
2021 99.37%
2020 88.78%
CBSE Board Results Live: Result Announcement Dates (Last Three Years)
Academic Year Result Date
2025 May 13
2024 May 13
2023 May 12
CBSE Board Result Live Updates: Chemistry Exam Concludes In 20 Minutes
Exam Concludes In 20 Minutes
CBSE Board Exam Live: Paper Analysis Will Be Shared Here
Paper analysis and student reactions will be shared here.
CBSE Board Exam Live: When Will Results Be Declared?
Based on past trends, students can expect the result to be releaed in mid-May.
CBSE Board Exam Live: 2025 Results
In the CBSE Class 12 2025 board exams, a total of 1,11,544 candidates scored above 90 per cent marks while 24,867 candidates secured more than 95 per cent marks.
CBSE Board Exams Live Updates: No Official Notice
At present, CBSE has not issued any official statement addressing these demands. While there is uncertainty over whether grace marks or liberal checking will be implemented, certain established guidelines outline when such measures may be considered.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Grace Marks For Physics?
Students must secure a minimum of 33% to pass. In cases where a candidate narrowly misses this threshold by a mark or two, the board may exercise discretion and grant grace marks. Additionally, if errors are identified in the question paper, such as misprints or incorrect options, compensatory marks may be awarded. Grace marks can also be considered when questions are deemed excessively difficult, outside the prescribed syllabus, or if the paper is unusually lengthy
CBSE Board Exam Live: Will CBSE Offer Grace Marks Or Ease Evaluation After Board Exam Hardness Concerns?
The recent controversy surrounding the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board examinations has sparked debate among students, parents, educators and coaching institutes.
The issue started after the Class 10 Mathematics exam. Many students said that while some question papers were easy, others were much harder and felt similar to questions asked in competitive exams like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main and Advanced.
Before the discussion could subside, the Class 12 Physics paper triggered fresh criticism, with teachers arguing that the board failed to maintain uniform difficulty levels across different sets.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Examination Started
The Class 12 Chemistry examination has started.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Entry Closes At Sharp 10 AM
Exam Centre Entry Closes At 10 am.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Psychological Strategy in Exam Hall By Educators
Don't panic if a question appears unfamiliar.
Attempt the full paper and use internal choices wisely.
Maintain neat presentation for a positive psychological impression.
Avoid writing long paragraphs; present answers in points.
Write exactly what is asked, not everything you know.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Entry Started
Entry to the examination centre has started. Students must enter before 10 am.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Difficulty Across Sets In Previous Exams
Chemistry is considered a scoring subject. However, like Mathematics and Physics, it has faced concerns over variation in difficulty levels across different sets. An educator had reportedly filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against CBSE regarding this issue. Some students also claimed that the Mathematics paper included questions similar to those from JEE Main and JEE Advanced.
CBSE Board Exams 2026 Live: Case-Study Tips From Educator
For Case Study questions, the educators has advised to read the passage carefully as answers are often directly hidden in the text.
CBSE Board Exams Live: Tips From Educators For Class 12 Chemistry Exam
For Numericals: Follow the order - Given data, Formula, Substitution, Final answer with unit.
For Organic Conversions: Show all steps, clearly mention reagents above the arrow, and avoid skipping intermediate steps.
For Mechanisms: Indicate electron movement (use curved arrows where required) and mention carbocation stability if relevant. Name organic reactions correctly.
Coordination Compounds (Nomenclature): Write ligands in alphabetical order followed by the metal and its oxidation state in Roman numerals.
d- and f-block Elements: Focus on lanthanoid contraction - its cause and effects - along with conceptual questions from the textbook.
CBSE Board Result Live Updates: Last-Minute Tips From Educators
Geeta Dua, Chemistry Faculty at Satya School, Gurugram, has shared important section-wise tips covering numericals, organic conversions, and key concepts that are highly expected to appear in the paper.
Dua advised students to read the question paper calmly and identify assertion-reason traps, where the reason may be correct but might not justify the assertion.
"They should carefully read the requirements of the question. They should show all steps during calculations in numericals and while solving organic conversions, as these steps carry marks," Dua said.
