Class 12th: Will Boards 2026 be Toughest Exams Ever?

Will Boards 2026 be Toughest Exams Ever? Are you worried about how tough the Class 12 boards will be in 2026? You’re not alone because every year, lakhs of students gear up for the CBSE board exams, hoping to score high and secure their future. But with changing paper patterns, fewer direct questions, and rising competition, the big question is – are the boards getting harder each year?

In this blog, we’ll break down the latest data from 2024 and 2025, uncover trends in student performance, and help you understand what it truly takes to stand out in 2026. Whether you’re aiming for 90% or 95%+, this guide is for you.

The Reality Behind High Scores: 90% vs. 95%

According to the CBSE data for the 2024 board exams, only 7.16% of students managed to score above 90%, while a significantly smaller group, just 1.48%, scored above 95%.

This dramatic drop highlights an important truth:
There’s a dense concentration of students scoring between 90% and 95%, but only the top 1.5% manage to cross the 95% threshold. In simpler terms, pushing your score from 90 to 95 isn’t just about a few extra marks, it requires extraordinary performance and disciplined, focused effort.

Achieving a 90% score may place a student among strong performers, but breaching the 95% mark demands a whole new level of preparation and mindset.

Compartment Exams: A Growing Concern

Another critical data point is the percentage of students receiving compartment results a strong indicator of where the challenges lie.

• In 2023, 7.57% of students were placed in the compartment category.
• In 2024, the figure stood at 7.54%—nearly the same.

That means nearly 1 in every 13 students faced a compartment. This isn’t a small fraction; it reflects a substantial portion of the student population. The takeaway here is that while many students do well, a large number struggle to even pass all subjects in one go.

Why This Data Matters for 2025 and Beyond

When compared year-over-year, this data helps paint a clear picture of how competitive and challenging the CBSE exams are becoming. With the 2025 and 2026 exams approaching, these trends suggest the difficulty level may be gradually increasing, and students must be well-prepared to meet the rising standards.

What Changed in 2025? A Dip in High Scores

The CBSE data for 2025 shows a notable decline in students scoring above 90%, dropping from 7.16% in 2024 to just 6.59%. This nearly 0.6 percentage point dip, which equates to almost a 5% relative decrease, indicates that the exam papers were tougher in 2025.

Interestingly, while the number of students scoring above 90% fell significantly, the percentage of students scoring above 95% remained almost the same as the previous year. This points to a key observation:

Students who began their preparation early and maintained consistent discipline throughout the year were unaffected by the increased difficulty level.

In other words, the exam toughness becomes secondary for students who have built strong foundational skills and practised regularly. These are the students most likely to fall into the coveted 95%+ category, regardless of how tough the paper turns out to be.

Compartment Rates Show a Slight Uptick

Another data point worth noting is the compartment percentage:

• 2024: 7.54% of students received compartments.
• 2025: This increased slightly to 7.63%.

This reinforces a consistent concern: around 7 out of every 100 students fail to clear one or more subjects and are pushed into compartments. The message here is straightforward: you must make sure you’re not one of them. With a little planning and the right strategies, this is entirely achievable.

Why Do Students Still End Up in Compartments Despite Efforts?

Here comes an important question: 

• Why do some students still struggle, even after working hard in the final months before the board exams?

It is found that many students begin serious preparation just two to three months before the board exams. And, they follow the basics like covering the NCERT syllabus, solving a few teacher-given problems, and practising 3–4 sample papers.

The truth is that last-minute preparation often isn’t enough to guarantee results, especially in challenging subjects like Mathematics.

Some students, despite their dedication in the final phase, still ended up with compartment results, even in subjects they focused heavily on. This points to deeper issues not with the students’ intent, but with the overall strategy and timing.

The Ripple Effect: How One Bad Exam Can Impact the Rest

One of the most overlooked reason why students underperform even after months of preparation, is due to the “Ripple Effect”. This term refers to the psychological and academic ripple effect caused by a tough paper early in the exam schedule.

Take, for example, a situation where Physics is the first paper, and it turns out to be unexpectedly difficult. The bad experience in the first exam spills over into the following ones, like Chemistry and Mathematics.

This phenomenon can be easily understood by: 

• Increased anxiety and reduced confidence during upcoming exams
• Lack of mental clarity and poor time management
• Difficulty recalling and applying concepts, even in topics the student has already mastered

In short, one difficult exam can throw a student off track for the rest of their schedule. That’s why it’s essential to treat each subject with equal seriousness from the beginning, so that no matter which subject appears first, you’re fully prepared to tackle it with confidence.

Fewer Direct Questions, More Application-Based Problems

Another major shift in recent board exams has been a drop in direct, straightforward questions, commonly known as “pass guarantee” questions. Previously, around 40–45% of the questions in exams were directly lifted from textbooks or followed familiar patterns. This meant even students who had only prepared the basics could manage to pass.

But the 2024 and 2025 exams have disrupted that pattern.

The percentage of direct questions has significantly decreased, while indirect, application-based questions have increased.

This change means that you can no longer rely on rote learning or selective preparation. Even mastering NCERT questions alone may no longer be enough. Today’s exams demand a deeper conceptual understanding, the ability to apply knowledge in unfamiliar formats, and a long-term, strategy-driven approach to preparation.

Why Practice and Conceptual Clarity Are Now Non-Negotiable

If there’s one thing recent board exam trends make abundantly clear, it’s this: practice is no longer optional—it’s essential.

To score above 90%, and especially above 95%, you need to engage in extensive and wide-ranging practice across subjects like Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. It’s no longer enough to solve just a handful of question papers or previous year questions. Instead, the approach should be:

• Never say “enough questions”: The mindset that “I’ve practiced a lot already” can be harmful. Instead, you must maintain a continuous, open attitude toward learning and revision.
  
• Maximise exposure to question types: The more questions a student sees before the exam, the better the chances that something familiar will appear during the real test. This helps reduce stress, saves time, and boosts confidence under pressure.
  
• Aim for speed and accuracy: Without enough practice, even well-prepared students may find themselves unable to manage time or may panic mid-exam, affecting performance across the board.

Organize Your Resources, But Practice Freely

While practicing widely, it’s also important to organize your study materials and tools smartly. Here’s how you can approach your board exam prep strategically:

• Use structured resources like NCERT, question banks, and previous year question (PYQ) books
• Follow reliable educators or playlists for guided learning
• Balance guided learning with self-study time
• Prioritize consistency over cramming

In simple terms, be methodical with your resources but limitless with your practice.

Build a Rock-Solid Foundation Through Conceptual Clarity

Practice alone won’t be enough if it’s not built on a strong conceptual base. In today’s exam landscape, conceptual clarity must be at a 10/10 level. So you need to move beyond the surface-level understanding that might have worked in earlier patterns.

This means:

• Focusing on understanding, not just memorization
• Connecting related concepts and seeing how they apply across various question formats
• Avoiding the trap of studying only for “direct” questions, because those are now rare

The Power of Practice: How It Impacts Exam Hall Performance

Solving a wide variety of questions before entering the examination hall ensures that most questions in the actual paper will feel familiar.

This can lead to a huge psychological and strategic advantage:

• 80–85% of the paper will likely contain questions that you have already seen or practised in some form.
  
• With those questions solved quickly and accurately, you are left with ample time to tackle the remaining 15–20%, which tend to be moderately tough or tricky.
  
• This not only improves time management but also reduces panic and boosts confidence during the exam.

A Math-Specific Strategy: Start to Finish Planning

When it comes to Mathematics, consistent practice is mandatory. Students preparing for the board exams can follow a structured plan to master every type of question. Here’s what that plan should include:

• Follow a trusted educator or playlist: This ensures regular exposure to mixed, tricky, and one-shot questions from across the syllabus.
  
• Use subject-specific playlists: Math students, for example, should utilize playlists focused on:
  
  • PYQs (Previous Year Questions)
  • Mixed questions across chapters
  • One-shot revision sessions
    
• Engage in a variety of formats: Don’t rely on one source. Combine:
  
  • NCERT problem sets
  • Question banks
  • Sample papers
  • 10-year PYQ compilations

The goal is to become so well-versed in problem-solving that no question feels entirely new during the exam.

Organise Resources for Maximum Efficiency

With countless resources available, the challenge isn’t availability; it’s about organisation. Students should:

• Create a weekly question-solving routine based on playlists and book resources
• Use recommended books only; ones known for their clarity, accuracy, and pattern alignment with recent CBSE changes
• Track performance across topics to identify weak areas early.

Smart Integration of Resources + Practice

Students are encouraged to combine these books with carefully structured online playlists, especially on YouTube:

• For Mathematics, look for playlists focused on:
  
  • PYQs
  • Mixed and tricky questions
  • One-shot revisions
    
• The same approach applies to Physics and Chemistry. Choose one or two educators whose teaching style you trust, and follow their playlists consistently.

Will Boards 2026 Be the Toughest Exams Ever?

So, if you are looking for the answer that “Will Boards 2026 be Toughest Exams Ever?” then observing the trends from 2024 and 2025, it’s possible that the Class 12 board exams in 2026 could be the toughest so far. Scoring above 90% is getting harder, and questions are now more focused on understanding and application, not just memorising from books. Also, the number of students getting compartments is slightly increasing. 

This means you must start preparing early and stay consistent. If you wait till the last moment, it may feel too difficult. But with proper planning, regular practice, and clear concepts, you can still do really well, even if the paper is tough.

Final Thoughts: Will Boards 2026 be Toughest Exams Ever?

Every student preparing for the board exams whether in Physics, Chemistry, or Mathematics will experience moments of uncertainty, pressure, and even doubt. But what separates average performance from excellence is a mindset of resilience and consistent effort.

There will be good days when everything clicks, and tough days when nothing seems to work. That’s completely normal. The key is to keep moving forward, maintaining a positive attitude and trusting the process.

Success in board exams isn’t about luck or shortcuts. It’s about vision, strategy, and consistent action. So, stick to the plan, trust your resources, and keep practicing.