As the 2026 board examinations draw closer, students throughout the nation are wading into the familiar yet ever-evolving challenge regarding CBSE Classes 10 and 12. The CBSE papers have gradually been undergoing a shift over the last few years-from direct recall to application-based assessment-thus demanding understanding rather than rote memory.

This shift was visible in last year's board papers with longer reading passages, multi-step case studies, and a greater stringency in step-marking across subjects.

For students studying today, the implication of this development means that "more studying" is simply not sufficient.

Success lies in studying smartly, understanding what changed, why it matters, and how to adapt. Based on the paper trends of last year, together with the official CBSE sample sets, here are five must-use strategies every student needs to follow in order to score better marks this year.

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1. Master NCERT line by line before going ahead.

Papers from the CBSE still derive their foundation from NCERT textbooks, and many students tend to overlook diagrams, in-text questions, and data tables.

In the 2025 exams, there were several questions in Science, Social Science and Business Studies that came directly from smaller NCERT boxes and figure captions – not just the main text.

Strategy:

Read all the chapters of NCERT twice: once for concepts, once for hidden details like tables, graphs, captions.
After reading each chapter, list three ways you can actually use the concept in real life.
Make a "revision map" which links each topic to at least one example question from past papers.

2. Practise Previous Papers with Timed Drills

Poor time management is one of the common mistakes every year wherein many students leave easy sections unfinished. Also, the papers were longer with multiple-choice sub-parts and integrated caselets.

Strategy:

Try to do one 90-minute half-paper drill twice a week.
Practice using a stop watch and mark yourself with official marking schemes.
Keep an error log with columns for concept gap, reading slip, missing steps or unit error.
Stop repeating random questions; instead, review this log weekly.
This practice develops not only speed but also pattern recognition, which is very important as question trends often repeat across years.

3. Stress conceptual clarity, not rote memory.

The existing format of CBSE promotes reasoning and explanation over memorization. Most of the toppers in Class 12 Biology, for instance, wrote functional explanations with labelled diagrams instead of longish textbook paragraphs.

Strategy:

For each definition, write how it works and why it works.
Explain each concept out loud – if you can explain it in your own words, it's learned.
Use diagrams, flowcharts, or mind maps to link concepts together that are related.

4. Structure Answers for Visibility and Marks

Examiners mark on the basis of the steps visible, clarity and sequence, not on length. In last year's Maths and Chemistry papers, step marks determined final outcomes.

Strategy:

Begin every 3 or 5-mark question with an intention statement ("We have to prove").
Leave margins for formulae and underlined keywords.
Write units beside every numerical step.
In Humanities, use short paragraphs with clear subheadings for each point.
A well-structured paper shows discipline and confidence, which qualities the evaluators reward unconsciously.

5. Edit in short frequent cycles rather than right before the test

The recurring pattern among this year's toppers, too, is: short, repeated revision sessions instead of marathon late-night studies. In the 2025 examinations students who presented concepts clearly and wrote their answers in neat and orderly fashion did better than those who tended to mug and write answers in a jumbled manner. The trend will continue with the 2026 examinations. Mastering NCERTs, practising under timed conditions and showing visible working in answers can lift marks together by 10–15% within two months of consistent effort.