CBSE Class 12 Maths Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions (2020-2026)

CBSE has also put the March 2026 Mathematics paper and its marking scheme on its question paper page and marking scheme page, as ZIP files.

CBSE Class 12 Maths 2026 question paper: unit-wise marks

Sort all 38 questions of the March 2026 Set 1 paper (code 65/1/1) by unit, and every total matches CBSE's 2026-27 unit weightage:

• Relations and Functions: 8 marks (Q1, 25, 32)
• Algebra (Matrices and Determinants): 10 marks (Q2 to 6, Q33)
• Calculus: 35 marks (Q7 to 12, 21, 22, 26 to 29, 34, 36, 38)
• Vectors and Three-Dimensional Geometry: 14 marks (Q13 to 16, 20, 23, 24, 35)
• Linear Programming: 5 marks (Q17, 18, 30)
• Probability: 8 marks (Q19, 31, 37)

Source: CBSE Class 12 Mathematics question paper 65/1/1 (March 2026) and the 2026-27 curriculum, Gradehunt analysis.

What the count shows:

• Calculus took 15 of the 38 questions. Two of the three case studies were calculus too: Q36 asked when a delivery company's subscription revenue is highest, and Q38 asked for the area of a roundabout and its pond by integration. The third case study, Q37, was probability on an online jackpot.
• Algebra was almost all one-markers. Five MCQs (Q2 to 6) plus one 5-mark question on the inverse of a matrix or a singular matrix.
• Each unit appeared in at least two sections, so no unit could be safely left for MCQs only.
• All three case studies, Q36 to 38, appear in Sets 1, 2 and 3, only numbered differently.

Class 12 Maths paper pattern 2026-27 and time per question

• Theory: 80 marks, 3 hours, plus 15 minutes to read the paper. Internal assessment adds 20 marks.
• Section A: 18 MCQs and 2 assertion-reason questions, 1 mark each. Section B: five 2-mark questions. Section C: six 3-mark questions. Section D: four 5-mark questions. Section E: three 4-mark case studies.
• Choices in the 2026 Set 1 paper: two in Section B (Q21, 25), three in Section C (Q27, 29, 31), two in Section D (Q32, 33) and one sub-part in each of the three case studies. Section A had none. No calculator.

With 80 marks in 180 minutes you get 2¼ minutes a mark. That is about 4½ minutes for a 2-mark question, 7 for a 3-mark question, 9 for a case study and 11 for a 5-mark question.

CBSE's 2026-27 sample paper keeps this layout and notes that the design has not changed for the session. One small difference: its instructions list a choice inside two of the case studies, where the 2026 board paper had one in all three. The sample paper and its marking scheme are free on cbseacademic.nic.in.

How CBSE gave marks in the 2026 Maths marking scheme

In Maths most of the marks sit in the steps. Three examples from the Set 1 scheme:

• Q30, linear programming (3 marks): 1½ for the correct graph with the feasible region shaded, 1 for the table of corner points, ½ for the minimum value.
• Q22, rate of change of a cone (2 marks): four steps of ½ each, and only the last one is the final rate.
• Q35, two lines in space (5 marks): 1 mark each for showing the lines are not parallel, writing a general point on each, solving for the parameters, checking the third equation and stating the point of intersection.

Two general rules in the scheme also matter. A mistake carried forward is penalised only once, so keep going after an early slip. If you answer an extra question, the examiner keeps the answer that deserves more marks and scores out the other.

Which Maths previous year papers to practise first

• Write 2026 Set 1 as a full timed paper. Use Sets 2 and 3 for the questions that differ from Set 1.
• Next do 2025 and 2024. They follow the same 38-question pattern.
• Use 2023 and 2020 for extra questions. The 2022 papers come from a term-wise exam, so treat them as chapter practice.
• Write each paper in three hours without a calculator or notes, then mark it step by step against the solution. Note every question where you got stuck on the first step; that list is your revision plan for the next week.

For the full 2026-27 chapter list, see our CBSE Class 12 Maths syllabus guide.

If you would rather practise one chapter at a time, Gradehunt's 10 Years Solved Papers (PYQ) for CBSE Class 12 Maths groups the board questions from 2016 to 2026 by chapter, in the 2026-27 syllabus order. Each question shows its year, and each solution shows the marks for every step.

Past papers for other Class 12 subjects

Solved past papers for Physics, Chemistry and Biology are also on Gradehunt.