CBSE Class 12 Physics Exam 'Heavy With Numericals' And 'Lengthy Calculations'

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has concluded Class 12 Physics exam today, along with six Class 10 exams, Beauty and Wellness, Marketing and Sales, Multimedia, Multi Skill Foundation Course, Physical Activity Trainer, and Data Science, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

The CBSE Class 12 Physics paper carries a total of 70 marks with 16 1-mark questions, 5 questions of 10 marks, 7 questions of 3 marks each, 2 questions with 4 marks, and 3 questions with 5 marks each.

As per the analysts, the Class 12 Physics paper focused strongly on lengthy calculations and quantitative problem-solving. Several questions required extended computation, making it difficult for many students to attempt the entire paper comfortably within the given time.

Reportedly, the overall difficulty level was higher than what many students are usually prepared for, especially those without a Mathematics background. Instead of mainly testing understanding of core Physics concepts, the paper seemed to emphasise complex derivations and multi-step numerical problems, which may have put some students at a disadvantage.

Question paper lacked a balanced mix of theory, application-based questions, and moderate numericals. She added that a more balanced structure, closely aligned with the syllabus, would have allowed a fairer assessment of students across different ability levels.

As per the students reports, many students find the paper lenghty and found it difficult to complete due to long numericals. However, the questions were from the syllabus.

Teachers finds the paper moderate, but the time management was a challenge for some students for application based and numerical questions.

The CBSE board exams began on February 17, with over 43 lakh students appearing, around 25 lakh in Class 10 and 18.5 lakh in Class 12. The examinations are being conducted across 8,074 centres for Class 10 and 7,574 centres for Class 12.

So far, Class 10 Mathematics (Basic and Standard) and Home Science papers have been conducted. For Class 12, papers held include Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship, Shorthand Hindi, Shorthand English, Physical Education, Engineering Graphics, Indian classical dance forms, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi, and Kuchipudi, and Horticulture and Cost Accounting.

Class 10 exams will conclude on March 10, while Class 12 exams will end on April 10. In total, students will appear for 83 subjects in Class 10 and 120 subjects in Class 12. Among the 25 lakh Class 10 candidates, approximately 14 lakh are boys and 10.9 lakh are girls. For Class 12, around 10.2 lakh boys and 8.3 lakh girls are appearing this year.