CBSE has released the Class 12 Mathematics (Code 041) Sample Question Paper for the 2026-27 board exam. The paper carries 80 marks, runs for 3 hours, and has 38 questions split across five sections (A to D plus a case-study Section E), following the same design the board has used since 2023-24 — no structural overhaul this year. If you’re prepping for boards or guiding students through it, this breakdown covers exactly what’s changed, what hasn’t, and which chapters to prioritise.
Quick Facts: CBSE Class 12 Maths SQP 2026-27
| Detail | Information |
| Subject Code | 041 |
| Maximum Marks | 80 (+ 20 internal assessment) |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Total Questions | 38 (all compulsory) |
| Sections | A, B, C, D, E |
| MCQs | 18 (Q1–Q18) |
| Assertion-Reason | 2 (Q19–Q20) |
| VSA (2 marks) | 5 questions |
| SA (3 marks) | 6 questions |
| LA (5 marks) | 4 questions |
| Case Study (4 marks) | 3 questions |
| Internal Choices | 2 in Section B, 3 in Section C, 2 in Section D, 1 sub-part each in 2 questions of Section E |
| Calculator Use | Not allowed |
That table alone tells you most of what you need to walk into this paper prepared. The real value, though, is in what’s sitting underneath those numbers.
What’s New and What’s Unchanged in the 2026-27 Paper
Let’s get the headline out of the way first: CBSE has explicitly stated on the paper itself that there is no change in the question paper design and assessment pattern for the 2026-27 session. So if you were expecting a shake-up in marks distribution or section structure, that’s not happening this year — the 20+10+18+20+12 mark split across sections stays exactly as it was.
What has changed is the flavour of the questions, and that’s where students actually lose or gain marks.
More real-world, scenario-driven framing. Even the short-answer questions aren’t sitting in a vacuum anymore. Q27 in Section C, for instance, isn’t just “solve a related rates problem” — it’s dressed up as a surveillance drone whose camera vision-radius expands as it climbs, and you’re asked to find how fast the drone is rising. Same calculus, different packaging. This mirrors a trend across CBSE papers post-2023: they’re testing whether you can extract the math from a description, not just apply a formula you’ve memorised.
Case studies are leaning into current-affairs and tech themes. Section E this year includes a question built around laser-beam security sensors in a mall (basically a straight-line 3D geometry problem about parallel and skew lines). Students who only practise “textbook-clean” problems can be thrown off by this kind of framing, even though the underlying maths is standard Class 12 material.
Accessibility provisions are more visible. Several questions — Q1, Q25, Q31, Q34 — now carry a parallel “For Visually Impaired” version that swaps out the graph-reading or figure-based component for an equivalent numerical or descriptive one. This has been CBSE policy for a while, but this SQP applies it more consistently across sections than some previous years, which is a good sign for inclusive assessment design.
No new chapters, no dropped chapters. Relations & Functions, Matrices & Determinants, Continuity & Differentiability, Applications of Derivatives, Integrals, Applications of Integrals, Differential Equations, Vectors, Three-Dimensional Geometry, Linear Programming, and Probability — the syllabus core is identical to last year.
Chapter-Wise Weightage in the 2026-27 Sample Paper
| Unit / Chapter Cluster | Approx. Marks | Number of questions |
| Relations & Functions | 8 | 2 to 4 questions |
| Algebra (Matrices & Determinants) | 11 | 5 to 6 questions |
| Calculus (incl. Differential Equations) | 35 | 14 to 16 questions |
| Vectors & 3D Geometry | 14 | 6 to 8 questions |
| Linear Programming | 5 | 2 to 3 questions |
| Probability | 8 | 3 to 4 questions |
Calculus is, unsurprisingly, still the heaviest single block — close to 44% of the paper once you add continuity, differentiability, applications of derivatives, integrals, area under curves, and differential equations together. If you’re short on revision time, this is where the marks concentration justifies spending the most hours.
Section-by-Section Walkthrough
Section A (20 marks)
Eighteen MCQs followed by two Assertion-Reason questions. The MCQs range from fairly direct (domain of sec⁻¹(2x), degree and order of a differential equation) to ones that need a genuine two-step process — one, for example, asks you to evaluate cot⁻¹ of an expression that first requires simplifying sin⁻¹(√3/2) inside a cosine. The Assertion-Reason pair tests whether students actually understand why a result is true, not just whether it’s true — one pairs a definite integral of |x−2| with a reason statement about even functions that, on closer look, doesn’t actually apply to the assertion. That’s a classic trap for students who pattern-match instead of reading carefully.
Section B (10 marks)
Five two-mark questions, with internal choice in two of them. These are meant to be quick wins if concepts are solid — an integral involving a substitution trick, an implicit differentiation proof, a 3D-geometry direction-ratios problem, a vector magnitude question, and an LPP constraint-writing question.
Section C (18 marks)
Six three-markers, three of them with internal choice. This is where the drone-camera related-rates question sits, alongside a matrix product/inverse question, two derivative questions (parametric and logarithmic differentiation), two differential-equation questions, a 3D-geometry question on foot of perpendicular, and an LPP graphical-solution question. This section rewards students who can execute a multi-step calculation cleanly under time pressure — most of these aren’t conceptually hard, but they’re long.
Section D (20 marks)
Four five-markers — the heaviest individual questions on the paper. One is a relations-and-functions proof (checking whether a defined relation is an equivalence relation, or examining injectivity/surjectivity of a function). Another is a definite integral using the King’s Property technique. A third is an area-under-curve problem with two solid options — one paired with circles/ellipses, one with parabola-and-line intersections. The last is a full Bayes’ Theorem case (smartwatch false-alert probability), which is one of the more predictable Class 12 probability question types but still catches students who don’t set up the tree diagram correctly.
Section E (12 marks)
Three case-study questions, each with sub-parts worth 1, 1, and 2 marks. These are meant to be scaffolded — the first two sub-parts of each case study are usually a direct application, and the third builds on it. The mall security-sensor lines question is a good teaching example because it forces students to actually compare direction ratios instead of assuming lines are parallel just because the question groups them together. The fruit-basket matrix question is a real-world linear-equations-via-matrices problem that’s almost identical in spirit to previous years’ “find the cost of items” case studies — familiar territory if students have practised matrix-inverse methods.
How to Prepare for This Paper
- Lock down calculus first — it’s nearly 44% of the paper, and mastering continuity, differentiability, applications of derivatives, and differential equations will move your score more than any other single area
- Practise reading word-problem framing carefully — CBSE is increasingly wrapping standard techniques (related rates, optimisation) inside real-world scenarios; the math doesn’t change, but misreading the setup does cost marks
- Don’t skip 3D geometry and vectors — they’re worth 14 marks combined and tend to be high-scoring once the direction-ratio and line-equation methods are drilled
- Time yourself on Section C and D — these carry the most marks per question but also the most steps; practising under a clock prevents running out of time before Section E
Free Download
You can download the official CBSE Class 12 Maths (041) Sample Question Paper 2026-27 directly from CBSE Academic Website, or grab our solved PDF with step-by-step solutions and marking-scheme notes from the link below.
Download CBSE Maths 041 SQP 2026-27 with Solutions — PDF
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there any change in the CBSE Class 12 Maths pattern for 2026-27?
No. CBSE has confirmed on the sample paper itself that there is no change in question paper design or assessment pattern for the 2026-27 academic session compared to 2025-26.
How many questions are there in the CBSE Class 12 Maths 2026-27 sample paper?
38 questions in total, all compulsory, spread across five sections (A to E), for a maximum of 80 marks.
How many marks is Section C worth in CBSE Class 12 Maths?
Section C carries 18 marks across six short-answer questions of 3 marks each, with internal choice in three of them.
Which chapter carries the highest weightage in Class 12 Maths?
Calculus — covering continuity and differentiability, applications of derivatives, integrals, applications of integrals, and differential equations — carries the largest share of marks, roughly 35 out of 80.
Is a calculator allowed in the CBSE Class 12 Maths exam?
No, calculators are not permitted in the exam.
How many internal choices are there in the 2026-27 Maths sample paper?
There are internal choices in 2 questions of Section B, 3 questions of Section C, 2 questions of Section D, and one sub-part each in 2 questions of Section E.
Are there separate questions for visually impaired students in this paper?
Yes, several questions (including Q1, Q25, Q31, and Q34) include an alternate version designed for visually impaired candidates, replacing graph- or figure-based components with equivalent descriptive or numerical ones.
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