Maharashtra Board Books for Class 10: Your SSC-Year Textbook Set

The Std 10 book set at a glance

Most families see the whole set together for the first time in June, as a stack on the dining table, and it is noticeably heavier than the Std 9 pile. The table below shows what a typical English-medium student carries. The page counts are from the official Balbharati PDFs, covers and front pages included, so use them to judge size, not to quote exact printed pages.

One thing surprises nearly everyone: English Kumarbharati is the biggest file in the set, bigger than either Maths book. Geography is the thinnest core book. That doesn't make it the easiest. Its pages are packed with maps, graphs and comparison tables, and they take longer to learn than plain text.

Mathematics Part I (Algebra) and Part II (Geometry)

Part I: Algebra

Part I has six chapters: Linear Equations in Two Variables, Quadratic Equations, Arithmetic Progression, Financial Planning, Probability and Statistics. Statistics is the longest chapter, running from page 129 to 168, and the answers to every exercise are printed at the back, from page 169. The first chapter brings in two ways of solving a pair of equations, the graphical method and Cramer's method, and the second method is new to most students.

Financial Planning feels the least like school maths, and that's why students often skip its activities. Don't. One activity in the book asks students to take a real tax invoice, write down what's on it and recalculate the taxes to check the bill. Do it with a shop bill from home. It takes twenty minutes, and the chapter makes sense afterwards in a way that reading alone won't give you.

Part II: Geometry

Part II has seven chapters: Similarity, Pythagoras Theorem, Circle, Geometric Constructions, Co-ordinate Geometry, Trigonometry and Mensuration. Similarity opens with the ratio of the areas of two triangles and the basic proportionality theorem, and several later chapters lean on it. The Pythagoras chapter reminds students of the area-based proof they met in Std 7, then proves the theorem again using similar triangles and goes on to Apollonius theorem. Mensuration begins by recalling the surface area and volume work from Std 9, so a weak Std 9 foundation shows up here fast.

In Geometry, marks are lost more often through presentation than through not understanding. A missing "given" line, an unlabelled figure, or a construction drawn without its rough figure all cost marks. The solved examples in the textbook show the layout teachers expect. Copy that layout, not a shortcut from a guide.

Science and Technology Part 1 and Part 2

In Std 9 science came as one thick book. In Std 10 it's split in two. Balbharati's own note at the front of Part 1 says the split is for technical reasons and that the subject should still be taught as one connected whole. So expect the two books to refer to each other: energy turns up in both, and so does the environment.

Part 1: mostly physics and chemistry

Ten chapters: Gravitation, Periodic Classification of Elements, Chemical Reactions and Equations, Effects of Electric Current, Heat, Refraction of Light, Lenses, Metallurgy, Carbon Compounds and Space Missions. The book's own planning note suggests teaching the first five chapters in the first term and the other five in the second. Carbon Compounds is the heaviest single chapter, starting on page 110 and running till the last chapter begins on page 135. Plan extra time for it.

Part 2: mostly biology and applied science

Ten chapters: Heredity and Evolution, Life Processes in Living Organisms Part 1, Life Processes in Living Organisms Part 2, Environmental Management, Towards Green Energy, Animal Classification, Introduction to Microbiology, Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Social Health, and Disaster Management. It is the shorter book, but it's full of flow charts, classification trees and labelled diagrams. Students who read it like a story often find, a week before the exam, that they can't draw a single diagram from memory.

A habit that works for both books: after each chapter, close the book and draw its two most important diagrams on scrap paper. Then open the book and compare. Whatever you missed is exactly what to look at again.

History and Political Science, and Geography

History: not a list of dates

The Std 10 History section surprises students who expect battles and treaties. Its nine chapters are about how history is written and used today: Historiography: Development in the West, Historiography: Indian Tradition, Applied History, History of Indian Arts, Mass Media and History, Entertainment and History, Sports and History, Tourism and History, and Heritage Management. It reads more like a set of essays on why the past matters to newspapers, films, museums and travel. Students who try to memorise it line by line struggle. Students who can explain each chapter's main idea in their own words do much better.

Political Science

Five short chapters about the Constitution at work: Working of the Constitution, The Electoral Process, Political Parties, Social and Political Movements, and Challenges faced by Indian Democracy. The learning outcomes in the book include making a chart of the election symbols of political parties, and it's worth doing. In an election season the chapter is all around you, in the newspaper and on the street.

Geography: India and Brazil

Std 10 Geography studies two countries side by side. The preface explains why Brazil was chosen as India's partner: it is in a different hemisphere and continent, has a coastline and a democratic government, shares India's cultural and natural diversity, and is neither very developed nor underdeveloped. The nine chapters are Field Visit, Location and Extent, Physiography and Drainage, Climate, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife, Population, Human Settlements, Economy and Occupations, and Tourism, Transport and Communication.

Because every chapter compares the two countries, revise in pairs: India's climate against Brazil's, Indian population patterns against Brazilian ones. Two practical details from the teachers' notes are worth knowing. The book includes outline maps on pages 35 and 60 that are meant to be photocopied for practice, so keep a few copies ready. And teachers are told not to use the "Do you know?" boxes for evaluation, so read those boxes for interest and understanding rather than memorising them.

Language books: working out which ones are yours

This is where Std 10 sets differ most from one child to the next. Which language books you need depends on your medium and on the language combination the school offered in Std 9. Our Std 10 list carries these families of titles:

• Kumarbharati: the first-language book, such as English Kumarbharati for English medium and Marathi Kumarbharati for Marathi medium.
• Aksharbharati and Antarbharati: Marathi books for students who study Marathi as a second or third language.
• Lokbharati and Lokvani: Hindi. Lokbharati is the full Hindi course; Lokvani belongs to the composite (combined) language option.
• Sanskritam Amod (full) and Sanskritam Anand (composite) for Sanskrit.
• Other language books on the list, including Gujarati (Garvi and Sahitya Bharati), Sindhi Sindhubharati in Arabic and Devanagari scripts, Kannada Sugambharati, Telugu Saralbharati, Urdu (Tarufe, Baag-e-Urdu), Ardhamagadhi Pradeep, Pali Sugandhavali, German (Deutsch kreativ international) and French (Le Français, c'est un passe-partout!).

Our list also carries My English Course Book alongside English Kumarbharati. Ask the school which English book it has prescribed for your child's language scheme before you buy, because the two are different books.

Inside English Kumarbharati

Since it's the thickest book in the set, it helps to know what fills it. English Kumarbharati is arranged in units, each mixing poems, stories, biographical pieces and essays. Unit One opens with Tagore's "Where the Mind is Without Fear" and goes on to "The Thief's Story", "On Wings of Courage", "All the World's a Stage", "Joan of Arc" and "The Alchemy of Nature". Unit Two includes "Animals", "Three Questions", "Connecting the Dots", "The Pulley", "Let's March" and "Science and Spirituality". Unit Three has "Night of the Scorpion", "The Night I Met Einstein", "Stephen Hawking", "The Will to Win", "Unbeatable Super Mom-Mary Kom" and "The Concert".

The activities after each piece carry as much weight as the piece itself. They ask students to find words, rewrite sentences, compare ideas and write short responses, so a student who has only read the lessons is half prepared. Work through the activities with a pencil the first time, and read the poems aloud at least once. Rhythm and repeated lines are much easier to recall when you've heard them.

Semi-English students buy two mediums

Balbharati doesn't print separate semi-English books. A semi-English student studies Mathematics and Science from the English-medium books and the other subjects from the Marathi-medium (or other regional-medium) books. In practice that means English-medium Maths Part I, Maths Part II, Science Part 1 and Science Part 2, plus regional-medium History and Political Science and Geography. The common mistake is buying a complete Marathi-medium set and then a second set of Maths books later in the year. Decide once, in June, and buy the right medium for each subject.

The smaller books that are easy to forget

Next to the Maths and Science books these look like pamphlets, which is why they get left at the shop. Our Std 10 list includes:

• Water Security (Jal Suraksha): about water as a resource, its conservation and its management.
• Defence Studies workbook (Sanrakshanshastra Karyapustika): available in English, Marathi, Hindi and Urdu on our list.
• Self-development and Art Appreciation (Swa-vikas va Kalarasaswad).

Schools usually assess these through projects, activities and their own tests rather than a written board paper, and the school decides how they fit into its timetable. Health and Physical Education is also part of the Std 10 year, but there's no separate Health and PE title on our Std 10 list, so ask the school whether it prescribes a book. Finally, the subjects look light, but their projects and activities pile up in the second term, which is exactly when Maths and Science revision needs the evenings. Finish them early.

How old are the Std 10 books, and when will they change?

Open any of the main Std 10 books to the first pages and you'll see the history. The Science and Technology books, History and Political Science and English Kumarbharati all list a first edition of 2018, and the Science books say they were approved for use from the academic year 2018-19. Most copies in circulation are reprints, many dated 2022. A reprint is the same book with minor corrections, not a new syllabus.

Maharashtra is moving its school curriculum to the National Education Policy structure class by class. The state's schedule puts Std 10 in the last group, in 2028-29, together with Std 8 and Std 12. In October 2026 the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education also decided to take back the job of framing the curriculum and preparing textbooks for Std 9 to 12. It plans to do Std 9 and 11 for 2027-28 and Std 10 and 12 for 2028-29, with Balbharati printing the books.

What this means for families:

• Students in Std 10 in 2026-27 and, on the current schedule, in 2027-28 use the present books.
• An older sibling's Std 10 books will do for these years, as long as they're complete and you copy in any corrigendum Balbharati has published.
• Students who enter Std 10 in June 2028 should expect new books. Wait for the official circular before buying anything second-hand for that year.

The practical record book

Science and Technology isn't only a written subject in Std 10. The Part 1 book's planning note mentions a practical examination at the end of each term, and the experiments you do in the lab are written up in a practical record book. Balbharati publishes official practical record books for Std 9 to 12. Its 2026-27 circular calls them mandatory and says schools shouldn't make students buy private practical notebooks instead.

A few habits keep the record book from turning into a February emergency:

• Write up each experiment the same week you do it, while you still remember the readings.
• Draw the apparatus in pencil, label it neatly and fill in the observation table with your own readings, not the textbook's sample values.
• Keep the record book with the Science books, not in a drawer. Teachers may ask to see it during the year, not only at the end.
• Note the textbook chapter at the top of each experiment. When you revise Lenses or Chemical Reactions, the practical becomes part of the revision.

A book-by-book reading plan for the SSC year

School timetables vary, so treat this as a framework. The idea is simple: finish a first full reading of every book well before the preliminary exams, leaving January and February for a second reading and practice. Science Part 1's own advice (five chapters per term) is built in.

Two adjustments make the plan realistic. First, follow your school's order where it differs: if the class is doing Trigonometry in August, read it in August. Second, give Algebra and Geometry a slot on alternate days rather than one book a week. The two books test different skills, and switching keeps both fresh.

Making the textbook your main source

Every Std 10 family ends up with guides, digests and question banks. Some help. None of them replaces the textbook, for a few concrete reasons.

• The board writes questions from the textbook. Definitions, diagrams, activity boxes and end-of-chapter exercises are the raw material. A guide is someone else's summary of that material, and summaries drop things.
• Wording matters in Science and Political Science. The textbook's definitions are the version teachers mark against. A guide's paraphrase can be correct and still miss the key term.
• Textbook exercises are graded. They move from simple to harder within a chapter. Jumping straight to a guide's "important questions" skips the steps that build confidence.

A workable order for each chapter: read it in the textbook, solve the textbook exercise yourself, and only then check your answers. Our Maharashtra Board solutions are written to the textbook exercises, so they're a sensible place to check your working. Once a chapter is done, see how its lines turn into questions in the previous years' papers. If a guide and the textbook disagree, go with the textbook.

Managing ten-plus books through the week

Carrying the whole set every day isn't practical, and it isn't necessary. Three small systems help.

• Pack from the timetable, the night before. Two Maths books and two Science books look alike from the spine. Put a coloured sticker on each Part I or Part 1 and a different colour on Part II or Part 2, so the right one goes into the bag.
• Keep the slim books at school if the teacher allows it. Water Security, the Defence Studies workbook and Self-development and Art Appreciation are used less often, and they're the ones most often lost in transit.
• Use the PDF at home, the printed book in class. A phone or laptop copy of each book means homework can carry on when a book stays in the school locker. Mark your printed book only, so it becomes your revision copy.

By the time the preliminary exams arrive, the printed books should be full of your own margin notes and ticks against completed exercises. That marked-up set becomes your main revision material in the final weeks.

June buying checklist for Std 10

Run through this list when the school's book list arrives. For the general download steps and where to buy printed copies, see our Maharashtra Board books page. This list covers what is particular to Std 10.

1. Confirm the language scheme. Full or composite Hindi or Sanskrit? Marathi as first, second or third language? This decides between Lokbharati and Lokvani, Amod and Anand, Kumarbharati and Aksharbharati.
2. Count the two-part subjects. You need Maths Part I and Part II, and Science and Technology Part 1 and Part 2. Four books, not two.
3. Semi-English? Split the mediums. English for Maths and Science, regional medium for History and Political Science and Geography.
4. Get the Balbharati practical record book for Science and Technology.
5. Ask about the small books. Water Security, the Defence Studies workbook and Self-development and Art Appreciation, depending on what the school follows.
6. Check the edition page. The main books should show a 2018 first edition. A copy with an older first edition is a different syllabus.
7. Inspect second-hand copies page by page. Look especially at the answers section at the back of the Maths books and at the outline-map pages in Geography.
8. Photocopy the Geography outline maps from pages 35 and 60 before anyone writes on them.
9. Keep a digital copy of each book from the official e-book library, so homework doesn't stop when a book stays at school.
10. Cover and label everything in the first week. Ten-plus books in one bag get mixed up between siblings and classmates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are there in the Maharashtra Board Std 10 set?

A typical student has eight core textbooks: Maths Part I and Part II, Science and Technology Part 1 and Part 2, History and Political Science, Geography, and two language books. Add a third language if the school offers one, plus Water Security or the Defence Studies workbook, Self-development and Art Appreciation, and the Science practical record book.

Are the Std 10 books changing in 2027?

Not on the current schedule. The state's plan moves Std 10 to the new NEP-based curriculum in 2028-29. Until then the books first brought in for 2018-19 continue. Watch for Balbharati's or the state board's circular before each academic year.

Is Std 10 Science one book or two?

Two. Science and Technology Part 1 covers mainly physics and chemistry in ten chapters, and Part 2 covers mainly biology and applied science in ten chapters. Balbharati says the two should still be studied as one connected subject.

What is the difference between Maths Part I and Part II?

Part I is Algebra: linear and quadratic equations, arithmetic progression, financial planning, probability and statistics. Part II is Geometry: similarity, Pythagoras theorem, circles, constructions, coordinate geometry, trigonometry and mensuration.

Which Hindi book do I need, Lokbharati or Lokvani?

Lokbharati is the full Hindi course. Lokvani is used with the composite language option. Your school's language scheme decides which one you take, so confirm with the school before buying.

Which books does a semi-English student need?

English-medium Maths Part I and II and Science and Technology Part 1 and 2, plus regional-medium History and Political Science and Geography. Language books follow the student's language scheme.

Can I use my older sibling's Std 10 books?

Yes, for 2026-27 and, on the current schedule, 2027-28, as long as the copy is complete and is the 2018 edition. Copy any published corrigendum into it.

Which is the biggest book in the Std 10 set?

By the official PDF, English Kumarbharati, at 204 pages including covers. Maths Part I (188) and Maths Part II (180) come next. Geography, at 82, is the thinnest core book.

Why does the Std 10 Geography book compare India with Brazil?

The preface explains that Brazil lies in a different hemisphere and continent, has a coastline and a democratic government, shares India's cultural and natural diversity, and is at a similar level of development. Studying two countries side by side lets students apply the same geographical ideas to both and compare them.

Do I really need the Balbharati practical record book?

Yes. Balbharati's 2026-27 circular calls its practical record books for Std 9 to 12 mandatory and says schools shouldn't insist on private practical notebooks instead.

Should I study from guides or from the textbook?

Start with the textbook. Read the chapter, solve its exercises yourself, then use guides or solutions only to check your work. Where a guide and the textbook differ, follow the textbook.