What each year actually contains
Not every year is a full set. 2011 is English only. 2013 is Science only. From about 2015 the main subjects start appearing together: Mathematics, Science, History and Political Science, Geography, English and Hindi. 2020 includes both the March papers and the July supplementary papers. From 2023 many papers carry the board's paper code. 2026 adds Urdu, Arabic, German and vocational papers such as Beauty Therapy, Electrical Technology, Home Appliances Technology, Home Health Care and Mechanical Technology, which is why that folder is so much larger than 2025.
| Years | How to use them |
|---|---|
| 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | Closest to the current paper. Do these as full timed sittings. |
| 2019, 2020, 2022 | Still on the current textbooks, which came in for 2018-19. Good full papers. 2020 has March and July. |
| 2015 to 2018 | Useful for Algebra and Geometry skill. Some chapters and the activity format differ. Don't judge your score from these alone. |
| 2011 and 2013 | One subject each. Use them only for that subject. |
There are no 2021 board papers. Results that year were worked out from internal assessment. The 2026 folder also mixes in school papers such as a first unit test, a semester paper or a preliminary. Those are worth doing, and a prelim is often set to the board pattern, but the March board paper is the one to treat as the real mock.
Subject counts
Mathematics has 31 papers across 11 years, Science 30 across 12 years, Hindi 18, English 14, Marathi 12, History and Political Science 10, Geography 9, Sanskrit 7, Geography and Economics 4, Urdu 4, History 4 and Arabic 3. Social Science as a single combined name has one paper. Geography and Economics is an older combined paper. For the current course, open Geography and History and Political Science separately.
Mathematics on this page includes Algebra (Part 1) and Geometry (Part 2). They are different question papers. Science includes Part 1 and Part 2. Check the chapter title on the file before you start the clock.
The shape of the paper you are timing
Each of Maths, Science and Social Science is two written papers of 40 marks and 2 hours, plus 20 internal marks. Each language is one 80-mark paper in 3 hours, plus 20 internal. The pass mark is 35 out of 100 in the subject.
Maths, both parts, is roughly Q1 for 8 marks (MCQs and one-mark answers), Q2 for 12 (activities and 2-mark problems), Q3 for 9 (3-mark work), Q4 for 8 (two 4-mark problems out of three) and Q5 for 3 (one creative question). Science is 10 marks of objective items, five 2-mark answers chosen from eight, five 3-mark answers chosen from eight, and one 5-mark question with a choice.
Three minutes a mark is enough time. The marks you lose in practice are usually a construction left unfinished, a ray diagram without arrows, or a 2-mark answer that ran to a full page.
How many papers to solve
A practical target for one subject is four to six full timed papers from 2019 onwards, plus older papers used only to drill a weak chapter. Do the latest paper last, so you still have an unseen mock in February. Mark Maths and Science yourself with the textbook answers or the Class 10 solutions. For languages, compare your writing-skill answer with the textbook's activity, not with a memorised essay.
March papers are the main session. July and October papers are supplementary. They follow the same syllabus and are good extra practice. If you only have time for one paper in a year, choose March.
A simple way to sit one paper
- Print it or open it full screen. Put the textbook away.
- Write the end time on the top of the answer sheet before you read Q1.
- In the first five minutes, tick the questions you will attempt where there is a choice. Don't start a question you mean to skip.
- Stop when the time ends, even if a construction is unfinished. Note that question. It is the one to redo tomorrow.
- Mark in a second colour. Keep a three-line error log: the question, the mistake, the fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which paper should I start with?
A 2024 or 2025 paper in your weakest subject. Leave one 2026 paper unseen until the last month.
Why is 2021 missing?
The March 2021 written SSC exam was cancelled. There is no board paper to file.
Are the vocational papers in 2026 board papers?
The 2026 folder is mixed. Core subjects from the March session are board papers. Names such as a preliminary, a unit test or a semester paper are school papers kept in the same year. Read the heading on the first page.
Is Geography and Economics the current Geography paper?
No. That is an older combined paper. For the current syllabus, use the Geography papers and the History and Political Science papers.