New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has succesfully conducted the Class 12 Physics exam today, February 20, 2026. The CBSE Class 12 Physics (subject code: 042) written exam was held from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm at various centres across the country.
As per the initial feedback received from students and teachers, the CBSE 12th Physics exam was of moderate level. A few students said that multiple choice questions in the CBSE Class 12 Physics question paper were tricky. Let's explore CBSE Class 12 Physics exam analysis 2026 along with question paper review and difficulty level.
CBSE Class 12 Physics answer key 2026 PDF
CBSE Class 12 Physics question paper 2026 PDF
CBSE Class 12 Physics exam 2026 highlights
CBSE Class 12 Physics exam analysis 2026
The CBSE Class 12 Physics exam consists of 70 marks. It consists of five sections - Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), very short answer, short answer, long answer, and case study-based questions. Students who had appeared for the written exam rated the CBSE 12th Physics question paper as moderate to difficult. There is no overall choice in the exam. However, students can use an internal choice in two question in Section B, one question in Section C and all three questions in Section E.
Pawan Choudhary, HOD Physics, Lancers Army Schools, said, "Physics board examination was balanced in structure and fair in scope. A significant portion of the paper focused on direct theory and standard derivations. It allowed students who prepared sincerely and worked consistently through the syllabus to secure stable marks. However, a few of the questions needed to be read carefully. Performance may have been impacted by little mistakes, such as a missed requirement or sign error, particularly for those striving for extremely high scores. The overall level can be described as above moderate."
Manju Bala, Dharav High School, Jaipur, said, "The Class 12 CBSE Physics paper represented a clear move towards the integration of competency and conceptual integration. While the paper was not unusually difficult, it mainly required clarity in fundamentals and a well-structured presentation of answers. Numerical questions were moderately lengthy, particularly those alternating between alternating current and magnetism, which demand careful calculation and stepwise explanation. The theory questions based on the dual nature of radiation and atoms were direct, and the scoring was well aligned with the textbook examples. Some students found the assertion-reason question tricky due to subtle variations in questions. The overall structure of the question paper ensured fairness, no unexpected topics, and the weightage distribution remained consistent with the CBSE sample paper pattern."
Saurabh Shukla, Global Indian International School, said, "The CBSE Class 12 Physics Board Examination was of a moderate level overall, though the paper was slightly lengthy. While most questions were concept-based and aligned with the prescribed syllabus, a few were application-oriented and required careful interpretation. In terms of section-wise distribution, Electrostatics and Current Electricity together accounted for 17 marks, Magnetism and Matter along with EMI and AC carried 17 marks, Optics had the highest weightage at 21 marks, Modern Physics comprised 12 marks, and Semiconductor Electronics accounted for 7 marks. Overall, the paper was balanced and student-friendly, providing fair opportunities for students with clear conceptual understanding to perform well."
Mahender Sehrawat, Shiv Nadar School, said, "The paper was of moderate difficulty and well within expectations. Most questions were direct, especially in Sets 1 and 2, with five-mark questions closely aligned to the anticipated pattern. While a couple of assertion-reason and case study questions required careful interpretation, the overall paper was balanced and not lengthy."
Abhishek Sharma, Newton School of Technology, said, "It looks pretty balanced overall, about a third of the paper is purely conceptual, which means students who have understood the concept but struggle with mathematics have decent chances to pass."
Dr Nisha Sharma, KIIT World School, Gurugram, siad, "The CBSE Class 12 Physics Board Examination conducted today was balanced and moderately structured, with a clear emphasis on conceptual clarity and application-based learning. The paper assessed students’ understanding of core concepts rather than rote memorization. Questions required logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and consistent preparation throughout the year. Numerical problems were standard in nature but demanded careful interpretation and accuracy. However, overall, students described the paper as fair, well-balanced, and aligned with the syllabus."
Ragini Srivastava, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, said, "Today’s physics exam paper offered a well-rounded test of both theoretical knowledge and practical problem-solving skills. The overall difficulty level was moderate."
Poonam Soni, Manav Rachna International School, said, "The Grade 12 Physics board examination this year was of moderate to difficult. The paper closely followed the blueprint and competency guidelines issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The multiple-choice questions (MCQs) were comparatively easier than those in last year’s examination. As anticipated, the numerical problems required careful analysis before attempting solutions. Students found the descriptive questions to be in line with expectations. Case study–based questions were difficult and quite lengthy. Overall paper was lengthy and of moderate difficulty."
Sunita Kandpal, DPS Sector 45 Gurugram, said, "The paper was overall well balanced, although a few questions involved lengthy calculations. Students who had prepared thoroughly from NCERT should be able to score well, as some questions were directly based on NCERT solved examples. Feedback gathered from a few students reflected a mixed response. While they found the paper somewhat lengthy, they also considered it balanced and fair."
Dr Alka Kapur, Modern Public School, said, "The Physics Class XII examination paper was overall well-balanced in terms of content coverage and conceptual assessment.The MCQ section required more calculation-based thinking than expected. Although the questions were manageable, they demanded careful numerical evaluation and conceptual clarity. The paper was comparatively more theoretical in nature rather than focusing extensively on practical applications. A good number of derivations were included from the prescribed syllabus."
Vijay Giri, Satya School, Gurugram, said, "The Class 12 Physics paper was slightly above average in terms of difficulty. One of the MCQs, along with the graph based questions and the case study, was relatively lengthy and required careful reading. Student reactions after the exam were mixed. Most felt it went well, while a few found certain sections confusing. JEE aspirants in particular appeared confident, as the paper aligned well with their preparation and they were largely satisfied with their performance."
This year, the CBSE has introcduced the On-Screen Marking (digital evaluation) for Class 12th results with an aim to declare results faster. It also decided to focus more on the 50 per cent on competency-based questions. The CBSE 12th board exams 2026 will be held from February 17 to April 10, 2026.
