CBSE Class 12 Physics board exam 2025 was conducted today between 10:30 am and 1:30 am at various centers in India. The CBSE Class 12 Physics board exam paper contained an equal proportion of conceptual questions, numerical questions, and application questions.
Instructors noticed that while there were those that performed well, others struggled with completing the paper within the scheduled time or self-editing once corrected.
Following Yogita Sharma, PGT Physics, KIIT World School, Gurgaon, the exam was arranged as per new CBSE sample paper with five sections (A to E) with no choice in the entire paper, though internal options were available in few questions:
- Section A: 16 MCQs (1 mark each)
- Section B: 5 short questions (2 marks each)
- Section C: 7 questions (3 marks each)
- Section D: 2 case study questions (4 marks each)
- Section E: 3 long-answer questions (5 marks each)
From Renuka Devi Kakarla, Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad, PGT Physics, "The class 12 Physics paper was moderate to difficult and extremely long. Even though the questions were relatively easy, the fact that they were divided into sub-parts made it longer. The best students would find it difficult to score a 95+.".
Ragini Srivastava, Post Graduate Teacher Physics, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Ghaziabad, described the paper as particularly tough for average students, since, "Today's physics exam provided a good test, a fair balance of theory and problem-solving ability."
She said the overall level of difficulty was high, and that it was a challenging paper to navigate.
"Section E, which students would normally attempt to do straightforwardly, was ambiguous, and some of the questions in Sections B and C were from the abandoned syllabus," she added.
According to Thilak M, Physics teacher at JAIN International Residential School, Bengaluru, overall paper structure was on expected lines, but in some areas the students were tested conceptually."Though overall structure was according to expectations, some areas needed more conceptual understanding with a split response from the students," said Thilak M.
Tushar Goel, Physics PGT at Silverline Prestige School, Ghaziabad, also added that the paper was well designed and tested the students' knowledge of key concepts and the application skill effectively.
"The question paper tested almost the entire syllabus, and there was a combination of concept questions, derivations, and numericals. The question paper consisted of a variety of topics covered, so the students could not depend on specific areas," said Goel.
He also stated that the questions were presented well and were clear, minimizing the chances of misinterpretation.
Anamika Manna, a teacher at Shiv Nadar School, Noida, said almost 80% of the questions required higher-level thinking, making the paper more challenging for most of the students.
"Whereas high achievers found it to be intellectually stimulating, the group overall had difficulty working its way through its length and complexity," she said.
Moroever, few students opined that Set 3 was quite lengthy, and the same was the opinion of Surender Puli, PGT Physics, Vidyagyan School, Sitapur.
Renuka Devi Kakarla also mentioned that among the different sets, Set 1 was the easiest and Set 3 was the most difficult. Moreover, Sections A and E were simpler than B, C, and D, in her opinion.
Multiple-choice section contained a combination of straightforward and tricky questions. Thilak M reported that Modern Physics MCQs were simpler but those of Moving Charges and Magnetism were tough, needing clear conceptual clarity.
Surender Puli also pointed out that MCQs were very difficult in all the sets, necessitating thorough understanding and speedy response.
"Numerical questions, especially the two-markers, were extremely tough, and some MCQs were also extremely tricky," opined Rachna Arora, Shiv Nadar School, Noida.
A few students also complained that there was an MCQ from the withdrawn syllabus, which further confused them.
SECTION B: Application-based numericals
2-mark questions were simple and straightforward and provided an opportunity for students to earn easy marks. Well-prepared students can finish this section in no time.
This section had questions relating to Ohm's Law, Ampere's Circuital Law, and Lenz's Law, testing students' understanding at the basic level. A few questions were moderately difficult for a few students.
SECTION C: Time taking and concept based questions
This was a concept application question and not memorizing facts by rote. Rote learners would have found it difficult, but with a proper understanding of theories, they would have been able to manage it.
This was derivation and circuit-based question-heavy and included topics like Capacitors, Kirchhoff's Laws, and Ray Optics. This was also the longest section, as it required step-by-step explanation and solutions.
SECTION D: Case Based Questions
The two case studies provided to students were one on Modern Physics and the other on Capacitors and Semiconductor Electronics. Even though the Modern Physics case study was simpler, the Capacitance-based case study required more analytical thinking and use of multiple concepts and hence was more challenging.
SECTION E: Difficult Lengthy Questions
The 5-mark questions were tougher than they used to be, requiring multi-step problem-solving and critical thinking. This is because it reflects a stronger emphasis on higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), so it was hard for students who relied on formula application.
This section contained direct questions from Magnetism, Current Electricity, and Optics, and numericals. Some problems involved lengthy calculations, so time management was crucial.
Section E was quite simple, although it consumed a lot of time, as per Surender Puli.
Also check: CBSE 12th Physics 2025 Practice Sample Paper by Experts
Student Opinions about the CBSE 12th Physics Paper 2025
The CBSE Class 12 Physics paper was met with mixed responses from the students, with the majority of them appreciating the conceptual-numerical question ratio, but others also found some aspects of it difficult, particularly the MCQs.
Priyal Arora, Class 12, Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, Ghaziabad, noted, "The difficulty level of the MCQs was challenging, and one of the MCQs was from the cancelled part of the syllabus. The paper was lengthy and time-consuming."
Praneel Munshi, a student of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, found the paper to be well organized but mentioned that Set 3 was concept, understanding-based. "The paper as a whole was well-balanced, although Set 3 was extremely concept-oriented. Time management was challenging, since depth of questions required cautious application and thinking," he added further. Geeta, a Class 12 student from Vidyagyan School, said, "Section B of set 2 was a bit long, and Section C was of concept-based questions, which was good. The paper overall was moderate and I am eagerly waiting for good marks." For Shivam Kole of Shiv Nadar School, Noida, the exam was long and challenging, not only probing conceptual knowledge but also the ability to apply it. He noticed a surprise factor in the paper: "The missing questions from Optics, which provided a twist to the exam." Shiv Nadar School teachers reported that although the paper was challenging and time-consuming, the majority of students were able to complete it, although with little time to edit. --- The CBSE Class 12 Physics exam 2025 was lengthy, concept-oriented, and required good problem-solving ability. Although some of them found it easy, most of them found it challenging to tackle time and surprise changes in questions.
Also check: CBSE Class 12 Physics Paper 2025 Analysis
