The hallways of schools like Khaitan Public School are full of worried talk lately. Students and parents are asking a big question. They want to know if the 2025 board exams are the hardest ones ever. The air is thick with stress. This feeling is not just in one school. It is across the whole country. Many people feel that something has changed. The 2025 batch is facing a new kind of challenge. This report looks at the facts. It tries to see if the exams are truly tougher or if it is just a feeling.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) changed many things this year. These changes follow the National Education Policy 2020. The board wants to stop students from just memorizing facts. They want students to understand what they learn. This is called competency-based learning. This sounds good for the future. But for a student sitting in the exam hall today, it feels very hard. The questions are not simple anymore. They are tricky. They ask about real life. They make students think very deep.
This detailed report looks at why the 2025 exams feel so heavy. It checks the new paper patterns. It looks at the math and science papers that made students cry on social media. It also looks at the numbers. Are more students failing? Or is it just harder to get top marks? The evidence suggests that while the pass rate is stable, the road to a 90% score is now full of thorns.
The Big Shift: Why 2025 Feels So Different
The primary reason for the high difficulty level is the change in question types. In 2025, the board made 50% of the questions competency-focused. This is a big jump. A few years ago, this number was much lower. These questions include case studies and source-based problems. They do not ask you to define a term. They give you a story or a data table. Then they ask you to solve a problem using what you know.
The traditional way of studying was to read the textbook and memorize answers. Students used to look at the last ten years of papers. They would find the “most expected questions.” They would learn them by heart. But in 2025, those expected questions did not show up. The board was very “slick” this year. They did not use the same old questions. Instead, they asked questions that required reading every single line of the NCERT book.
The 2025 Question Paper Blueprint
The new structure of the paper is designed to test how well a student can use knowledge. The weight for short and long answers was cut down. These were the areas where students used to score easily by writing general points.
Blueprint Comparison Table
| Question Type | 2023-24 Weightage | 2024-25 Weightage (Current) |
| Competency-Based (Case studies, MCQs, etc.) | 40% | 50% |
| Objective Questions (MCQs/Select Response) | 20% | 20% |
| Constructed Response (Short/Long Answers) | 40% | 30% |
The decrease in “Constructed Response” questions to 30% is a major cause of stress. This means there is less room for error. In a long answer, a student might get partial marks for a good attempt. In a competency-based case study, if the core logic is wrong, all the marks disappear. This shift makes the exam feel like a high-stakes puzzle rather than a simple test of memory.
The Impact of the 15 Percent Syllabus Cut
Some people thought the exams would be easier because the syllabus was reduced by 15%. However, analysis shows this had the opposite effect. When the syllabus is smaller, the questions on the remaining topics become much deeper. The board expects a higher level of mastery over the topics that are still in the book. The questions are now “closely-knit” and “reasoning-based.” This means a student cannot skip even a small detail.
Mathematics: The Toughest Paper for Class 10
The Class 10 Math exam in 2025 has become a legend on social media for being very hard. Students and teachers agree that the paper was both tricky and lengthy. Many students who were very well-prepared could not finish the paper on time. This is a common complaint for the 2025 batch. The paper was not just about math; it was a race against the clock.
Why the Math Paper was a Struggle
The difficulty was not the same for everyone. The board has two types of math papers: Standard and Basic. In 2025, the Standard paper was rated as “Moderate to Difficult.” The Basic paper was rated as “Easy to Moderate.”
| Section | Level of Difficulty | Observation |
| Section A (20 MCQs) | Moderate | Tricky options that looked very similar |
| Section B (Very Short) | Easy to Moderate | Direct questions but some were lengthy |
| Section C (Short Answer) | Above Average | Required deep understanding of steps |
| Section D (Long Answer) | Difficult | Mostly from geometry and surface areas |
| Section E (Case Studies) | High Difficulty | Required interpretation of real-life data |
Teachers from VidyaGyan School and Shiv Nadar School noted that the paper had no “straightforward” questions. Every question had a little twist. For example, the trigonometry questions were very tricky. Students who just memorized formulas struggled to apply them. The geometry section also had many proof-based questions that were hard for the average student.
The “Set 3” Nightmare
In the 2025 board exams, the different sets of question papers were not equal in difficulty. Many students on Reddit reported that “Set 3” was much harder than Set 1 or Set 2. This led to a lot of anger. Students felt that their luck determined their marks more than their hard work. This is one reason why students ask, “Is it me, or is it the exam?” If they got a hard set, the exam was objectively more difficult for them.
Science and Physics: The New Cognitive Challenge
For Class 12, the Physics paper of 2025 is being called the “worst paper” by many. In the past, students could pass by learning derivations and theory. But the 2025 paper was full of numericals and application-based questions. Even teachers found the paper to be extremely challenging because it moved away from the standard pattern so sharply.
Class 10 Science Breakdown
The Class 10 Science exam was also a major hurdle. Held on February 20, 2025, the overall difficulty was “Moderate.”
| Subject | Marks Weightage | Focus Areas |
| Physics | 25 Marks | Electricity, Magnetic Effects, Light |
| Chemistry | 24 Marks | Carbon compounds, Acids and Bases |
| Biology | 31 Marks | Life Processes, Reproduction, Heredity |
The Science paper required “line-by-line” reading of the NCERT. Many students follow “one-shot” videos on YouTube. These videos often miss the small details. In 2025, those small details became the questions. The case-study questions in Science were especially long.
The Social Pulse: What Students Are Saying on Reddit
If you want to know how students really feel, look at Reddit. The community r/CBSE is full of rants about the 2025 exams. The consensus among students is that 2025 is the “hardest board exam” in years.
The Frustration with Seniors
One of the biggest frustrations for 2025 students is their older siblings or “seniors.” Seniors always say, “10th is easy peasy.” But the 2025 batch feels that the seniors had it much easier. They believe the question papers in previous years were more direct. Students fear they will be called “dumb” if they get 85% while a senior got 95% on an easier paper.
The Role of Online Educators
Many students feel “cheated” by online teachers who promise “100% guaranteed questions.” In 2025, the board avoided those common questions. The experiment by CBSE was to check the quality of education. They found that students who just follow “marathons” were not ready for real application.
Analyzing the Numbers: Is the Pass Percentage Falling?
Many people fear that a “hard” exam means everyone will fail. But the numbers tell a more complex story. The pass percentage has stayed above 90% for a long time. In 2025, the pass rates actually rose slightly.
Pass Percentage Trends (2020-2025)
| Year | Class 10 Pass % | Class 12 Pass % | Observation |
| 2020 | 91.46% | 88.78% | Pre-pandemic levels |
| 2021 | 99.04% | 99.37% | Peak due to internal marking |
| 2022 | 94.40% | 92.71% | Term-based system |
| 2023 | 93.12% | 87.33% | Drop after returning to normal |
| 2024 | 93.60% | 87.98% | Stable |
| 2025 | 93.66% | 88.39% | Slight rise despite difficulty |
Why are students crying if the pass rate is up? The answer lies in the “High Achievers” group. While more students are passing, fewer are getting 90% or 95% scores. In Class 10, the number of students scoring above 90% fell by more than 12,000. In Class 12, it fell by nearly 5,000. This proves it is harder to excel.
The Khaitan Public School Perspective
At Khaitan Public School, teachers see the 2025 board exam as a “big mountain to climb.” The school has a legacy of excellence. The founders believe every child has the right to a quality education. This is why the school focuses on how a child thinks.
How We Prepare Our Students
Khaitan Public School is known as the best CBSE school in Ghaziabad because of its “learner-centric” approach.
- Conceptual Clarity: Teachers encourage students to go beyond the textbook.
- Regular Practice of CBQs: KPS has integrated competency-based questions (CBQs) into daily study.
- Active Learning: Projects and discussions help develop “higher-order thinking skills.”
- No Stress Zones: KPS creates an inclusive environment to support struggling students.
Psychological Factors: Why it Feels So Difficult
The “toughness” of an exam is not just in the questions. It is in the mind. The 2025 batch faces massive mental pressure. Research shows that academic workload is a leading cause of stress in India. About 74% of Indian students report high levels of academic stress.
The “Panic-Performance Loop”
When a student sees a tricky question, they start to panic. This panic takes away their “working memory.” It becomes harder to think clearly. They waste time staring at the clock. This cycle is why many well-prepared students failed to finish the 2025 Math and Science papers.
Storytelling: Resilience in the Face of the 2025 Challenge
While the exams are hard, many students have shown they are harder.
- The Girl Who Studied with Her Ears: Isha Jain, born without sight, used audiobooks and discipline to score 93.2%.
- Writing with Quadriparesis: Sudhanshu Sharma wrote every single paper himself despite his condition, scoring 86.2%.
- Juggling Loss and Learning: Rishika Jakkula lost her father right before pre-boards. She managed the home and her siblings while studying, clearing her boards despite panic attacks.
Expert Strategies to Beat the 2025 Difficulty Level
You cannot use 1990 study habits for 2025 papers. Here are research-based strategies used at Khaitan Public School:
- Spaced Practice & Pomodoro: Study for 25 minutes, break for 5. Review topics after 2 days, then a week.
- Retrieval Practice: Stop passive reading. Close the book and write down everything you remember.
- Dual Coding: Use both words and visuals. Draw diagrams and mind maps to create two memory paths.
- Solve Case Studies Every Day: Don’t wait for pre-boards. Practice the logic of case studies daily.
- NCERT is Your Best Friend: Read every activity box and diagram. The board is picking questions from the smallest corners.
What the Future Holds: 2026 and Beyond
If you think 2025 is a big change, wait for 2026. CBSE is moving toward an even more “student-friendly” system.
- Two Board Exams: Starting 2025-26, students can take two exams and keep the best score.
- 9-Point Grading System: Moving to relative grading to stop unhealthy competition.
- Open-Book Exams: Some subjects may allow books, focusing 100% on analytical skills.
Conclusion: Is It You, or the 2025 Board Exam?
The final answer is: It is both.
It is the exam because the pattern has objectively changed. The jump to 50% competency questions is a real increase in difficulty. The papers are longer, and the questions are deeper. But it is also “you” because of how we prepare. The students who are succeeding are those who have adapted—focusing on concepts over “marathons.”
At Khaitan Public School, we believe difficulty is simply another word for a challenge that helps students grow stronger, smarter, and more resilient. The 2025 board exams have proven that rote learning is no longer enough—adaptability, conceptual clarity, and calm thinking matter more than ever. As the best school in Ghaziabad, Khaitan Public School remains committed to preparing students not just for exams, but for life beyond them. Stay consistent, trust the NCERT, focus on understanding rather than shortcuts, and remember: no exam defines your worth—your learning journey does.
