CBSE Class 10 Math exam preparation 2026: Tips from faculty to score high and stop losing easy marks

Math anxiety is one of the few student fears that travels across classrooms, cities, and abilities. It appears in high-performing schools and ordinary ones, among confident students and quiet perfectionists alike. Unlike many subjects, Math does not test memory alone; it tests behaviour under pressure — the ability to hold a method steady, stay patient through steps, and recover when a line goes wrong. Math is a subject with the longest shadow. A strong score does more than boost a Class 10 percentage; it influences stream choices, eligibility combinations, performance confidence in competitive exams, and later comfort with finance, data, coding, and logic-driven careers. With the CBSE Class 10 Math exam scheduled for 17 February 2026, we spoke to Math faculty from various schools to identify what truly matters — the chapters to prioritise, the habits that lift scores, and the avoidable errors that quietly cost students marks.

CBSE Class 10 Math preparation 2026: Key topics to revise

In Class 10 Math, marks are rarely lost because students ignore the syllabus. They are lost because revision is spread too evenly — equal time for chapters that do not deserve equal weight. As the board exam draws closer, the smarter question is not how much to revise, but what to revise with intent. Certain chapters do more than carry marks; they test whether a student can connect ideas, shift methods mid-question, and apply concepts under unfamiliar framing.That is why some topics demand focused, repeated attention. Ms. Alka Sharma, Mathematics faculty, Bal Bhavan Public School, Delhi, “Polynomials, Pair of Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Arithmetic Progressions, Surface Areas and Volumes, Statistics, Triangles and Trigonometry are areas students need to sharpen their focus on as the exam approaches.”“These chapters carry significant weightage and often include interlinked concepts that demand both understanding and application,” she adds. Sharma also points out that the nature of questions has changed in recent years. “Regular practice of case-based and application-oriented questions, as reflected in recent CBSE patterns, is essential.”

CBSE Class 10 Math exam 2026: Practise against the clock

In Math, effort only starts paying off when it is measured against time. Many students practise diligently but still falter in the exam hall because they have never trained their minds to think clearly under a ticking clock. The gap is not knowledge; it is stamina. Math is one of the few papers where speed, accuracy and calm have to arrive together — and that combination only comes from timed exposure.That is why daily, time-bound practice matters more than marathon revision sessions. “Practise daily with a time-bound mock test,” says Huda Farhan Ansari, Mathematics faculty, Manav Mandir’s Smt. NRP Sheth Multipurpose High School, Mumbai. “It not only improves speed and accuracy but also builds exam stamina.”He stresses that practice today is also about smarter feedback, not just repetition. “Use AI-based tools or online quizzes to check solutions instantly and identify weak areas,” Ansari says, pointing out that immediate correction helps students break error patterns early.But beneath the tools and techniques is a simpler truth that students often forget in the pressure of boards. “Mathematics rewards practice — the more you engage, the stronger your concepts become,” he says.

Class 10 Board exam Math: Track your errors

“Maintain a personal ‘error notebook’ where you record mistakes and their corrections,” says Seema Chawla, Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar, Delhi. “Revising these before exams prevents repeating them,” she adds.In Class 10 Math, practice only becomes “score-ready” when it produces feedback you can actually use. An error notebook does exactly that. It converts daily practice into a personal revision map, showing you what needs attention instead of what you already feel comfortable doing. Over time, it sharpens accuracy, improves step-wise presentation, and makes revision more efficient. This is because you are not revising the entire syllabus blindly, you are revising what your own work is signalling.Math preparation for Board exam 2026: Turn the final month into clarityIn the final stretch before boards, most students do not run out of syllabus — they run out of clarity. A single, well-kept notebook can prevent that. “Develop the habit of writing one neat, well-organized solution notebook—your “Formula Diary”—where you record key results, derivations, and tricky questions,” recommends Sharma. The habit she pushes is deliberately small but powerful. “Revise it daily for 15 minutes during the last month. Remember, consistency in practice is far more powerful than last-minute cramming,” she adds.The deeper idea is this: Once your revision is organised, the fear around Math begins to soften too. You stop approaching questions like threats and start approaching them like something to be solved. As Sharma puts it, “Treat every problem as a puzzle, not a pressure point.”

Common Math mistakes you should avoid in the Board exam

One common pressure-point in Math is Geometry and graph-based work. Students may know the concept, but lose marks because the diagram does not communicate it clearly. “Avoid rushing through diagrams in Geometry or graph-based questions; accurate labelling and scaling are crucial,” says Chawla. When the question is visual, your work must be visually precise too.That same rule extends to long-answer questions, where step-marking is your biggest insurance. Students often write the final line confidently but sacrifice the reasoning that earns the marks along the way. “In long-answer questions, don’t skip reasoning or justifications, as stepwise presentation ensures partial credit even if the final answer does not match,” Chawla adds. In other words, a clear trail of logic can still save marks even when the destination is slightly off.Then come the mistakes that feel “small” but hit very hardest: Calculation slips, missing units, or a rushed substitution that derails an otherwise correct method. Sharma flags how frequently this happens in scoring areas. “Many students lose marks due to careless arithmetic errors, skipping steps in reasoning questions, or ignoring units in mensuration-based problems,” she says. “It’s crucial to write each step methodically, justify solutions logically, and always cross-check answers,” Sharma suggests. Finally, there is a deeper trap that appears when papers get more application-heavy: Treating Math like a formula-recitation contest. Students who memorise without understanding often freeze when the question is twisted, or presented as a case-based situation. “Relying solely on formula memorisation without understanding the derivation often leads to confusion in twisted or integrated questions,” Sharma warns.Put together, these mistakes share one theme: They are not about intelligence, they are about exam behaviour. Slow down where precision matters, show your working like it carries marks (because it does). Let understanding, not memory alone, do the heavy lifting.