Online campaign: Over 10,000 sign petition seeking lenient evaluation in CBSE Class 10 maths

Nagpur: More than 10,000 students and parents signed an online petition urging the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to adopt lenient evaluation or moderation in the Class 10 mathematics board examination for the 2025-26 batch, alleging that the paper was excessively lengthy and unusually difficult.The petition, hosted on change.org, claims that a significant number of students across different sets found it difficult to complete the paper within the allotted time. Signatories stated that several questions required extensive calculations, including multiple-choice questions, which are generally expected to be less time-consuming. Despite preparation based on the prescribed syllabus, many students reportedly struggled to attempt all questions properly due to time constraints.
As per the petition, the question paper did not reflect the pattern or level of questions seen in the NCERT textbook, previous years' board papers, CBSE sample papers released this year, or Sahodaya examination papers. Students claimed that these resources are traditionally relied upon to understand the expected format and difficulty level. The perceived deviation from that pattern created confusion and distress among examinees.The petition also alleges that a case-based question included concepts aligned with Class 11 mathematics, which students say falls outside the prescribed Class 10 syllabus. This, according to signatories, added to anxiety during the examination.Students described the paper as unusually challenging and demanding deeper conceptual thinking than anticipated. As this was the first board examination experience for many of them, the unexpected difficulty reportedly affected their confidence and mental well-being.The petition calls upon CBSE to consider measures such as lenient evaluation, moderation of marks, or review of disputed questions to ensure fairness. It states that timely intervention would help reduce anxiety and reinforce confidence in the board's assessment process.