Exam pattern · BoardPrep blog
What Are Competency-Based Questions in CBSE? (With How to Prepare)
What CBSE competency-based questions are, the types you will see in Class 10 and 12 papers, and how to prepare for application-style questions.
Competency-based questions test whether you can apply a concept, not just recall it. CBSE has steadily increased their share in board papers, so they now make up a large part of every paper.
Types you'll see
- Case-based and source-based questions: a passage or data, with sub-questions
- Assertion-reason questions
- Application MCQs: a familiar concept in an unfamiliar setting
- Data and graph interpretation, especially in Science, Geography and Economics
How to prepare
- Understand, don't memorise. For each concept, ask where it shows up in real life.
- Practise unfamiliar framings. Solve the newest papers and sample papers first, because they reflect the current style.
- Read slowly. These questions punish skimming.
- Explain your answers out loud. If you can explain why, you can handle a new framing.
Resources
- CBSE's 2026-27 sample papers and question banks (cbseacademic.nic.in)
- Recent board papers: 2026, 2025
- BoardPrep's free Pattern Challenge: 82 new questions in the 2026-27 pattern, with step-by-step logic
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