How the CBSE Marking Scheme Works: Step Marks, Key Terms and Value Points

Every CBSE board paper has an official marking scheme that tells examiners exactly what to give marks for. Knowing how it works is one of the fastest ways to raise your score.

Step marks

In Maths and numericals, marks are split across steps: the formula, the substitution, the working and the final answer with units. A correct method with a small slip still earns most of the marks.

Value points

In theory answers, the scheme lists value points: the specific ideas each answer must contain. A 3-mark answer usually needs 3 distinct points.

Key terms

In SST, Biology, Business Studies and Economics, NCERT terminology matters. "Optimum utilisation of resources" earns the point, while "using things well" may not.

Diagrams

Diagrams often carry marks for the drawing and the labels. An unlabelled diagram often gets little or no credit.

How to use this

• Read the marking schemes for your subjects, free on cbse.gov.in.
• After each practice question, compare your answer with the scheme and note any missing value points.
• BoardPrep shows the official marking-scheme answer right after you attempt each question (6,488 questions have one).