How to Start Preparing for Class 10 Boards Late: A Calm Plan

If you are wondering how to start preparing for Class 10 boards when it feels like everyone else began months ago, this post is for you. You will get an honest picture of the time you have, a simple way to decide what to study first, and a weekly routine you can start today. Feeling behind is normal, and a steady plan can fix it.

First, the facts about timing

CBSE says the first Class 10 Board exam of 2027 is held during February–March and is mandatory. The second Class 10 exam is in May.

The 2027 date sheet had not been released as of 7 October 2026, so nobody knows the exact paper dates yet. What you do know is this: the first exam is the main one, and there are still several months between now and February. That is real time, if you use it well.

Do not plan to skip the first exam and rely on the second. The first exam is mandatory, and it is where your main effort should go.

Your syllabus has not changed

The Class 10 Board syllabus for 2026-27 has the same units and marks as 2025-26. That helps: notes and practice made for last year's syllabus still cover the same units.

Science

Mathematics

Use these tables to choose your order. In Science, Chemical Substances and World of Living carry the most marks. In Maths, Algebra carries the most, followed by Geometry. Start with the high-mark units, but plan to cover everything.

Step 1: Take stock in one evening

Do this once, honestly, without judging yourself:

1. List every chapter in each subject.
2. Mark each one: done, half-done or not started.
3. Circle the chapters in the highest-mark units.

Now you can see the real gap instead of a vague feeling of being behind. That alone makes it smaller.

Step 2: Build a simple weekly routine

Keep it simple enough that you can actually follow it:

• Every day: one Maths session. Maths needs regular practice, not last-minute reading.
• Alternate days: Science and Social Science.
• Languages: a few sessions a week, with reading and writing practice.
• One day a week: catch-up and revision of everything you studied that week.

Study in short, focused sessions with small breaks. Put your phone in another room while you study. A plan you follow for five days beats a perfect plan you drop after one.

Step 3: Learn one chapter the right way

For each chapter:

1. Read the textbook chapter carefully, start to end.
2. Make one page of notes: key terms, formulas, diagrams, dates.
3. Solve the in-text and end-of-chapter questions without looking at answers first.
4. Mark the questions you got wrong and redo them two days later.

Move on when you can explain the chapter's main ideas in your own words. You do not need to master every extra question before moving on; you can come back.

Step 4: Practise in the Board style

Once a subject is mostly covered, start practising full papers under time limits. Check your answers carefully, note where you lost marks, and fix those topics. This turns reading into exam skill.

Step 5: Look after yourself

• Sleep properly. Tired study is slow study.
• Eat regular meals and move a little every day.
• If you feel stressed, talk to a parent, teacher or friend. You do not have to handle it alone.
• Compare yourself only with your own progress last week, not with classmates.

A sample first week

Adjust it to your school timetable and to the subjects you find hardest.

Remember

• The first exam in February–March is the main exam. Aim your effort there.
• The units and marks are unchanged from last year, so you know exactly what to cover.
• Start with high-mark units, but cover everything.
• Small, steady daily work adds up faster than you think.

You do not have to do this alone: study this chapter with Joy on Learnijoy, one chapter at a time.

Last updated: 7 October 2026. Source: CBSE.