Kamal Ghorui
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the Class 12 Hindi Core and Hindi Elective examinations today, March 16, 2026, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm at exam centres across the country.Students told TOI that the paper was largely easy and manageable, with most students saying that questions followed the expected exam pattern.Students who appeared for the examination said that the paper was balanced and could be completed within the given time.Sanjana, a student of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sonia Vihar, who appeared for the exam at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Shri Ram Colony, said that the overall paper was easy.“The paper was easy and most questions were direct. I was able to complete the paper on time,” Sanjana said.Another student from the same school, Bhoomika, also shared a similar view about the exam. “Section C was a little difficult because some words were not very easy to understand, but overall the paper was manageable,” Bhoomika said.Ms Garima Arya, Head of Department, Hindi, at Silverline Prestige School, said that the paper was aligned with the prescribed syllabus and the examination pattern of the Board.“The Class 12 Hindi board examination paper was structured according to the syllabus and exam pattern of the Central Board of Secondary Education. The questions were clear and concept based, which allowed students to show their understanding of the subject,” she said.She added that most questions were direct and in line with the competencies expected at the senior secondary level.“The paper did not have tricky or ambiguous questions. Most of the questions were straightforward and allowed students to demonstrate comprehension, interpretation and writing skills,” she said.She also said that the paper required careful time management. “The difficulty level of the paper was moderate but the question paper appeared slightly lengthy. Students needed to manage time carefully to complete all sections,” she said.Commenting on specific parts of the paper, she said the unseen poem section required deeper reading and interpretation.
Exam pattern followed in the paper
The CBSE Class 12 Hindi theory paper carries 80 marks, while 20 marks are allotted for internal assessment, making the subject worth 100 marks in total. The question paper is divided into three sections which are A, B and C.Section A focuses on reading comprehension and carries 20 marks. Section B includes questions related to writing skills, such as letters and essays, for 20 marks and Section C is based on Hindi literature and carries the highest weightage of 40 marks.
Passing criteria for CBSE Class 12 Hindi exam
According to the board’s passing criteria, students must secure at least 33 per cent marks to pass the CBSE Class 12 Hindi examination.Candidates who score below 33 per cent in any subject will have to appear for a compartment or improvement examination to qualify.
Question paper PDF
The CBSE Class 12 Hindi question paper 2026 PDF is available below for reference. Students and teachers can download the paper to review the questions.The CBSE Class 12 board examinations for 2026 are continuing as per the schedule, with more subject papers to be conducted in the coming days.
