Indian School Certificate Examinations (ICSE) Class 10 – Everything You Need to Know

ICSE Class 10 Exam Overview

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) conducts the ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) examination in India. It is a private board of school education in New Delhi that administers the ICSE (Class 10) and ISC (Class 12) exams. Every year, the ICSE tests are usually held in February or March.

The board is known for its focus on teaching in English and a curriculum that tries to improve students' analytical skills and real-world knowledge.

1.0Key Features & Highlights of ICSE Class 10 Exams

The official ICSE Class 10 timetable for 2026 was released on November 13, 2025, on the CISCE website (cisce.org). The board exams will be conducted in a pen-and-paper format between February 17 and March 30, 2026. Students are advised to check the official portal regularly for any further updates or schedule changes.

Students preparing for the Class 10 ICSE exams 2026 must go through the complete ICSE syllabus 2026 and must know the exam pattern well. 

ICSE Exam Pattern and Grading System

The Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) put out the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) exam pattern for 2026 on its official website, cisce.org, along with ICSE specimen question papers for 2026. 

The ICSE 10th exam pattern for 2026 shows how the questions will be graded, what kinds of questions will be asked, how hard they will be, and other things.

2.0ICSE Class 10 Syllabus & Curriculum Structure

To commence with the preparation for ICSE 10th examinations, one should necessarily go through the complete ICSE syllabus 2026 for various subjects. The board has published the ICSE 10th syllabus 2026 for all on the official website. All the chapters and topics covered in the examination are mentioned in the ICSE syllabus.

Students should try and cover the entire syllabus of ICSE at least a month before the release of the timetable if they want to secure good marks. After finishing the syllabus, the students must also keep time for revision.

The ICSE Class 10 study plan gives a full list of the required subjects and the choices for Groups II and III for the school year. When students know what subjects are on the ICSE 10th grade test, they can choose subjects that interest them.

Group I – Compulsory Subjects

• English
• Second Languages (Indian Languages or Modern Foreign Languages)
• History, Civics, and Geography

Group II – (Any two of the following subjects)

• Mathematics
• Science (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology)
• Economics
• Commercial Studies
• Technical Drawing
• Modern Foreign Language
• Classical Language
• Computer Science
• Environmental Science
• Agricultural Science

Group III – (Any one of the following subjects)

• Computer Applications
• Economic Applications
• Commercial Applications
• Art
• Performing Arts
• Home Science
• Cookery
• Fashion Designing
• Physical Education
• Yoga
• Technical Drawing Applications
• Environmental Applications
• Modern Foreign Languages

3.0ICSE Class 10 Exam Pattern & Grading System

Class 10 Exam Pattern Highlights

The board provides a detailed exam pattern for each subject. Some examples from the board website are mentioned below:

• English I (2 hours): 4 broad questions (composition, letter, unseen passage + grammar)
• Maths (2½ hours): Section A (4 questions of 10 marks each = 40), Section B (solve 4 out of 7 for 40 marks)
• Physics / Chemistry / Biology (1.5 hours each): Section A – short compulsory; Section B – 6 questions, solve any 4 (40 marks)

Grading / Mark Distribution

ICSE Class 10 Study Materials

The learning materials cover content from subjects such as English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science through the lens of understanding, not memorization. Each topic is deconstructed using examples from real-life scenarios, diagrams and step-by-step solutions to aid comprehension of complex concepts.

At ALLEN, we always ensure that our ICSE study materials are current in accordance with the board and previous exam trends. The materials include mock tests, sample exercises and integrated question banks to aid the student in developing speed, accuracy and confidence.

4.0ICSE Class 10 Specimen Papers- Subject-wise 

Practicing ICSE Class 10 Sample Papers/ Specimen Papers (2026) is one of the best and smartest ways to prepare thoroughly for the board examinations. ALLEN provides subject-wise sample papers made by academic experts who create the sample papers based on their observations of the past years’ trends and the latest question patterns of ICSE. These sample papers also replicate exam conditions, which allows students to gauge their preparation level, build their time management, and self-evaluate areas to improve.

Every sample paper has a mix of objective-type, short answer type, and long answer type questions from each of the subjects respective syllabus. The following subjects have separate sample papers: English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History & Civics, Geography and Economics. The detailed answer keys and marking schemes explanations help students understand how to present their answers in the board-exam formatting style.  

5.0ICSE Class 10 Previous year papers Subject-wise

Previous year question papers for ICSE Class 10 act as good resources to familiarize you with the examination experience. ALLEN classifies their past question papers into subject-wise collections for students to understand the pattern of distribution of questions, repetition of topics, and given marks for the questions. Solving the past five years and up to ten years of question papers, students can easily capture the significance of chapters, question types they are comfortable tackling, and what techniques ICSE is seeking in regard to conceptual knowledge.

By previous year question papers actually asking questions from subjects of the English Language, English Literature, Mathematics, Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social Science (History, Civics, Geography), etc. Completing these previous year papers in the time frame of the exam helps students gauge their performance, writing exam responses, and then the discipline for the exam.

6.0Admit Card for ICSE Class 10th 2026

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) officially released the ICSE Class 10 Admit Card 2026 on January 27, 2026. Please note that the official website (cisce.org) provides download access exclusively to school officials; students cannot download their hall tickets individually.

Students must go to their schools to get their ICSE 10th admit card 2026. You need to have your ICSE admit card 2026 with you on all exam days because it is an important document. Students can't take their tests without it.

7.0Preparation Tips for ICSE Class 10 Students

• Understand the syllabus in depth: The ICSE syllabus is said to be detailed and wide; hence, ensure that you know all the topics.
• Study according to subject-wise patterns: For example, know the pattern for English, Maths, Science etc. as referred above.
• Internal assessment matters: Since internal assessment forms part of the total marks, projects/practicals must not be ignored.
• Practise previous years' question-papers and sample papers: Doing so helps you become familiar with the question-patterns, and timing required to answer the same.
• Time-management: At the time of the exam, take a close look at the marks-weightage; for example, lengthier questions carry more marks.
• Revise systematically: As the syllabus is vast, revision will help retain topics on a weekly or monthly basis.
• Balance between deep understanding and exam strategy: The board emphasizes 'conceptual clarity'; therefore, understand the basics rather than just rote learning.

8.0ICSE Class 10th Result 2026

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations declares results for the class 10th ICSE examination usually in the first week of May 2026. The results will be made available on the official website of CISCE — www.cisce.org.—by entering their unique ID and index number.

• After the declaration of results, original mark sheets and certificates of passing will be issued by the schools, which are necessary for higher secondary admissions.
• After getting their results, students are allowed to select the academic stream of their choice for Classes 11 and 12, such as Science, Commerce, or Humanities, according to their interests and performance.

Students who do not get satisfactory marks, may apply for rechecking or re-evaluation on the official CISCE online portal. The re-evaluation application and result verification window is tentatively scheduled to open in May–June 2026, just after the declaration of results.