Maths Syllabus Class 10 CBSE: Units, Chapters and Marks

Unit-wise marks in the maths syllabus class 10 CBSE

Both Standard and Basic papers use the same units and the same marks split. Only the difficulty of the questions differs.

Algebra (20) and geometry (15) between them account for 35 of the 80 board marks. Trigonometry and statistics with probability add another 23, which means four units carry over 70 percent of the paper.

Chapter-wise class 10 maths syllabus

Unit I: Number systems

• Real numbers: Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic; proofs that numbers such as √2, √3 and √5 are irrational.

Unit II: Algebra

• Polynomials: zeros of a polynomial; relationship between zeros and coefficients of quadratic polynomials.
• Pair of linear equations in two variables: graphical solution and consistency; algebraic solution by substitution and elimination; simple situational problems.
• Quadratic equations: standard form; solution by factorisation and by the quadratic formula; discriminant and nature of roots; word problems from daily life.
• Arithmetic progressions: nth term and sum of the first n terms, with daily life applications.

Unit III: Coordinate geometry

• Distance formula and section formula (internal division).

Unit IV: Geometry

• Triangles: similar triangles; proof of the Basic Proportionality Theorem; converse and similarity criteria explained with reasoning.
• Circles: tangent at a point; proofs that the tangent is perpendicular to the radius and that the tangents from an external point are equal.

Unit V: Trigonometry

• Trigonometric ratios of an acute angle; values at 30°, 45° and 60°; relationships between ratios.
• The identity sin²A + cos²A = 1 and simple proofs using identities.
• Heights and distances using angles of elevation and depression of 30°, 45° and 60°.

Unit VI: Mensuration

• Areas of sectors and segments of a circle.
• Surface areas and volumes of combinations of any two of cubes, cuboids, spheres, hemispheres, cylinders and cones.

Unit VII: Statistics and probability

• Mean, median and mode of grouped data.
• Classical definition of probability and simple problems on events.

Class 10 maths paper pattern and internal assessment

The CBSE sample paper for the current session uses 38 questions in five sections. Expect a similar design, but check the sample question paper CBSE releases before your exam.

The 20 internal marks are split by CBSE into pen and paper tests with multiple assessment (10), a portfolio (5) and lab activities from the prescribed books (5). Your school records these through the year.

Standard or Basic: which maths should you choose

• Same syllabus: both cover every chapter listed above.
• Different questions: the Basic paper asks more direct, formula-level questions; Standard asks more multi-step and proof-based ones.
• Class 11 impact: under the CBSE scheme, students who pass Basic are meant to take Applied Mathematics, not Mathematics, in class 11. CBSE has kept a relaxation in recent sessions under which your principal can let a student who passed Basic study Mathematics (041) after judging the student's aptitude, so read the current circular and ask your school before deciding. If you may want science with maths, Standard is the safer choice.

Topics removed from the class 10 maths syllabus

The rationalised NCERT syllabus that CBSE follows dropped several older topics. Constructions, Euclid's division lemma, area of a triangle in coordinate geometry and frustum of a cone no longer appear in the class 10 maths syllabus, and graphs of cumulative frequency are out of statistics. Old guides and older question papers may still include them.

Skip these unless your teacher asks for them, and match your revision list against the current curriculum file on the CBSE academic site.

Which chapters to revise first, by marks

1. Algebra first (20 marks): quadratic equations and AP questions are long and frequent. Do every NCERT example and exercise.
2. Geometry and trigonometry (27 marks together): learn the listed proofs word for word in logic, then practise heights and distances diagrams.
3. Statistics and probability (11 marks): grouped mean, median and mode are scoring if you are careful with class intervals.
4. Mensuration (10 marks): practise combination solids and sector areas with neat units.
5. Real numbers and coordinate geometry (12 marks): short chapters, quick to revise in the last week.

After the NCERT book, solve the CBSE sample paper and past board papers under 3 hours; our class 10 maths previous papers page shows the method.

Books and other subjects

For the math syllabus class 10 students study, NCERT is the main book. The class 10th maths syllabus also points to NCERT Exemplar for extra problems. Exemplar questions are harder and suit Standard students. Any reference book you use should follow the rationalised chapter list.

See every subject in one place on our CBSE class 10 syllabus page, compare with the class 10 science syllabus, and look ahead to the class 11 maths syllabus if you plan to continue with maths.