Mathematics is a revered subject for the engineering aspirants who look to pursue careers through competitive exams like JEE Main and JEE Advanced. It is one of those subjects where a perfect centum can be scored if given the proper preparation pattern and time.
Over the past 3-4 years, CBSE has moved from giving the standard NCERT questions to questions that are application based. This has made the paper quite difficult to score if one expects only the NCERT type questions to come in the exam.
Where Can You Score Marks in CBSE Maths?
The long answer questions (5-6 mark ones) in CBSE Maths are one of the most fearful aspects of your exam. You should start answering from them and give them more time as they can increase your confidence level which will be carried through to the rest of the exam. Have a look at the past exam papers of CBSE Maths to get an idea of how the questions are asked in the exam. You can see that some of the questions are a bit twisted, so solving some difficult problems of your competitive exam level during the preparation time might help.
- The most important topic in CBSE Maths where you can score is Calculus, which carries a whopping 44% weightage.
- The chapter Differential Equations is known to contain the “application based” difficult questions.
- The next highest weightage in CBSE Maths is Vectors and 3D geometry with a 17% weightage given.
- It should be noted that both these subjects are practice-based. Solve the problems given here to get more practice.
- Probability, Relations and Functions and Algebra have a weightage of 10%, 10% and 13% respectively. Relations and Functions is a chapter which doesn’t require additional practice to the NCERT problems given in the textbook.
- Linear Programming has 6% saying in your final marks. A straight 5 mark question comes from this chapter, a little practice of understanding the questions and writing the linear equations might easily reward you the 5 marks.
Important Mathematics Topics
- Integration
- Differentiation
- Matrices and determinants
- Relations and functions
- Probability
- Limits
Important Topics By Marks
- Calculus – 44 marks
- Vectors and 3-D Geometry – 17 marks
- Algebra – 13 marks
- Relations and functions and Probability – 10 marks each
How to Prepare for CBSE Maths?
The topics to mainly focus on in Calculus are Limit of Sum, Maxima and Minima application problems, Application of Integrals (where sometimes, you have to practice drawing many graphs from equations to get an idea of the area being asked to find in the exam) and Properties of Definite Integrals. As said earlier, one must be adept in translating the equations into their plots, a skill acquired only through practice.
In Matrices and Determinants, Matrix Method, Inverse of a Square matrix and Properties of Determinants are very important. Know the row-column transformation problems well. One step wrong in them could be the end.
Other important topics are Concept of line and plane in 3D (a topic which requires a little imagination) and Bayes Theorem in Probability.
While preparing for CBSE Maths, it is always a good practice to note down all the important formulae and in the case of Calculus, the most important graphs. One can also note down the most frequent type of questions. This will prove to be very easy during the final days of preparation.
Solve the miscellaneous solved and unsolved problems in the NCERT book for CBSE Maths. Then move on to solving the sample papers. Remember, first you should have knowledge of the NCERT book completely. Only then move to a reference book.
Do not just mug up formulae. Understand the application aspect of them well. Otherwise, the memorized formulae may prove to be of no use.
To score marks, it is important to write down every important step in a descriptive way.
In order to manage time, sit down and solve the past year sample papers and make sure you complete the paper in 3 hours. See the shortcomings, if any, you have in those 3 hours and see which topics they come from and give more attention in that aspect. It is always a good practice to solve the long answers first and then move to the other sections in decreasing order of weightage. This will not let you panic at the end of the paper.
Weightage of Various Topics
| S.No. | Topics | Marks |
| 1. | Relations and functions | 10 |
| 2. | Algebra | 13 |
| 3. | Calculus | 44 |
| 4. | Vectors & three-dimensional Geometry | 17 |
| 5. | Linear programming | 06 |
| 6. | Probability | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
Question Paper Structure
| S.No | Types of question | Marks for each question | No. of questions | Total marks |
| 1 | Long Answer question | 6 | 7 | 42 |
| 2 | Short Answer | 4 | 12 | 48 |
| 5 | Very short answer questions | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Total | 29 | 100 |
Tips to Score Well in CBSE 12th Board Exams: Mathematics
Read the question paper thoroughly: It is important for students to first spot questions which they can answer well and prioritize those questions to be attempted. So, the entire order of attempting questions should begin from attempting known to unknown questions. Give 15 minutes reading time for going through the 29 questions. Don’t try to solve the questions and concentrate on reading the questions, especially the ones involving statements like matrices word problem, LP and 3-D geometry or probability.
Managing Space: Once you’re done with prioritizing the answering sequence, you need to think about the space and structure for answers. Each section needs to start from a fresh page with proper question number against it. Avoid doing rough work in every question and drawing a margin on every sheet as it reduces the width of the page. Try to follow this: for section A – two pages, section B – one sheet, section C and D – two sheets per questions for writing answers.
Time Management: Please don’t forget to carry your watch as your answering time needs to be quite precise. Here’s a time limit for you to follow: 8-10 minutes for Section-A, 25-30 minutes for Section B, 50-60 minutes for Section C and 40-45 minutes for Section D. Keep 15-20 minutes exclusively for rectification at the end. If you get stuck while solving questions, leave the answer midway and attempt the next question which you know. This helps save time and you can come back to the same question later with a fresh mind.
Keeping Stress Levels in Check: Keep calm even if you realize that you’re not meeting the target. If you feel too anxious, take a deep breath a few times or drink water. Do not feel over-stressed for one or two questions and focus on cracking the remaining ones which you know well. Avoid getting influenced by the stressful environment of the examination hall. Remember that some questions may look different but are not really difficult, so never give up easily.
Focus on Each Question: Once you’ve written the question on the answer script, always double check with the question paper before you start solving to reduce clerical errors. Many common mistakes happen in over familiar topics. One silly mistake while writing an answer can result in a loss of 4/6 marks.
Attempt 100 per cent: Even if you have doubts in some questions, always try to attempt the whole question paper. When you skip a question, you lose out on the opportunity to score a better result. Try to write steps even if you don’t know the complete answer. CBSE Marking Scheme is based on steps and so proportionate marks are given even if the full answer is not correct.
Avoid Overwriting and Scribbling: Presenting the answer sheet well and systematic work are always rewarding. Of course, no one can change their hand-writing, but ensure that it is legible by avoiding overwriting and scribbling. If something step is wrongly written, then simply cross it out and write again instead of over-writing.
Label Figures and Graph Properly: Things like the graph of linear programming, figures supporting plane or a rough sketch of area of bounded region should be neatly drawn and well labeled.
Giving Time to Rectification: If you somehow manage to finish the paper early, which does happen with many students, do not submit the paper or leave the exam room. Sometimes, answer papers contain silly mistakes, so go through them again and rectify errors. Ideally, revision should be done for all 6 marks and 4 marks questions followed by 1/2 marks questions.
Submission: After rectification is done, tie the extra sheets properly and ensure that sheets are in order before submitting it.
Best Books for CBSE Mathematics Class 12
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Previous Year’s Paper
You can also check out our article CBSE class 12 previous year papers.
Maths is actually fun if you solve it enough to make it a challenge and it soon starts to showcase magnificence. We hope you enjoy it the same.
