CBSE Class 12 syllabus
The CBSE Class 12 syllabus for 2026-27, subject by subject: 67 topics to work through. On SkillStar, Class 12 children also get 1 mock test marked instantly and sample papers to download.
- Class
- Class 12 (Grade 12)
- Syllabus years
- 2026-27
- Topics
- 67
- Mock tests
- 1
- Downloads
- 26
CBSE Class 12 syllabus 2026-27
Physics
- Electric Charges and Fields: Coulomb's law, superposition principle, electric field and field lines, electric dipole, electric flux and Gauss's theorem. (Unit I: Electrostatics, 16 marks)
- Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance: Electric potential and potential energy, equipotential surfaces, conductors and dielectrics, capacitors in series and parallel, energy stored.
- Current Electricity: Drift velocity and mobility, Ohm's law, resistivity, internal resistance and emf, combination of cells, Kirchhoff's rules, Wheatstone bridge. (Unit II)
- Moving Charges and Magnetism: Biot-Savart and Ampere's laws, force on a moving charge and on a conductor, torque on a current loop, moving coil galvanometer. (Unit III, 17 marks)
- Magnetism and Matter: Bar magnet as an equivalent solenoid, magnetic field lines, para-, dia- and ferromagnetic substances, effect of temperature.
- Electromagnetic Induction: Faraday's laws, Lenz's law, self and mutual induction. (Unit IV)
- Alternating Current: Peak and RMS values, reactance and impedance, LCR series circuit and resonance, power factor, AC generator and transformer.
- Electromagnetic Waves: Displacement current, characteristics of electromagnetic waves and the electromagnetic spectrum. (Unit V, with Optics: 18 marks)
- Ray Optics and Optical Instruments: Reflection and refraction, total internal reflection, lenses and mirrors, prisms, microscopes and telescopes.
- Wave Optics: Huygens' principle, interference, Young's double slit experiment, diffraction at a single slit.
- Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter: Photoelectric effect, Einstein's photoelectric equation, de Broglie waves. (Unit VII, with Atoms and Nuclei: 12 marks)
- Atoms: Rutherford's model, Bohr's model of the hydrogen atom and spectral series.
- Nuclei: Composition and size of the nucleus, mass-energy relation, nuclear fission and fusion.
- Semiconductor Electronics: Energy bands, intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, p-n junction, diodes and their applications. (Unit IX, 7 marks)
- Practical work and investigatory project: Experiments, activities and a project; practical examination carries 30 marks.
Chemistry
- Solutions: Types of solutions, concentration, solubility, vapour pressure, ideal and non-ideal solutions, colligative properties and molar mass. (7 marks)
- Electrochemistry: Electrochemical and galvanic cells, Nernst equation, conductance, electrolysis, batteries, fuel cells and corrosion. (9 marks)
- Chemical Kinetics: Rate of reaction and factors affecting it, integrated rate equations, temperature dependence, collision theory. (7 marks)
- d- and f-Block Elements: Position in the periodic table, electronic configuration, properties of transition elements, lanthanoids and actinoids. (7 marks)
- Coordination Compounds: Werner's theory, nomenclature, isomerism, bonding, metal carbonyls and applications. (7 marks)
- Haloalkanes and Haloarenes: Classification, nomenclature, nature of the C-X bond, preparation, properties and polyhalogen compounds. (6 marks)
- Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers: Classification, nomenclature, structure, preparation and properties; commercially important alcohols. (6 marks)
- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids: Nomenclature and structure of the carbonyl and carboxyl groups, preparation, properties and uses. (8 marks)
- Amines: Structure, classification, nomenclature, preparation and properties; diazonium salts and their importance in synthesis. (6 marks)
- Biomolecules: Carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, vitamins, nucleic acids and hormones. (7 marks)
- Practical work: Volumetric analysis, salt analysis, content-based experiments and a project; practical examination carries 30 marks.
Biology
- Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants: Flower structure, gametophytes, pollination, double fertilisation, seed and fruit development, apomixis and polyembryony. (Unit VI: Reproduction, 16 marks)
- Human Reproduction: Male and female reproductive systems, gametogenesis, menstrual cycle, fertilisation, pregnancy, parturition and lactation.
- Reproductive Health: Reproductive health and STDs, birth control methods, MTP, amniocentesis, infertility and assisted reproductive technologies.
- Principles of Inheritance and Variation: Mendelian inheritance and deviations, chromosome theory, sex determination, linkage and crossing over, genetic disorders. (Unit VII: Genetics and Evolution, 20 marks)
- Molecular Basis of Inheritance: DNA as genetic material, structure of DNA and RNA, replication, transcription, genetic code, translation, lac operon, genome projects, DNA fingerprinting.
- Evolution: Origin of life, evidences for evolution, Darwin's contribution, modern synthetic theory, natural selection, Hardy-Weinberg principle, human evolution.
- Human Health and Diseases: Pathogens and common human diseases, immunology and vaccines, cancer, HIV and AIDS, adolescence and substance abuse. (Unit VIII, 12 marks)
- Microbes in Human Welfare: Microbes in food processing, industry, sewage treatment, energy generation, biocontrol agents, biofertilisers and antibiotics.
- Biotechnology: Principles and Processes: Genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology. (Unit IX, 12 marks)
- Biotechnology and its Applications: Applications in health and agriculture, transgenic organisms and ethical issues.
- Ecology and Environment: Organisms and populations, ecosystems, biodiversity and conservation. (Unit X, 10 marks)
- Practical work: Experiments, slides, specimens and a project; practical examination carries 30 marks.
Mathematics
- Relations and Functions: Types of relations, equivalence relations, one-to-one and onto functions. (Unit I, 8 marks)
- Inverse Trigonometric Functions: Definition, range, domain, principal value branch and graphs.
- Matrices: Types of matrices, operations on matrices, transpose, symmetric and skew-symmetric matrices, invertible matrices. (Unit II: Algebra, 10 marks)
- Determinants: Determinants up to 3x3, minors and cofactors, area of a triangle, adjoint and inverse, solving systems of linear equations.
- Continuity and Differentiability: Continuity, chain rule, derivatives of inverse trigonometric, implicit, exponential and logarithmic functions, second order derivatives. (Unit III: Calculus, 35 marks)
- Applications of Derivatives: Rate of change, increasing and decreasing functions, maxima and minima and real-life problems.
- Integrals: Integration by substitution, partial fractions and parts, standard integrals, fundamental theorem of calculus, definite integrals.
- Applications of the Integrals: Area under simple curves: lines, circles, parabolas and ellipses in standard form.
- Differential Equations: Order and degree, variable separable, homogeneous and linear differential equations.
- Vectors: Magnitude and direction, direction cosines and ratios, types of vectors, addition, scalar and vector products. (Unit IV, 14 marks)
- Three-dimensional Geometry: Direction cosines of a line, Cartesian and vector equations of a line, skew lines, shortest distance and angle between lines.
- Linear Programming: Constraints, objective function, graphical solution in two variables, feasible regions and optimal solutions. (Unit V, 5 marks)
- Probability: Conditional probability, multiplication theorem, independent events, total probability and Bayes' theorem. (Unit VI, 8 marks)
English Core
- Reading comprehension: Unseen factual, discursive and literary passages with note-making and summarising.
- Creative writing skills: Notices, invitations, letters to the editor and job applications, articles and reports.
- Literature: prose and poetry: The prescribed NCERT readers for Class XII English Core: themes, characters and literary appreciation.
- Listening and speaking skills: Assessed through internal assessment, projects and oral activities.
Commerce subjects
- Accountancy: Partnership accounts, company accounts, analysis of financial statements and cash flow statement.
- Business Studies: Principles and functions of management, and business finance and marketing.
- Economics: Introductory Macroeconomics and Indian Economic Development.
- Applied Mathematics: Numbers and quantification, algebra, calculus, probability distributions, inferential statistics, financial mathematics, linear programming and index numbers.
Computing
- Computer Science: Computational thinking and programming in Python, computer networks and database management with SQL.
- Informatics Practices: Data handling using Pandas, database query using SQL, introduction to computer networks and societal impacts.
Humanities subjects
- History: Themes in Indian history, Parts I-III, with map work.
- Geography: Fundamentals of human geography, India: people and economy, and practical work in geography.
- Political Science: Contemporary world politics and politics in India since independence.
- Psychology: Variations in psychological attributes, self and personality, meeting life challenges, psychological disorders and therapeutic approaches.
- Sociology: Indian society and social change and development in India.
- Hindi Core: Hindi Core for Classes XI-XII: अपठित बोध, अभिव्यक्ति और माध्यम, पाठ्यपुस्तकें.
About the CBSE exam
How the Class 12 board examination works
Class XII ends with the CBSE Board Examination, the marks that most colleges use for admission. Science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology carry 70 marks of theory and 30 marks of practical work; subjects such as Mathematics and the commerce and humanities subjects carry 80 marks of theory and 20 marks of internal assessment. Some topics are listed for formative assessment only; the subject PDFs say which.
Where the official syllabus comes from
Each subject in this table follows the Classes XI-XII subject PDF published by CBSE for 2026-27 (one document covers both classes). The same PDFs are on SkillStar's Downloads tab.
When it happens
2027 Class 10/12 board subject-wise dates could not be verified in the official notices checked. Classes 1–9 and 11 follow school assessment timetables; ask the school for the next assessment. For board classes, follow CBSE's published final date sheet and your admit card when issued; do not treat expected February dates as confirmed. Status checked 1 November 2026.
Textbooks
NCERT textbooks are prescribed for most Class XII subjects and are free to download.
Registration and exam-day information
Regular school candidates should confirm registration, subject entries, internal/practical assessments, exam fees, hall tickets and reporting instructions with their school. Exact dates and rules depend on the class and the current board notification.
CBSE syllabus for other classes
CBSE Class 12: questions parents ask
- What is in the CBSE Class 12 syllabus for 2026-27?
- 67 topics in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics, English Core, Commerce subjects, Computing and Humanities subjects, laid out subject by subject on this page. On SkillStar your child can tick off each topic as they learn it.
- Are there CBSE Class 12 mock tests on SkillStar?
- Yes, 1 mock test. Each one is marked the moment your child finishes, with a question-by-question review, and can be taken again as often as they like.
- Can I download CBSE Class 12 papers?
- Yes. The CBSE Downloads tab on SkillStar has 26 files for this class.
- How does my child start CBSE Class 12 practice?
- Sign up free as a parent, add your child with their class, and pick CBSE from the exam list. Every new family gets welcome credits, lots of content costs nothing, and anything paid shows its price in credits before you decide.
- Is SkillStar the official CBSE website?
- No. SkillStar is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the organisers of these exams. Exam names belong to their respective owners. Check dates, fees and registration with the CBSE organisers.
SkillStar is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the organisers of these exams. Exam names belong to their respective owners.