NIOS Previous Year Question Paper with Solutions

Every NIOS previous year question paper listed on this page is arranged session by session for Class 10 and Class 12, from April 2021 through to April 2026. You can open the paper you need at no cost, read the actual questions the way the board printed them, and request the worked solution set for that same session on WhatsApp if you want written answers to check yourself against.

Unnati Educations is an independent academic support platform run from Vikaspuri, New Delhi. The tables below are the working part of this page. Everything after them explains how to use the papers so that practice turns into marks rather than into a pile of half-attempted photocopies.

NIOS Class 10 Question Paper Downloads Session Wise

Secondary learners should begin with the two most recent general sessions and only then move backwards. Vocational learners have separate papers, listed in the same table and marked in the Subjects column. Open a paper first and attempt it cold. Ask for the solution afterwards, not before.

NIOS Class 12 Question Paper Downloads Session Wise

Senior Secondary papers follow the same April and October cycle. The subject codes examined at this level include English 302 and Hindi 301 and Mathematics 311 and Physics 312 and Chemistry 313 and Biology 314, alongside the commerce and humanities codes listed further down this page.

Need the written solution set for a session that is not yet in the table above? Send the class and the session on WhatsApp to 9654279279 and our NIOS desk will confirm availability the same working day.

NIOS Previous Year Question Paper Pattern and Marks Split

NIOS Secondary and Senior Secondary courses carry a public examination worth 80 marks and a Tutor Marked Assignment worth 20 marks, and both components are combined for the subject result. Subjects with a practical component follow a different split, so check the syllabus page for your specific subject code before you plan your revision.

Public examination component

• Objective and very short answer items that reward precise recall
• Short answer items where marks follow the number of valid points made
• Long answer items that expect a structured, paragraphed response
• Numerical work in Mathematics and Physics and Accountancy, where method carries marks
• Labelled diagrams in Science and Biology and Home Science

Tutor Marked Assignment component

• Submitted to your study centre rather than sat in an examination hall
• Carries a fixed share of the subject total, so it lifts a borderline result
• Routinely underprepared, which is why it is the cheapest scoring opportunity on offer

Full course details, admission windows and study centre guidance are on the NIOS main page and the about NIOS page.

Subjects You Will Find Inside These Papers

Class 10 Secondary

• English, Hindi and other medium languages
• Mathematics
• Science and Technology
• Social Science
• Economics and Business Studies
• Home Science and Data Entry Operations

Class 12 Senior Secondary

• Sciences: Physics 312, Chemistry 313, Biology 314, Mathematics 311
• Commerce: Business Studies 319, Accountancy 320, Economics 318
• Humanities: History 315, Geography 316, Political Science 317, Sociology 331, Psychology 328
• Applied: Computer Science 330, Home Science 321, Data Entry Operations 336

Subject codes are printed on the first page of each paper. If your enrolment card shows a code that does not appear above, the paper may sit under the vocational stream, which is listed separately in the Class 10 table.

How to Practise with a NIOS Previous Year Question Paper

Reading a solved paper is not practising. The sequence below is the one that separates learners who improve from learners who merely feel prepared.

1. Sit the paper cold. Three hours, one sitting, no notes and no phone. If you cannot finish, the problem is writing speed, not syllabus knowledge, and only timed attempts fix that.
2. Mark it against the solution set. Compare structure and length and the number of points made, not just whether the topic was right.
3. Rewrite every weak answer once. Rewriting is where the mark actually moves. Re-reading is not.
4. Log the chapters that cost you marks. Revise those chapters, then attempt an older session covering the same ground.
5. Reattempt the same paper after a week. The gap between the first and second score tells you whether the revision worked.
6. Work backwards through at least three sessions per subject. Five gives you a far clearer picture of how the board frames its long answer items.

Chapters that carry the heaviest syllabus weightage

These are not predictions and no one can promise you a repeat. They are the chapters that hold the largest share of marks in the NIOS syllabus, which is why they surface across sessions in the papers listed above.

• Class 10 Mathematics: triangles, algebraic expressions, introductory trigonometry
• Class 10 Science: light, electricity, life processes
• Class 12 Physics: optics and current electricity numericals
• Class 12 Accountancy: journal entries, partnership accounts, final accounts
• Class 12 Political Science: the Constitution and federalism

Cross-check each of these against the current syllabus on the official NIOS website before you narrow your revision, because syllabus revisions do happen between sessions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a NIOS previous year question paper enough to prepare for the exam?

It is not a substitute for the textbook, but it is the fastest way to find out what the board actually asks. Read the chapter first, then sit the paper under timed conditions, then rewrite the answers you lost marks on. Learners who do this for three sessions per subject usually walk into the hall recognising the shape of the paper rather than guessing at it.

How many sessions should I solve for each subject?

Three sessions is the working minimum and it covers the pattern of the long answer items reasonably well. Five to seven sessions is the better target if you are aiming high or if you are returning to study after a long break. Quality beats quantity here, so one paper attempted properly and rewritten is worth more than four papers skimmed.

Where do I get the solutions to these papers?

Each row in the tables above carries a Get Solution button that opens WhatsApp with the class and session already filled in. Send it and our NIOS desk will confirm what is available for that subject. The papers themselves open directly on this site at no cost, so you can attempt them first and request the written answers afterwards.

Do the same questions repeat across NIOS sessions?

Some topics recur because they carry heavy syllabus weightage, but nobody can honestly promise you which questions will appear. Treat past papers as a guide to format, phrasing and mark distribution rather than as a leaked question list. Preparing only the chapters you expect to repeat is the single most common way learners lose marks they had already earned.

Are the Tutor Marked Assignments worth the effort?

Yes, and they are routinely underused. The TMA carries a fixed share of the subject total and it is completed at home with your books open, which makes it the most controllable marks on your result. Learners who submit a careless assignment and then chase the same marks in the examination hall are making the hardest possible choice.

Are the vocational papers listed here as well?

Yes. The Class 10 table marks vocational sessions in the Subjects column so you can tell them apart from the general papers at a glance. Vocational subject codes differ from the general stream, so check the code printed on your enrolment card before downloading, and message the NIOS desk if the code you need is not showing in the table.

About This Page

Compiled by Prateek Talwar, founder of Unnati Educations, and reviewed by Rohit Sharma, Senior NIOS Counsellor. The session tables are updated as each new NIOS result cycle closes. Written solution sets are prepared by our subject panel and issued on request through the NIOS desk on 9899436384.

Disclaimer: Unnati Educations is a private academic support platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) or any government body. Question papers reproduced here are the property of NIOS and are provided for study reference only. Always confirm examination dates, syllabus and results on nios.ac.in.