If you looked at the Phase 1 paper and felt some questions were "different" from what you expected — those were competency-based questions. CBSE has shifted its exam philosophy significantly: up to 50% of questions are now competency-based, testing your ability to apply knowledge rather than reproduce it.

Students who understand this shift and prepare specifically for it will dramatically outperform those who rely solely on rote learning. This guide covers every type of competency-based question in CBSE Class 10 and gives you a precise strategy for Phase 2.

📊 How Much Competency-Based Questions Are Worth: In CBSE Class 10 Science, 50% of the 80-mark paper is competency-based or MCQ. In Maths, MCQs alone are 25% of the paper. In SST, source-based and map work together are 20+ marks. Mastering these question types is the single fastest route to improving your Phase 2 score.

What Are Competency-Based Questions?

Competency-based questions test application, analysis and evaluation — not memorisation. Instead of "Define photosynthesis" (recall), they ask "Given this diagram of a leaf cross-section, identify which cells carry out photosynthesis and explain why their position in the leaf is optimal" (application + analysis). There are four main types:

1. Case-Based Questions (Case Studies)

A paragraph or short scenario is given. 2–4 questions follow, each based entirely on that scenario. The answers may require you to apply a formula to numbers given in the case, draw a conclusion from data presented, or connect the scenario to a concept from your syllabus.

Strategy: Read the case passage completely before looking at the questions. Underline numbers, names and relationships. 80% of the time, the answer is directly in or inferable from the passage. Students who lose marks here are those who jump to questions without reading the passage carefully.

2. Source-Based Questions (SST)

Common in Social Science. A primary source — an excerpt from a speech, a historical document, a newspaper article — is given. 3–4 questions follow asking you to interpret, contextualise or critique the source.

Strategy: Identify WHO wrote/said it, WHEN, and WHY. The questions almost always ask: what does this source tell us about [event/period]? How does this connect to what we studied? Be specific — vague answers like "it talks about freedom" earn no marks; "it reflects the Non-Cooperation Movement's emphasis on self-reliance through economic boycott" does.

3. Data Interpretation Questions

A table, graph or chart is given. Questions ask you to read values, calculate differences, identify trends or draw conclusions. Common in Science (ecology data, reaction rate graphs) and Maths (statistics).

Strategy: Read axis labels and units before anything else. Every number in a data interpretation question is there for a reason. Identify the maximum, minimum and trend before answering specific questions. Write units in every answer.

4. Assertion-Reason Questions (MCQ type)

These are MCQ questions with two statements: Assertion (A) and Reason (R). You must determine if each is true or false and if R correctly explains A. The four options are always structured the same way. See our detailed guide: Assertion-Reason Questions Strategy.

Phase 2 Strategy — Competency Questions

For Phase 2 preparation, competency-based questions require a different approach than traditional revision:

  1. Review Phase 1 competency questions first: All case-based and source-based questions from Phase 1 are in the board papers available on SkillYog. Go through every one and understand how the answer connects to the given scenario — not just what the answer is.
  2. Practise "reading the passage" as a skill: Set a timer for 60 seconds. Read a case study passage. Without looking at questions, write down the 3 most important facts the passage contains. This trains you to extract information quickly under exam conditions.
  3. Write structured answers: Competency answers must be structured. Start with the direct answer (one sentence), then the reasoning (one or two sentences). Examiners award marks per point — give them clear, discrete points, not flowing paragraphs.
  4. Don't skip these in the exam: Many students skip case-based questions thinking they're harder than standard questions. They're not — they're different. The information you need is right in front of you in the passage. These are often the highest-marks-per-minute questions in the paper.

Subject-Specific Tips for Competency Questions

Science Case Studies

Science case studies in Phase 1 tested: food chains and energy flow (Biology), reaction types from observations (Chemistry), and circuit calculations from given values (Physics). For Phase 2, expect similar applied scenarios. Keep your NCERT concepts sharp — the scenario is unfamiliar but the concept it tests is always from the syllabus.

Maths Case Studies (Section E)

Each case study in Maths has 3 sub-questions. The first two are usually straightforward (1-2 marks each). The third requires more steps (2 marks). Always attempt sub-questions 1 and 2 fully before moving to sub-question 3. Never leave Section E blank — even a partial attempt earns partial marks.

SST Source Questions

Source-based SST questions require you to connect the source to historical context. Always identify the source (if named), its time period, and the broader theme it relates to (e.g., Nationalism, Industrialisation, Democracy). One sentence of context + one sentence directly answering the question = full marks for most sub-questions.

🎯 Phase 2 Advantage: You've already seen exactly what types of competency questions CBSE asked in Phase 1 for this year. Practice those exact question formats. The scenarios will be different in Phase 2 — but the question types, the number of sub-questions, and the mark allocation will be nearly identical.