Class 10 Maths has always been one of those subjects that brings a mix of confidence and anxiety. For some students, it is scoring and predictable. For others, it becomes the most stressful paper of the board exams. Every year, once the exam ends, the same question follows students out of the centre: “Paper kaisa gaya?”
This year, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducted the Class 10 Mathematics exam on February 17, 2026, in both Standard and Basic formats. Early reactions suggested a clear difference in perception. The Standard paper was largely seen as balanced, while the Basic paper felt longer and more time-consuming for many students.
Amid these reactions, we at Moneycontrol decided to run a simple test. We uploaded both the Standard and Basic Maths papers, each spanning 15 pages, to ChatGPT to see how long it would take to solve them.
The result was striking. The AI completed the entire paper in less than a minute.
What stood out was not just the speed, but the structure of the answers. ChatGPT solved every section in detail, writing step-by-step solutions with proper headings, clear working, and neatly presented final answers, closely resembling how a student would attempt the paper in an exam.
The paper followed the familiar CBSE pattern, starting with one-mark multiple choice questions that were largely direct but required careful calculation. Some MCQs were slightly lengthy, especially those involving algebraic expressions, trigonometric identities, and probability-based reasoning.
The two-mark and three-mark sections focused heavily on core concepts. Questions from coordinate geometry involved finding distances and section formula applications, while algebra questions tested understanding of zeroes of polynomials and formation of quadratic equations. Trigonometry was present through identity-based simplifications and value-based problems, many of which required more than one step to reach the answer.
Geometry, particularly from chapters like Triangles and Circles, played an important role. These questions were not overly tricky but required students to recall the correct theorems and apply them logically. In some cases, especially in the Basic paper, the steps were longer, which likely added to the perception of the paper being lengthy.
The long-answer section and case study questions were where the paper became more demanding. These questions combined multiple concepts and required structured, step-by-step reasoning. For instance, questions involving heights and distances needed correct trigonometric application along with interpretation of the given situation. Similarly, statistics questions required constructing tables and identifying median or mode, which could be time-consuming under exam pressure.
This is also where AI showed a clear advantage. ChatGPT handled these multi-step, application-based problems effortlessly, moving from one step to another without hesitation and without the risk of calculation errors.
The contrast is hard to miss. What typically takes students three hours, along with pressure and time constraints, was completed by AI in seconds.
For students, this kind of tool can be helpful for revision. It allows them to see how a complete solution should be written, understand the flow of steps, and identify where they might be making mistakes. At the same time, it also raises an important concern. Board exams are designed to test thinking, accuracy, and time management, skills that cannot be built through shortcuts.
The Class 10 Maths paper this year may have tested conceptual clarity and application, but it has also highlighted how quickly technology is reshaping learning.
For now, one thing is clear. A full 15-page board paper that kept students engaged for hours can now be solved in under a minute.
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