The Class 10 Computer Science exam is set to take place on February 27, 2026, and as usual, students are now in the final leg of preparations. Rather than freaking out or attempting to grasp new information, experts are urging students to go through what they already know and remain calm until the day of the exam. The exam will test their application skills rather than memorization.Soumitra Mishra, Head of Academics at Newton School of Technology, has provided some tips for preparation in an interaction with TOI. According to him, students should work on smart preparation rather than attempting to prepare the whole syllabus.
How the question paper is structured
The Computer Science paper follows a simple five-section format designed to test different levels of understanding.
- Section A contains 12 objective questions, each carrying 1 mark. These questions are usually direct and test basic knowledge.
- Section B has 7 short answer questions of 2 marks each, where students need to write brief but clear explanations.
- Section C includes 4 short answer questions of 3 marks each, requiring slightly more explanation and sometimes small coding logic.
- Section D has 1 long answer question worth 4 marks.
- Section E consists of 2 case-based questions, each carrying 4 marks, where students must apply concepts to real-life situations.
Teachers say this structure is designed to check whether students actually understand how technology works in real life.
What you should focus on first
Mishra suggests that students should start with HTML, since it usually carries the highest weightage in the paper. He said students should not just memorize syntax but should actually practice writing code.Students should revise:
- Basic structure of a web page
- Proper use of , ,
, and tags - Heading tags, lists, and text formatting
He also advised students to practice making small web pages on their own. Simple exercises like creating tables or forms can help students remember concepts better.
Important practical areas include:
Tables using rowspan and colspan
- Creating forms using textboxes, radio buttons, and checkboxes
- Adding audio and video files using HTML tags
- Basic CSS styling such as font, color, margin, and spacing
Mishra also warned students to stick to the CBSE textbook because some online tutorials teach older HTML versions that can confuse students during exams.
Networking and Internet concepts
Networking questions usually appear in conceptual or application form. Students should clearly understand protocols and their real-life usage.Mishra has suggested the key protocols to revise:
- TCP/IP
- HTTP vs HTTPS
- FTP
- SMTP
- SSH
- SFTP
- TELNET
- VOIP
Students should also understand differences like:
- Web server vs browser
- Email address vs website address
He suggested that students think about how these technologies are used in daily life, such as online banking, online learning, and secure browsing.
Cyber ethics and safety questions
The cyber ethics section is usually short but scoring. Students should be ready with simple definitions and examples.Important topics include:
- Plagiarism
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Netiquette rules
- Safe online payments
- HTTPS security indicators
Most questions here are case-based, so writing real-life examples can help fetch better marks.
If you are revising one day before the exam
According to Mishra, students should follow a quick revision order: First revise HTML page structure.Then practice tables and forms. After that, revise audio and video tags. Finally, go through basic CSS and protocol full forms. Memorizing full forms like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, SSH, and TCP/IP can also help in objective questions.
Exam day tips that actually work
Mishra advised students to attempt MCQs first to save time, as objective questions help build confidence at the beginning of the paper. He also mentioned that students should write code neatly with proper spacing, since messy code can lead to unnecessary mistakes while checking answers. According to him, closing HTML tags properly is very important, because even a small missing tag can cost marks in programming questions.He further suggested that students should keep their answers short and to the point, especially in theory and definition-based questions. At the same time, Mishra emphasized that students must draw tables carefully with proper borders, because presentation matters in Computer Science papers and helps in scoring full marks in practical coding and table-based questions.
