Sample papers is the question paper released by the Board at the beginning of the academic session. It shares the questions in a pattern similar to what you should expect in the main exam. They are provided to you to download and practice for better preparation.  However, Maharashtra 12th question paper is the question paper you receive on the day of the exam. You need to go through the questions and answer them in the answer sheet provided by the board. You cannot know or practice the questions on the Maharashtra Class 12 question paper prior to the exam.

Each exam of HSC 2026 will be for 100 marks. You have to appear for 5 compulsory subjects including English. You have the option to choose 6th additional subject. Maharashtra State Board 12th total marks are 500 or 600, depending on the number of subjects you chose. Minimum 35% marks in each subject are compulsory to pass the Maharashtra HSC exam 2026.

No, CBSE syllabus and Maharashtra Board are not the same. There are certain key differences between these two boards which parents and students should consider before choosing which board they want to study in. Here are some of the main differences between Maharashtra and CBSE boards:

1. CBSE is a central board that falls under the purview of the central government, while Maharashtra board falls under state government purview, which means that it is managed by the government of Maharashtra. 
2. The syllabus, curriculum, subjects and course material of both boards differ quite a bit. CBSE curriculum is formed by the NCERT while Maharashtra curriculum is formed by the State government department of education. 
3. Since CBSE is a national board, it gives priority to English as the medium of education and communication. However, since Maha board is a state managed board, it gives priority to regional languages like Marathi, Hindi, Kannada, etc. with English being taught as the first or second language, depending on the schools.
4. Most CBSE schools are private and thus the overall cost of education in CBSE board is usually higher than state board. Since Maharashtra board schools are state-managed, it is widely available in most public schools, as well as private ones, and so it has lower fees. 
5. The CBSE board is uniform throughout the country, which means that children can transfer from one school to another in a different state, while still learning the same syllabi. On the other hand, since the Maharashtra board syllabi is state-specific, changing schools inter-state is not very feasible. 
6. Another point of difference between the two boards is the range of subjects offered. Again, since CBSE is a centralised board, it offers a limited variety of subjects,  especially in languages, arts and humanities. On the other hand, Maha board offers quite a range of subjects in all disciplines, including numerous languages. 
7. Since CBSE is also the board that controls a lot of national competitive exams, the board focuses a lot on preparing children for such exams. However, Maharashtra board focuses more on holistic academic knowledge,  without focusing on any particular competitive exams. 

Yes, downloading the Maharashtra HSC question papers of previous years’ is free of cost. However, you might be asked to sign up using the required credentials. Students can click the link given here to download them. It can be downloaded in PDF format for free. Students can use the previous years’ Maharashtra 12th question papers and sample papers for revision.