NCERT Exemplar Problems are a separate, harder problem set published officially by NCERT alongside the regular textbook — designed to push beyond textbook-level difficulty and closer to what competitive exams like JEE and NEET actually test. Many students confuse them with the regular NCERT book, so here is exactly what they are and where to get them.
What Are NCERT Exemplar Problems?
Exemplar books are official NCERT publications (separate from the main textbook) containing higher-order-thinking questions: longer numericals, multi-step reasoning problems, and application-based questions that go beyond what the regular chapter exercises cover. They exist for most Class 9–12 Science and Maths subjects.
Where to Download the Official NCERT Exemplar PDFs
NCERT publishes Exemplar Problems directly on its own portal:
- ncert.nic.in/exemplar-problems.php — the official, class-wise and subject-wise Exemplar Problems index.
As with our main book catalog, we link directly to NCERT’s own portal for Exemplar PDFs rather than re-hosting them, since NCERT periodically updates file paths and we’d rather send you to a guaranteed-current copy than risk a stale mirrored file.
Exemplar vs Regular NCERT Textbook: What’s the Difference?
- Regular NCERT textbook — core concept explanations plus chapter-end exercises matched to the board exam syllabus. Start here first; you can find every class and subject on our homepage catalog.
- NCERT Exemplar — a harder, supplementary problem set for the same syllabus, best attempted once you’re comfortable with the regular textbook exercises, especially useful for board exam “HOTS” (Higher Order Thinking Skills) questions and early competitive-exam preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NCERT Exemplar compulsory for board exams?
Not directly — CBSE board papers are based on the regular NCERT textbook syllabus, but board exams increasingly include HOTS-style questions, and Exemplar practice is one of the most effective ways to prepare for that question style specifically.
Should Class 9 and 11 students use Exemplar too, even without board exams?
Yes — since Class 9 and 11 build the direct foundation for Class 10 and 12 board syllabi, working through Exemplar problems a year early makes the board-exam-year version of the same chapter noticeably easier.
