NCERT Book for Class 10 Science
If you are preparing for your CBSE Class 10 board exams, the NCERT Science textbook is the most important book on your list. It covers all three branches of science — Physics, Chemistry, and Biology — in a single, well-organised book. This page gives you easy access to the full textbook as well as everything you need to prepare chapter by chapter.
The NCERT Class 10 Science book is written to build scientific thinking from the ground up. With clear explanations, in-text activities, diagrams, chemical equations, and practical examples, it gives students the understanding they need not just to pass the exam but to genuinely understand the world around them.
About the NCERT Class 10 Science Textbook
The NCERT Science textbook for Class 10 is published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and is the officially prescribed book for all CBSE schools in India. The latest edition is based on the current CBSE syllabus and covers Physics, Chemistry, and Biology topics in one comprehensive volume.
The book uses a mix of concepts, activities, experiments, diagrams, and exercises to build both theoretical understanding and practical knowledge. It is especially useful for students who want to score well in the board exam while also building a foundation for Class 11 and competitive exams like NEET.
Key highlights of the book:
Single book covering Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
Fully aligned with the current CBSE syllabus
Contains in-text activities, experiments, and NCERT exercises
Important diagrams, chemical equations, and numerical problems included throughout
Supports board exam preparation with a focus on conceptual clarity and step-by-step answers
NCERT Class 10 Science – All Chapters at a Glance
Here is a chapter-wise overview of the complete NCERT Class 10 Science textbook as per the latest edition:
Chapter 1 – Chemical Reactions and Equations Introduces the concept of chemical reactions, teaches students how to write and balance chemical equations, and explains types of reactions such as combination, decomposition, displacement, and redox reactions.
Chapter 2 – Acids, Bases and Salts Covers the properties and reactions of acids, bases, and salts. Includes the pH scale, indicators, and real-life applications like the use of bleaching powder, baking soda, and washing soda.
Chapter 3 – Metals and Non-metals Explains the physical and chemical properties of metals and non-metals, their reactivity series, extraction processes, and their uses in everyday life.
Chapter 4 – Carbon and its Compounds Focuses on the unique bonding nature of carbon, types of hydrocarbons, important organic compounds like ethanol and ethanoic acid, and the concept of soaps and detergents.
Chapter 5 – Life Processes Covers essential biological processes that keep living organisms alive — nutrition, respiration, transportation of materials in plants and animals, and excretion.
Chapter 6 – Control and Coordination Explains how the human nervous system works, the role of hormones in the endocrine system, and how plants respond to external stimuli through tropic and non-tropic movements.
Chapter 7 – How do Organisms Reproduce? Describes various modes of reproduction in plants and animals, including asexual and sexual reproduction, and explains the importance of reproductive health.
Chapter 8 – Heredity Introduces the basic concepts of genetics — how traits are inherited from parents, Mendel's laws of inheritance, and sex determination in humans.
Chapter 9 – Light: Reflection and Refraction Explains laws of reflection, image formation by plane and spherical mirrors, refraction of light, and image formation by lenses. Includes numerical problems using mirror and lens formulas.
Chapter 10 – The Human Eye and the Colourful World Explains how the human eye works, common defects of vision and their corrections, and natural phenomena like the dispersion of light, rainbows, and atmospheric scattering.
Chapter 11 – Electricity Covers Ohm's Law, resistance, electric circuits (series and parallel), heating effects of electric current, and practical applications like fuses and domestic wiring. This chapter has a significant numerical component.
Chapter 12 – Magnetic Effects of Electric Current Explains magnetic fields around current-carrying conductors, the working of an electric motor, electromagnetic induction, and the working of an electric generator.
Chapter 13 – Our Environment Discusses ecosystems, food chains and food webs, flow of energy in nature, and environmental concerns like ozone depletion and management of garbage and waste.
How to Prepare Well from NCERT Class 10 Science
Many students find Science tricky because it covers three very different subjects in one. Here is a practical approach to make your preparation smooth and effective:
Read each chapter fully before solving exercises. NCERT chapters are written clearly. Go through the in-text questions as you read — they help you check understanding on the spot.
Draw and label all important diagrams. Diagrams for the human eye, human heart, nephron, electric motor, and generator come up regularly in board exams. Practice drawing them neatly with correct labels.
Balance all chemical equations. For Chemistry chapters, make a separate list of all chemical equations from the book. Practice writing and balancing them daily.
Practice numerical problems. Chapters like Electricity, Light, and Chemical Reactions have numericals. Solve every NCERT numerical and understand the steps rather than memorising answers.
Make short revision notes. After finishing each chapter, write a one-page summary of key points, formulas, definitions, and reactions.
Do not skip activities. NCERT in-text activities are based on scientific concepts and questions from these often appear in exams in indirect ways.
Revise high-weightage chapters more. Electricity, Heredity, Carbon and its Compounds, and Light carry more marks. Give them extra revision time before the exam.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How many chapters are there in the NCERT Class 10 Science textbook?
The latest edition of the NCERT Class 10 Science textbook has 13 chapters covering Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. The book follows the current rationalised CBSE syllabus.
Q2. Is the NCERT Class 10 Science book enough for the CBSE board exam?
Yes. The CBSE Class 10 Science board paper is based entirely on the NCERT textbook. Students who read every chapter carefully, understand all activities, and solve all NCERT exercises can score above 90 marks without needing any additional reference book.
Q3. Which chapters carry the highest marks in CBSE Class 10 Science?
Based on the CBSE exam pattern, the chapters with the highest weightage are Electricity, Heredity, Light: Reflection and Refraction, Carbon and its Compounds, and Life Processes. Together these chapters account for a large portion of the total theory marks.
Q4. Are diagrams and numericals important in the Class 10 Science exam?
Yes, very much. Diagrams carry 4 to 6 marks per year and numericals from Electricity and Light chapters carry around 8 to 10 marks. Practising all important diagrams with correct labelling and solving every NCERT numerical is one of the fastest ways to improve your score.
Q5. Is the NCERT Class 10 Science book also useful for NEET preparation?
Yes. The Biology chapters in the NCERT Class 10 Science textbook form the base for NEET Biology. Chapters like Life Processes, Control and Coordination, How do Organisms Reproduce, and Heredity are directly part of the NEET syllabus. Students aiming for NEET should master the Class 10 Science NCERT book thoroughly.