What the board asks

We went through the ISC board papers, question by question, and matched each question to a topic. Here is what was asked, how often, and what was never asked.

Computer Science: 180 topics in the 2027 syllabus, across 10 units. The board has asked 117 of them at least once. 63 were never asked in the papers we checked.

Pick a unit

CS6 Arrays and Strings

This unit carries about 9 marks in the paper. We split it into 21 topics: each is one thing an examiner can ask, and you can practise it on paper in 5 to 25 minutes. The board has asked 14 of them. 7 were never asked. The top 5 topics make 61% of all the times this unit was asked. Last asked: 2026.

14asked by the board at least once

7in the syllabus, never asked

31times a topic of this unit was asked

7hours for one attempt at every topic

What the papers ask most

  • Address of an element, row major and column major7 times, last 2025 improvement
  • Design a class rearranging or sorting letters of a word4 times, last 2026
  • Design a two-matrix class with object arguments3 times, last 2025
  • Design a class on letter frequency, tests or codes3 times, last 2025
  • Find base address, order or bound from a given address2 times, last 2026
  • Maximum, minimum, sum and average of array elements2 times, last 2026
  • Fill the blanks in a String-processing method2 times, last 2026
  • Design a class that tests each word of a sentence2 times, last 2025 improvement
  • Design a class joining or reversing arrays of two objectsonce, last 2025 improvement
  • Design a class on matrix rows, columns, diagonals or boundaryonce, last 2025

In the syllabus, never asked (7)

They can still come, because they are in the syllabus. Give each one clean attempt. Your plan has two practice questions for each.

  • Array terms: declare, create, index, length, constant-time accessStatement
  • Linear search and binary search in an arrayProgram
  • Array after each pass of bubble, selection, insertion sortDry run / output
  • Solve a system of linear equations with a matrixProgram
  • Output of String method callsDry run / output
  • String versus StringBufferComparison
  • Use StringBuffer methods to build or edit a stringProgram

All the topics in Computer Science: Arrays and Strings →

The 10 topics Computer Science papers ask most

Counted on the board papers from 2018 to the 2027 specimen paper, which every unit has been checked against.

  1. 1.Principle of duality: state it and write the dualCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 8 times since 2018
  2. 2.Complement of an expression using De Morgan's theoremCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 8 times since 2018
  3. 3.Word problem to truth table and SOP or POSCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 8 times since 2018
  4. 4.K-map reduction of a four-variable POS expressionCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 8 times since 2018
  5. 5.Pre-order, in-order and post-order traversalCS9 Data Structures · asked 8 times since 2018
  6. 6.K-map reduction of a four-variable SOP expressionCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 7 times since 2018
  7. 7.Read a tree: leaves, internal nodes, parent, siblings, degreeCS9 Data Structures · asked 7 times since 2018
  8. 8.Truth table to classify tautology, contradiction or contingencyCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 6 times since 2018
  9. 9.Convert between cardinal and canonical formsCS1 Boolean Algebra · asked 6 times since 2018
  10. 10.Address of an element, row major and column majorCS6 Arrays and Strings · asked 6 times since 2018

See when each unit comes in your plan