Boards • Last reviewed 2026-05-01

What is the difference between CBSE and Maharashtra State Board?

Short answer

CBSE is a national board that uses NCERT textbooks, has a single nationwide exam pattern and is closely aligned to JEE/NEET. The Maharashtra State Board (MSBSHSE) is a state board that uses Balbharati textbooks in English, Marathi, Hindi and Urdu, has its own SSC (Class 10) and HSC (Class 12) exams, and feeds the MHT-CET more directly than JEE/NEET.

Key facts

CBSE textbooks: NCERT. Maharashtra Board textbooks: Balbharati.
Maharashtra Board mediums include Marathi, English, Hindi and Urdu.
Class 10 exam: CBSE Board / Maharashtra SSC.
Class 12 exam: CBSE Board / Maharashtra HSC.
JEE/NEET pull syllabus from NCERT; MHT-CET pulls primarily from the Maharashtra HSC pattern.

Curriculum and textbooks

CBSE follows the NCERT curriculum end-to-end and uses NCERT textbooks. Maharashtra Board has its own curriculum framework set by MSBSHSE and uses Balbharati textbooks issued by the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research, often called Balbharati for short.

Medium of instruction

CBSE schools typically teach in English (a few in Hindi). Maharashtra Board schools offer Marathi, English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada and others as medium, which is one of the practical reasons families in Maharashtra choose it.

Exam structure

CBSE has board examinations at Class 10 and Class 12. Maharashtra Board calls these the SSC (Class 10) and HSC (Class 12) examinations. The grading scheme, paper structure and internal-assessment weightage differ.

Competitive-exam alignment

JEE Main, JEE Advanced and NEET-UG draw their syllabus from NCERT, which gives CBSE students a head start. MHT-CET, the Maharashtra-specific entrance test, draws roughly 80% of its syllabus from the Maharashtra HSC pattern, which gives Maharashtra Board students a head start there.

Geographic recognition

Both boards are recognised by Indian universities and the major foreign-university admission systems. CBSE is more portable across states; Maharashtra Board is the default in most Maharashtra government and aided schools.