Profit rate may be defined as the relationship between capital and profit. When a firm earns more profit, the more efficient is the firm and vice versa. It indicates financial stability and helps to increase the earning capacity of an enterprise. In this backdrop, the present study is an attempt to empirically examine the profit rate performance of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) in India during the period 2010-11 to 2016-17. To carry out the study, secondary data have been sourced from the published annual reports of Public Enterprises Survey. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) and Return on Net Worth (RONW) are examined to evaluate the profit rate performance of the CPSEs in India. Linear trend equation is used to estimate the trends in profit rate performance. Further, Chi-square test has been applied to examine whether there is any significant deviation between observed and trend values in profit rate performance of CPSEs during the period under study. The findings of the study reveal that profit rate performance (in terms of ROCE and RONW) of CPSEs in India has shown a decreasing trend during the period under study. However, no significant deviation has been observed between actual values and trend values in ROCE and RONW under study.