Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) found itself in the eye of a storm, after a Delhi-based Class 12 student Vedant was brutally trolled online and called a ‘Pakistani,’ when he took to X to complain about the unexpectedly low marks he received in Physics. He alleged that it is not merely a ‘rechecking,’ issue but may be a serious answer-sheet exchange or tagging error in CBSE’s Onscreen Marking System (OSM).

“After receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics, we applied for photocopies of my answer sheets through the CBSE re-evaluation process. Today we received the copies. And I am shattered because the Physics answer sheet uploaded by CBSE is not mine.”

“I know this is not my handwriting and it did not have the questions I attempted…We carefully compared the Physics copy with my English answer sheet, my Computer Science answer sheet, my normal handwritten notes. The English and Computer Science copies clearly match each other. But the Physics copy looks like it belongs to another student entirely,” he further stated.

CBSE officials told The Hindu that there was indeed a mix up with regards to Vedant’s Physics answer copy and his original answer copy was later located and handed over to him on Monday (May 25, 2026).

Another student Sanjana took to X stating, “I gave Class 12 boards and was shocked to see 11/70 in Chemistry theory. I expected much higher. I first though that the scanned copy might be blurry, but it does not match my answer sheet at all…”

“I applied for CBSE re-evaluation. The scanned copy of my chemistry sheet I received does not match my handwriting or written responses.”

Asked CBSE for detailed report, says Pradhan

After multiple students have complained about the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system introduced by CBSE for evaluating Class 12 answer papers in what is its first ever nationwide digital roll out, Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan stated that he had asked CBSE for a detailed report on the glitches.

“IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur will look into the technical glitch faced by the CBSE portal. Those who applied for the revaluation will get a scanned copy. I’ve taken it seriously. The government is looking into it in detail. I am confident that with the guidance of IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur, it will be resolved,” Mr. Pradhan stated.

The expert teams will implement focused technological improvements of the systems and technical workflows and will specifically examine portal stability and server performance. “The team will also examine the overall IT infrastructure robustness and assist intaking corrective measures to ensure that login authentication, user access systems and payment gateways are accurate and in order,” an official from the Ministry of Education explained.

In the OSM system, instead of traditionally checking physical copies, the evaluators checked the scanned answer sheets onscreen. Officials in the Education Ministry confirmed that 98 lakh answer books were scanned and evaluated digitally. Experts said that each answer book averages twenty sheets which means that nearly 1.96 crore pages were scanned in a compressed timeline, at centres with varying infrastructure and partially trained staff.

CBSE warned teachers as early as February 2026

CBSE had been warned by teachers as early as February 2026 that evaluators had not received structured training for tackling OSM system, regardless the board went ahead with implementing it.

While CBSE had promised that OSM method of evaluation would lead to greater transparency, speed and accuracy, according to it’s own data, over 68000 answer books had to be rescanned due to poor image quality, and over 13,500 were pulled for manual rechecking.

In the results announced earlier this month, Class 12 pass percentage dropping to 85.20% less than three percentage points from last year. Having received lower than expected marks, students began applying in large numbers for re-evaluation on the portal which opened on May 19 and almost immediately crashed under the weight of applications.

After encountering the glitch, students were stranded mid-process as CBSE pulled out the application link from its website entirely.

The portal then reopened on May 20, with CBSE claiming that 1.27 lakh applications had been submitted for 3.87 lakh scanned copies.

Students who had paid fees on May 20 reported that payment had been deducted but no confirmation had been received. “Students were in dark even after over 24 hours had passed since the malfunction. Some were able to successfully apply later, others still complained of the process not working. Login failures, application submission errors, download failures continued to be reported,” a parent of a Class 12 CBSE student told The Hindu, requesting anonymity.

Portal slipped into maintenance mode

As of May 21, the portal again slipped into maintenance mode. The CBSE extended the deadline for application twice — in its attempt to remedy the situation. On May 22, it said that the extended last date for application was May 24. It later extended the deadline till May 25 (midnight). “It also promised to refund any excess payment that was unduly deducted,” a CBSE official said.

Students who managed to access their scanned answer sheets shared screenshots on social media of copies that appeared blurred, unreadable or having rotated pages. “Some scans showed overlapping elements — browser bars, timestamps — obscuring the actual written content. Students posed an obvious question — if we cannot read these copies, how did examiners evaluate them? Multiple students identified answers that match official marking scheme - yet marks were deducted. Evaluators have complained of screen fatigue, poor scan resolution and missed answers during the OSM process,” pointed out educationist and RTI activist Keshav Agarwal.

Many students received their main answer booklets but supplementary sheets were absent. Additionally, students have also identified multiple choice question responses marked as correct but awarded zero marks. “In OSM, MCQs are evaluated through a digital overlay system, if the scan is misaligned the response and overlay may not match,” an official told The Hindu.

CBSE has not commented on how evaluation quality was maintained when OSM system was allegedly defective.

“Class 12 CBSE students have been under immense pressure and while chasing a portal that keeps crashing, they are simultaneously preparing for the RENEET exam, CUET UG exam and so on. Every hour lost navigating a broken re-evaluation portal is an hour taken away from competitive exam readiness,” Mr. Agarwal pointed out.

Response for RTI query

According to a response received for a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by Mr. Agarwal, CBSE stated that it had collected over ₹3 crores for providing photocopies of answer sheets to students in Class 10 and 12 for FY2024-25. “Based on the aforementioned data it can be deduced that last year nearly 50,000 students applied (in Class 10 and 12 combined) for accessing answer sheets. Further total fees received by the CBSE for re-checking the results amounted to over Rs 20 crore being collected from students,” Mr. Agarwal mentioned.

In the current year, 1.27 lakh applications for accessing answer sheets have been received from Class 12 students alone.

After the current year’s OSM fiasco, CBSE slashed the re-revaluation fee by up to 85% — with scanned copies now costing ₹100 per subject from earlier ₹600 (which was the cost in FY2024-25). “A full fee refund has been promised if marks increase after re-evaluation,” the CBSE official said.

“However, CBSE should hold a formal technical audit, and take accountability for scanning deficiencies, and provide clarity on how evaluation quality can be maintained,” argued Mr. Agarwal.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the CBSE introduced an On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 board examinations, which has thrown into chaos the academic futures of lakhs of children across the country.

He’s portraying himself as some saviour by bringing in IIT-Kanpur to help address these technical issues. The question really is why these issues were not anticipated? Why did the CBSE and the ministry not plan carefully before adopting this OSM system? Why did it take the minister so long to respond to this issue?” Mr. Ramesh said.

“The Mantri Pradhan owes the country his resignation, and the Pradhan Mantri owes us answers to why this Minister — who is openly disrupting the future of India’s students with his ineptitude — has been allowed to continue for so long,” he said.