Confusion, different answer sheets and more: What is the fiasco over CBSE Class 12 results, why the digital evaluation, OSM system, is under fire

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) acknowledged anomalies in Class 12 answer sheet evaluations and mistakes in providing the copy of the checked marksheets. The development took place following a Delhi-based student’s viral social media post that revealed a Physics answer sheet mix-up during the re-evaluation procedure. Vedant Shrivastava had pointed out inconsistencies in the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system after which the board announced that a technical problem had caused an incorrect scanned copy to be uploaded against his roll number. On 23rd May, he took to social media and wrote a detailed thread to share his experience, informing that he sought photocopies of his answer sheets after scoring unexpectedly poor marks in Physics. His request was granted, however, he was “shattered” after realising that the answer sheet uploaded by CBSE did not belong to him. The Physics answer sheet sent by CBSE does is not my answer sheet at all.I KNOW this is not my handwriting and it did not have the questions i attempted.Not just me — my family, teachers, and everyone who knows my writing immediately noticed the difference.— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 23, 2026 Vedant reaffirmed that the Physics answer sheet that CBSE had supplied him was definitely not his. He highlighted that the handwriting was not his and did not contain the questions he attempted. “Not just me – my family, teachers, and everyone who knows my writing immediately noticed the difference,” he added. The student maintained that the answer sheets for Computer Science and English “clearly match each other” while the Physics one seemed to belong to “another student entirely.” He emphasised that the glaring difference could be noticed by anyone and remarked, “The handwriting style, letter formation, spacing, slant, sentence flow, everything is different. This is not a minor variation. It is completely different writing.” Anyone can compare the answer sheets themselves and see the difference.The handwriting style, letter formation, spacing, slant, sentence flow — everything is different.This is not a minor variation.It is completely different writing.— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 23, 2026 Vedant challenged that he was prepared to conduct a public comparison of his answer sheets because he knew “that the Physics copy uploaded under my roll number is not mine.” He voiced that there might be a grave “answer-sheet exchange or tagging error in CBSE’s OSM system.” The youth expressed that he had been studying all year and had given up his “sleep, peace of mind, outings, and everything for these exams,” only to find out that his Physics answer sheet might not had been checked, asking “Do students really deserve this?” If this is true, then what exactly was evaluated under my roll number?My paper?Or someone else’s?This is no longer just a “rechecking” issue.This may be a serious answer-sheet exchange or tagging error in CBSE’s OSM system.— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 23, 2026 Vedant urged CBSE to verify his original physical answer sheet, audit the OSM tagging and scanning process, investigate possible exchange of answer sheets and ensure that the correct paper was evaluated. He implored the board to take his significant concerns into account as it “directly affects my future.” I request CBSE to urgently:– verify my original physical answer sheet– audit the OSM tagging/scanning process– investigate whether answer sheets were exchanged– ensure the correct paper is evaluatedBecause this directly affects my future.— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 23, 2026 The incident resulted in a massive backlash and the board reached out to the youngster and responded that the right answer sheet had been forwarded to his registered email address after review of his submission. “Necessary action for updating your result, as applicable, is also being undertaken accordingly,” it assured. Dear Vedant,Thank you for bringing your concern regarding your Physics answer book to our attention.Upon review, the matter has been examined, and the correct copy of your answer book has been sent to your registered email address. Necessary action for updating your result,…— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) May 25, 2026 Vedant also stated that CBSE officials contacted him and delivered the right answer sheet, outlining that it was indeed exchanged. “We will still apply for reevaluation of this answer sheet after checking it more closely since they have slashed my marks even when the answer is correct,” he mentioned. We have got my correct answer sheet by CBSE . CBSE officials reached out to us in the evening and has sent my answer sheet, We were correct on our claims and the answer sheet indeed got exchanged .— VEDANT (@VEDANTSHRIV17) May 25, 2026 The case was considered as a “top priority” and Vedant even obtained a communication from the board’s Joint Secretary (Coordination) alongside his answer book, confirming that his results would be revised. According to Vedant’s brother Siddhant, there was no official mechanism to report such a disparity and thus “we had to take to Twitter to make CBSE aware of the matter.” They even posted a video on Instagram about the same. Image via India Today CBSE also accepted a separate complaint pertaining to a Chemistry answer sheet of another Class 12 student, Sanjana. She similarly asserted that the copy uploaded for reevaluation did not match her handwriting. She revealed that the initial page of the answer booklet with her personal information appeared to be hers. However, the internal pages did not correspond to her handwriting. I applied for CBSE revaluation. The scanned copy of my chemistry sheet I received does not match my handwriting or written responses. For reference, I am attaching my English answer sheet, which clearly reflects my actual handwriting. pic.twitter.com/laINaEMAP3— Sanjana (@Sanjanaopxe) May 25, 2026 Sanjana conveyed that CBSE had replied to her email and accepted the validity of her doubts upon examination. “We have located your correct answer book. You will shortly be provided your correct evaluated answer book of chemistry. Further, your result will also be updated subsequently based on the correct marks in chemistry,” mentioned the Joint Secretary, Coordination Unit of CBSE. Update: CBSE replied to our email and confirmed that our concern regarding the Chemistry answer sheet was valid.Thankyou to everyone who helped bring attention to this. Your support meant a lot. Waiting for the next steps from cbse now pic.twitter.com/h7OyD6SgVP— Sanjana (@Sanjanaopxe) May 25, 2026 CBSE recognised the discrepancies, but this triggered inquiries regarding its digitised evaluation and verification method. Currently, a specialised CBSE team is keeping an eye on enquiries and reservations about board exam results that are being discussed on social media. “Whatever complaints are coming, online or offline, by any means, CBSE is actively taking them up,” a source disclosed insisting the board’s determination to assisting the pupils. According to reports, senior authorities are “providing all possible support to students” and are constantly interacting with parents and kids to deal with their grievances. CBSE’s digital assessment is under scrutiny This year, the CBSE implemented electronic evaluation for the Class 12 examinations. The goal of the new On-Screen Marking system was to improve precision and minimise errors in manual calculations across the country. However, the move has drawn severe criticism after students who wanted access to scanned copies of their answer books reported missing pages, blurry and incomplete answer sheets, surprisingly less marks, receiving someone else’s answer book and other major problems. I don’t know what is going on with CBSE but if what this student claiming & showing here is right, then there is no credibility to entire CBSE result this year.You are just adding up to the stress on students. They will lose confidence in every setup & entire system like this. pic.twitter.com/BokiGhSwg3— Siddharth's Echelon (@SiddharthKG7) May 26, 2026 Many applicants probed if examiners accurately checked their original answer books. On the other hand, students with these complaints have to wait for the launch of re-evaluation before entering an application, reported The Indian Express. They have faced repeated crashes, login failures and delayed reposes, among other hindrances while trying to access the CBSE website. Additionally, the board’s payment portal system also failed between 21st and 22nd May, either withdrawing more money or less than the essential amount. Afterwards, the central government demanded a report in relation to the chaos. Refunds were problematic too and despite three changes in the deadline date, the system did not show improvement. Furthermore, uncertainty about the stringent digital marking procedure was also voiced by examiners. Teachers reported that the program required extensive and step-by-step marking before commencement of final submission. The children studying for competitive tests frequently write direct responses without substantial intermediary calculations. Many educators believed that even accurate answers resulted in lower marks. It is notable here that the cost of re-addition and obtaining a scanned copy of the answer sheet was Rs 100 for each answer copy, while the cost of re-evaluation for a specific question was Rs 25 per question. In a viral video, Rakhi Mishra, who has been teaching chemistry to 11th and 12th grade students for the past 25 years conveyed that she has never witnessed such scenes as those occurring after the latest measures imposed by the CBSE. She indicated that students who have been achieving very high scores, over 65 out of 70 in their schools and tuitions, cannot suddenly fall to 60 out of 100. She also had conversations with them after the exam, which showcased that their mistakes were not beyond 2 or 3 marks, contrary to the shocking results. reply of a chemistry teacher who brings the reality to the surface on how rushed and unfair the marking was this year due to osm #cbse12thresult #cbse #osm #unfAIRMARKING #boycottcbse@cbseindia29 @EduMinOfIndia @dpradhanbjp pic.twitter.com/x2GILBWLY0— 繁栄こ (@Haneiko993) May 15, 2026 “How can a student who usually gets above 90 find themselves in the 70s or 80s? Imagine the consequences this would have on their overall percentage. You (CBSE) should have guided and properly trained the teachers. Why did you implement this in haste? We do not understand it. Many teachers went to check the answer sheets, and we are aware of the events that took place. I implore you, with folded hands, to at least give a year for the teachers to train before enforcing any fresh measures,” Mishra submitted. She emphasised that the system should have been applied to Class 10 first. “However, you chose Class 12, which has an immense influence on a child’s future. Not everyone can succeed in the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination). Such students have hopes tied to their 12th board results. Their admission into reputable institutions relies on it,” she remarked. “These students can no longer either succeed in the JEE or earn high marks in their board examinations. First, it was NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test), and presently this. You had teachers evaluate the answer sheets until 2 am in the name of announcing results the next day.” the teacher questioned. She subsequently unveiled that the answer sheets had not even been examined and marks were allocated on average basis. “If students are seeking rechecking or reevaluation, please proceed with the process manually,” Mishra submitted. What is OSM system The CBSE Governing Body, its apex decision-making council, permitted the current OSM system last year. Members were told that it was set to be more robust, mitigate errors and would “take care of imparity in region-wise evaluation of answer books” during a meeting in June. Therefore, for the first time, Class 11 and 12 teachers in India evaluated more than 98.6 lakh answer books belonging to more than 18 lakh pupils online. Every answer book had a secret code on it. The copies were scanned and uploaded on a portal after they were transferred from exam centres to regional offices. After logging onto the portal, evaluators analysed copies using a marking system created by a group of CBSE school teachers. Each answer booklet was given a unique identifying code prior to scanning and digital upload processes. Teachers used fixed marking rules to thoroughly examine scripts that were uploaded via secure web portals. According to officials, every step and answer had to be marked by the examiner otherwise the answer book could not be turned in. Every single answer was reviewed separately using the computerised system. The total marks were automatically computed by the system. Nearly 13,000 of over 98 lakh reviewed answer books were manually graded after they were deemed to be illegible. The result came out on 13th May, and the pass percentage slipped from 88.39% last year to 85.29%. The previous lower pass percentage than this year was recorded in 2019 at 83.40%. Likewise, there were about 16% fewer students who scored higher than 90% in comparison to 2025. Worried parents and children connected the dots to the OSM system, which was allegedly implemented in a hurry and without adequate training. The board had tried an on-screen marking method in 2014, but it was abandoned because there were no facilities to scan answer books without cutting them at the spine. It was introduced for Class 10 in a few regional offices in that year and for Class 12 in the Delhi area in 2015. However, improved facilities had apparently been made available. “Student concerns are the main focus. The technology was not ready in 2014, but now it has been reintroduced. ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India), IB (International Baccalaureate) and Cambridge also follow similar systems,” contended Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar who added that a three-layer security structure was in place for the review of answer sheets. CBSE’s reaction to the intensifying complaints The board pronounced that a scanned copy of the answer book would only be priced at Rs 100 instead of Rs 700. Verification costs were cut from Rs 500 to Rs 100. The fee of re-evaluation, which involves double-checking particular answers, were slashed from Rs 100 per question to Rs 25. It reinstated an approach that the board had not used since 2019 because of obstacles to returning the money and stated that the amount would be reimbursed if re-evaluation led to a rise in marks. On 19th May, the application link for answer book copies went live. The original deadline of 22nd May was then repeatedly pushed back to 25th May due to technical difficulties. The portal had “unprecedented traffic” and “several attempts of unauthorised interference, which has made it prone to disruptions,” according to the board. Schedule issued earlier by CBSE. (Source: The Economic Times) It asserted to encounter an exceptionally large number of demands for copies of the answer books. Officials reported that 2.94 lakh applications for 8.56 lakh answer books were obtained on 23rd May while talking to the aforementioned media house. It was 1.31 lakh for 2.82 lakh answer sheets last year. 2.5 lakh from the present requests had already been distributed. Students must receive copies of their answer books before demanding verification and re-evaluation. The board mentioned that the re-evaluation portal will be accessible for a minimum of two days post the issuance of the final answer book copy to candidates. Ministry of Education and CBSE defends OSM and the road ahead Notably, the Education Ministry and the board defended the system, arguing that it eradicated totalling flaws and made the grading process transparent, objective and uniform. CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh insisted that OSM evaluations were “code-independent” during a news conference. This reportedly made the review process “more consistent and fairer across regions,” as articles could possibly be sent out for evaluation outside of the regions where it used to be handled. CBSE Controller of Examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj similarly stated, “We evaluate approximately 1.25 crore answer scripts. There is a possibility that an error may occur somewhere. The CBSE is an institution that works in the best interest of the students, and we operate with complete transparency.” According to the meeting minutes, “members (of the Governing Body) suggested that the on-screen marking may be implemented in all subjects only after completion of pilot projects in some subjects across the various Regional Offices of the Board.” The recommendation had been “noted” by the regulatory body. However, it had been discovered that not all of the board’s regional offices carried out experimental projects. Teachers from Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, state government schools and private schools were trained during a trial run in five schools in January. The system was modified based on suggestions offered during the three-day process. Teachers attended training and participated in a large-scale mock assessment. Around 77,000 teachers checked papers after undergoing training in marking patterns and previous papers. Officials agreed that there were setbacks during the rollout but they were later rectified. The CBSE clarified that answer sheets were not evaluated using artificial intelligence. The board stated that OSM would continue as the assessment procedure has not altered but simply standardisation. Meanwhile, IIT (Indian Institutes of Technology) Kanpur and IIT Madras have been invited to resolve the technical problems with the post-result services portal. The responsibility of helping the board with its payment gateway has been assigned to four public sector banks: Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, and Indian Bank. Its comprehensive overhaul was agreed upon following a discussion between Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Image via Moneycontrol CBSE had blamed technical glitches and declared, “In all cases of excess payment, the exact excess amounts shall be refunded to the same payment method which was used for payment. Similarly, in cases where lesser payment was deducted, candidates shall be informed separately regarding payment of the balance amount, if required scanned copies of the evaluated answer books shall be provided in all such cases, without candidates being required to submit fresh requests.” Class XII Post-Result Process – Update for Students and Parents pic.twitter.com/6kRCzgGneq— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) May 24, 2026 According to board authorities, the verification and re-evaluation protocols are the sole means to address the issues at hand. They stated that complaints made on the portal will be properly looked into. Conclusion The Education Ministry has been under continuous fire, particularly in the last few weeks, due to the shocking scandals that threaten the future of students. The National Testing Agency (NTA) failed to prevent the paper leak of the crucial NEET exam just days before it was set to take place. Now, serious issues have arisen regarding the Class 12 results under the CBSE. This has compounded the troubles for the students who were already apprehensive about the NEET re-examination and have also got unsatisfactory results for class 12th. A lot of colleges in the country admit students based on the 12th board marks. The recurring nature of these issues points to important fears that need to be rectified with utmost urgency. Otherwise, the future of students will be persistently jeopardised, and the ministry will continue to be rightfully held accountable for it.