'Not my answer sheet': CBSE OSM row intensifies after students claim answer sheet mismatch

The ongoing controversy surrounding the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education for Class 12 board evaluation appears to have taken a more serious turn.

After earlier complaints regarding blurry scans, unexpectedly low marks, and alleged evaluation discrepancies, several students are now claiming that the scanned answer sheets uploaded by CBSE do not appear to be their own.

Following the opening of the portal for accessing scanned copies and applying for re-evaluation, multiple students came forward alleging that the handwriting in the uploaded copies does not match theirs, the answers shown are different from what they had attempted, and in some cases, pages of answer sheets may have been replaced or mismatched during the scanning and tagging process.

The allegations have further intensified concerns over the implementation of the OSM system this year, under which physical answer sheets were scanned into PDFs and evaluated digitally.

Student’s viral post sparks wider concerns

One such complaint that has gone viral on social media was posted by a Class 12 student, Vedant Shrivastava, who alleged that the Physics answer sheet uploaded under his roll number did not belong to him.

“The Physics answer sheet sent by CBSE is not my answer sheet at all,” the student wrote on X, adding, “I KNOW this is not my handwriting and it did not have the questions I attempted.”

The post quickly gained traction online, with many students responding with similar complaints regarding answer sheet mismatches and alleged scanning errors.

Soon after the viral thread, several other students also began sharing allegations online claiming that responses shown in scanned copies did not reflect what they had written in the examination hall.

One student wrote, “I applied for CBSE revaluation. The scanned copy of my chemistry sheet I received does not match my handwriting or written responses.”

Another student alleged, “A student’s Chemistry answer sheet had TWO ENTIRE PAGES replaced with someone else’s. Half the MCQs? Gone.”

The latest complaints add a new dimension to the ongoing controversy. After CBSE introduced the OSM system on a large scale this year, several students alleged that they had received lower marks than expected, prompting the board to open re-evaluation and scanned answer sheet access for students.

Copies still not received after payment

Apart from concerns regarding evaluation and scanning, several students have also alleged that they have still not received scanned copies of their answer sheets despite successfully making payments on the CBSE portal.

Students have continued sharing complaints online regarding pending applications, payment failures, inaccessible portals, and delays in receiving answer sheet copies.

One student questioned online, “CBSE should give a clear answer — will the remaining photocopies be uploaded or do students simply not matter after payment?”

The issue comes after CBSE had earlier acknowledged “temporary technical glitches” on its portal during the re-evaluation and scanned answer sheet access process.

Education Ministry ropes in IIT experts, banks

Amid the growing controversy, the Union Education Ministry has now stepped in to strengthen the technical infrastructure supporting the CBSE post-result and re-evaluation process.

On May 24, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan directed teams of professors and technical experts from Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to assist CBSE in ensuring a glitch-free re-evaluation process.

According to the official update, the expert teams will:

• implement technological improvements,

• review portal stability and server performance,

• examine the robustness of IT infrastructure,

• and assist in improving login authentication, user access systems, and payment gateway mechanisms.

The Education Minister also held discussions with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding payment-related issues being faced by students.

Following the discussions, four public sector banks, State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, and Indian Bank, were asked to assist CBSE in strengthening payment gateway infrastructure and portal integration.

What is the OSM controversy?

CBSE implemented the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system fully for the first time in Class 12 board examinations this year.

Under the system, answer sheets were scanned into PDFs and evaluated digitally by teachers through an online platform.

CBSE had introduced the system claiming it would improve transparency, reduce totalling errors, minimise manual intervention, and speed up evaluation.

However, soon after the declaration of results, students began raising concerns over unexpectedly low scores, blurry scans, and alleged evaluation discrepancies. The issue became particularly significant because Class 12 board marks continue to play an important role in college admissions, eligibility criteria, scholarships, and cut-offs.