‘Portal functioning properly’: CBSE denies technical glitches on re-evaluation window, students raise complaints

Students complained of login failures, payment issues, and inaccessible re-evaluation options shortly after CBSE opened the Class 12 verification portal.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) opened the re-evaluation and answer sheet access window for Class 12 students on Tuesday, May 19, amid mounting concerns surrounding the newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation system.

However, the move has once again drawn criticism online, with several students claiming that the portal itself was facing technical glitches and accessibility issues.

Many students alleged they faced technical glitches across several steps; unable to log into the portal, complete payments, access photocopy or re-evaluation options, or successfully submit applications.

The complaints surfaced shortly after CBSE opened the process following widespread concerns raised by parents and students over unexpectedly low marks, alleged evaluation discrepancies, and issues linked to the newly introduced digital evaluation system.

Many students took to social media platforms like X, sharing screenshots and complaints online, questioning the issue and highlighting broader concerns already being raised over the OSM system.

One student wrote on X, “Payment deducted, verification failed. Every single step on the CBSE portal is breaking down. Students are suffering due to poor testing and zero preparation. This is not a system upgrade, it’s a complete failure.”

Another student posted, “This shows the level of technology they used in OSM also. Even though they can't make sure that their re-evaluation website is working fine or not and irony is that they are claiming that there were no errors while introducing OSM. CBSE please be accountable.”

What is the OSM issue?

The latest complaints come amid continuing backlash over CBSE’s newly implemented On-Screen Marking system used for evaluating Class 12 board examination answer sheets this year.

Under OSM, students still wrote exams physically, but answer sheets were scanned into digital PDFs and evaluated online by teachers through a digital platform.

Soon after the Class 12 results were declared, many students, particularly from the Science stream, alleged that they had received significantly lower marks than expected compared to their school performance and internal assessments.

Students also raised concerns such as:

• diagrams or lengthy answers may not have been properly visible during digital evaluation,

• scanned copies may have appeared unclear,

• evaluators may have struggled to assess handwritten responses digitally,

• or stricter digital marking may have sharply reduced scores.

This year, the CBSE also recorded a drop in the Class 12 overall pass percentage this year compared to 2025.

CBSE says portal is functioning properly

Meanwhile, CBSE has denied reports of any major technical failure in the re-evaluation system.

Speaking to PTI, CBSE Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj said only a few login-related complaints were reported earlier in the day.

“Sometimes when candidates open the same page, an earlier saved page opens again. I asked them to restart the computer. After that, no phone calls have been received by me,” he said.

He also advised students facing temporary issues to wait and try again later.

“If sometimes they are not able to do it, it is not that they will continue to remain on the application for a longer period. They can wait and then submit again,” he added.

Bhardwaj further asserted that the portal was functioning properly.

To recall, CBSE has also reduced the fees for accessing scanned copies of answer sheets and applying for re-evaluation. The board brought down the fee for obtaining scanned answer sheets from Rs 700 to Rs 100, while re-evaluation charges were reduced from Rs 500 to Rs 100. The fee for checking individual answers was also reduced from Rs 100 per question to Rs 25 per question.