West Bengal Board Introduces Secret Codes to Thwart Social Media Sharing of Madhyamik Exam Papers

To stop the photographs from Madhyamik question papers from being shared on social media during examinations, the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education has instituted codes for each question paper.

The move was made in response to alleged question papers from state-run class 10 board examinations that were circulated in the past but were consistently shown to be fraudulent.

The code will be hidden on each page of the question paper, which will be given to applicants on February 2 when tests start at 9:45 a.m., according to a statement released by the board on Thursday.

The message cautioned all examinees against engaging in such forbidden behavior, stating that anybody taking a photo of the question paper would be unable to conceal their identity due to the code concealed on each sheet.

According to a board representative, the code may be read from a still or moving image, and because each question paper will have a unique code, it will be possible to identify the photographer.

Board President Ramanuj Ganguly said that candidates would not be permitted to continue with the test beyond that specific paper after their identification has been verified.

Fake test papers for geography, physical science, life science, and English have been making the rounds on social media within an hour of the exam's commencement since 2017. The board did stress that these photos did not correspond with the actual exam questions, however.

Ganguly said that, in contrast to previous times, there would be no interruptions to internet access in the vicinity of the test centers since a comprehensive monitoring system has been put in place.

It is anticipated that 8,76,113 applicants would write their exams at 2,675 locations around the state. The last day of examinations is February 12.