The first term board examination results for Classes 10 and 12 are still being processed, said Central Board of Secondary Education Controller of Examinations Sanyam Bhardwaj. He told The Hindu that the board was taking time to ensure that the large volume of data from the answer sheets were correct.
The board examination process was split into two this academic year to mitigate the effect of COVID-related shutdowns which have disrupted exam schedules for the last two years. The first term exams covering half of the reduced syllabus were held between November 17 and December 30. Given that these exams were entirely in objective format, with answer sheets in optical mark recognition (OMR) format, results were expected by mid-January. With the academic year almost over and the second term exams expected next month, many students are worried about the indefinite delay in result declaration.
“We are working on it, soon we will communicate the results,” Dr. Bhardwaj said, declining to set a specific date for the announcement. “There are no complications. Just try to take into consideration the volume of data after scanning which is to be processed. Each and every candidate is opting for 5-7 subjects, then 30 minimum questions... So these many responses are there. For processing the results, we need to ensure the data are correct,” he added.
In mid December, halfway through the Class 12 exam schedule, the CBSE had abruptly halted the practice of same day scanning and manual evaluation of answer sheets at the examination centres. Concerns were raised regarding the fairness of papers being corrected at the same centre.
Confusion over OMR sheets
There was also confusion among a section of students regarding the proper use of OMR sheets, which require students to blacken a circle representing their answer for multiple choice questions. Students were asked to also write the alphabetical answer choice alongside, so that it could be manually checked in case of any confusion with the machine scanning of the OMR sheets. Partway through the exams, students were asked to use capitalised letters for this purpose, as there had been some confusion with the small letters many had previously used.
