Shhriya Uttal, a 17-year-old science stream student from Delhi, was left shocked after checking her Class 12 board results on May 13. Shhriya said she scored 45 marks in Mathematics and 75 in Physics, over 15 marks lower than what she had expected in both subjects.
Hoping for clarity, Shhriya waited for CBSE’s re-evaluation portal to open on May 19. Under the process, students first have to obtain photocopies of their evaluated answer sheets before applying for verification or re-evaluation.
When she saw her evaluated papers on Sunday morning (May 24, 2026), two supplementary papers, of eight sheets each, from her Mathematics paper were missing.
“I was expecting above 85 in Physics and more than 60 in Maths. In my two pre-board examinations held between November and December, I had scored above 85, and my board papers had also gone well,” she said. Shhriya also faced repeated technical glitches and payment failures on the portal till the evening of May 22.
Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) first nationwide rollout of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for Class 12 evaluation has come under public scrutiny after students from several cities began posting about alleged discrepancies on social media. Complaints range from missing supplementary sheets and mismatched answer sheets to incorrect marking despite correct answers. Students have also flagged technical issues while accessing the re-evaluation portal.
“It is a major blunder. The supplementary sheets accounted for 22 marks. How can they misplace it?” she said.
She also found a marking error of three marks in Physics. Currently standing at 82%, Shhriya said an increase of over 25 marks could improve her percentage by nearly 5-6%. “Even though I am preparing for JEE, these marks matter,” she said.
“Taking up JEE and board exams together was not easy. The first JEE attempt was in January, and just 20 days later, we had board exams, which required a completely different preparation. Then came the second JEE attempt in April. It was an extremely hectic four-month process and this is the result we get.”
‘Mailed CBSE, got missing paper back’
Rahul Arora, a Physics tutor in Delhi, claimed that nearly 80% of students from his batch of 120 students had applied for re-evaluation and found issues in their evaluated answer sheets. His own son was among them. Requesting anonymity for his child, Mr. Arora said his son scored 86 in Physics while scoring around 99% in other PCM subjects. “In the evaluated paper we received, the supplementary sheet carrying four marks was missing,” he said.
Mr. Arora said they emailed the CBSE regional office on the morning of May 25 after their school advised them to report the issue. “By evening, we received a reply with the missing sheets. They had been hand-checked, and full marks were awarded. We were informed that it would be reflected in the revised marksheet,” he said.
“I am now going to tell my students facing similar issues to email CBSE in the same manner,” he added.
Distressed students
Describing the emotional impact on students, Mr. Arora said, “My child is a bright student. We were shocked after seeing the marksheet. He became so distressed after seeing his Physics marks that we had to take him to the hospital because his blood pressure dropped.”
Around eight commerce students of Tutor Gunjan Deep Singh also reported missing supplementary sheets and discrepancies in evaluation. “In one case, all three supplementary papers carrying around 35 marks in a Maths paper were missing from the evaluated copy,” Mr. Singh said. The evaluated paper produced didn’t add up even to the marks in the marksheet.
Students also complained about incorrect MCQ evaluation and faulty marking patterns. Aradhya, 17, another student who applied for evaluated copies, alleged that even MCQs were inconsistently marked. “There is no provision for half marks in MCQs, but answers have still been graded on half marks,” he said.
He added that he had been skeptical about the OSM system from the beginning. “I had seen videos explaining how problems could arise if evaluators were not fully comfortable with the technology. After seeing my evaluated answer sheets, I saw the impact. Zero marks were given even when my answers matched the answer key exactly,” he claimed.
He said the ongoing process is a distraction. “My entrance exam is in three days, but I have not been able to focus. I keep checking the website again and again because it keeps crashing. It only adds to the stress,” Aradhya said.
Published – May 26, 2026 12:09 pm IST
