Council of Higher Edu may allow pupils to access OMR sheets before results are out

Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) is considering a move to allow Higher Secondary (HS) examinees to access their OMR answer sheets before the official declaration of results. The initiative is likely to be introduced for the upcoming Semester III examinations, scheduled from September 8 to 22. This semester, which is the first semester of Class XII under the new semester system, will feature a multiple-choice question (MCQ) format, with answers to be marked on OMR sheets. According to Council sources, two options are being considered.The first involves providing students with a carbon copy of their OMR sheets at the time of the examination, allowing them to retain a record of their responses.

The other option involves uploading scanned copies of the OMR sheets on the Council’s official website, along with the answer key, ahead of result publication. In this case, each student would receive a unique ID and password to securely access their evaluated OMR sheet and cross-check responses, helping them estimate scores before results are announced. “We are considering two options, similar to competitive examinations, either handing out carbon copies or uploading scanned OMR sheets online,” said WBCHSE president Chiranjib Bhattacharya. “In both cases, the answer key will be provided. However, whether students will be allowed to challenge the key is still under discussion.”

The Council is expected to take a final decision in a meeting scheduled for next week. Officials noted that the move aims to enhance transparency and reduce the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications related to exam results. “We want to reduce RTI requests while keeping the system student-friendly and transparent,” Bhattacharya added. The Semester III exams will be conducted over 12 days, September 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, and 22, with most papers scheduled from 10 am to 11:15 am. Visual arts, music, and vocational subjects will be held from 10 am to 10:45 am.