‘Assault or gadgets in exam halls will lead to disqualification’
Kolkata: The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has enforced a zero-tolerance policy against physical assault on examination personnel, warning that any candidate involved will face cancellation of their examinations and enrolment. Their admit cards will be seized and the candidate will be barred from all remaining papers.
The same strict approach, the Council said, has been applied to possession of mobile phones and electronic devices, which has led to a sharp fall in such cases. Only two students were caught with phones during the Higher Secondary Semester III examinations held from September 8 to 22, with three total “reported against” (RA) cases. This compares with 141 RA cases in 2024, including 41 mobile-related and 296 RA cases in 2025, with eight involving phones.
Recent incidents have prompted the Council’s latest warning. During the 2025 annual HS examination in Malda, students assaulted teachers while protesting metal-detector frisking. In Semester III (Part I), a Kolkata examinee was reported for misbehaviour with an examiner.
Admit cards for Semester IV and the Semester III supplementary examinations will again be issued exclusively online. Heads of institutions must download, print and countersign them before distribution. Candidates under the old annual system will receive printed cards, which will be distributed to schools on January 28. For the first time, three examinations in three different formats will run concurrently from February 12 to 27—Semester IV (Part II), the Semester III supplementary examination and the annual HS examination under the old system. The Council has circulated detailed guidelines on timing, seating, documentation and handling of materials.
Semester IV will run from 10 am to 12 pm using 12-leaf answer scripts, with loose sheets discouraged. The Semester III supplementary examination, in MCQ format on OMR sheets, will run from 1 pm to 2.15 pm. The old annual system will run from 10 am to 1.15 pm using 8-leaf scripts with loose sheets. Examinees under the old system must be seated separately.
Rules on permitted materials differ. Analogue watches are allowed for all, but calculators are prohibited in the semester system and permitted only in the old system for standard calculations. To avoid mix-ups, question packets will arrive in cloth bags in three colours—white for Semester IV, yellow for Semester III supplementary and blue for the old system. Bags for Semester IV and the old system will be opened at 9.40 am, and those for the Semester III supplementary examination at 12.40 pm. OMR sheets must not be folded, torn, wet or used for rough work.
