What is the On-Screen Marking system and why is it under scrutiny? What is its history? Has it been successful elsewhere? Why did CBSE introduce it and how did it pan out? How has the Board responded to the crisis?

NSUI activists raise slogans during a protest, alleging irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) evaluation system, outside the board's headquarters at Patparganj, in New Delhi, Saturday, May 30, 2026. | Photo Credit: PTI
The story so far:
Following the release of the Class 12 Board exam results, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has been under fire for discrepancies in the evaluation of answer scripts and malfunctioning of the re-evaluation process. The newly introduced On-Screen Marking (OSM) system is under scrutiny, given the widespread sense among students that the marks they received did not match their expectations. The CBSE’s pass percentage has dipped to 85.29% this year from 88.39% last year, with the number of students scoring above 90% also dropping.
Published - May 31, 2026 02:00 am IST