The Class 12 Biology and Economics papers went off smoothly on Sunday, in possibly the first time state board exams have been conducted on a Sunday.
HSC students had been concerned a railway megablock might cause problems in commuting to centres, but the megablock was cancelled and public transport operated without a hitch.
In total, 1.87 lakh students in Maharashtra appeared for the Biology paper, which was scheduled for the morning session. while 5.5 lakh students appeared for the Economics paper in the afternoon.
“It was a good paper,” said Parth Shah, 16, who appeared for the Biology exam. “The questions weren’t predictable but if you had studied, it was easy. The fact that it was on a holiday didn’t affect us. I was focused on writing my paper regardless of it being a Sunday or a Monday.”
State board officials said no problems were reported. “We did not hear of students facing any difficulties,” said K Patil, state board secretary.
In all, 92 cheating cases were reported, including four in the Mumbai division.