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CBSE Board Exam 2025: Doing these things could get your exam cancelled, check UFM rules, penalties
Students must ensure that they do not practice these unfair means, as doing so could result in the cancellation of the exam
CBSE Board Exam 2025: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) recently asked schools and institutions to make Class 10 and 12 board exam candidates aware of exam ethics and rules.
Along with instructions for schools, the board also shared the dress code, a list of allowed and banned items and various unfair means (UFMs) and their consequences.
Also read: CBSE Board Exam 2025: Notice on exam ethics released; check items allowed, banned, dress code & more
Students must ensure that they do not practice these unfair means, as doing so could result in the cancellation of the exam.
The CBSE has divided these unfair means into four categories. The first category includes:
Having question papers from previous years, writing questions and answers on any material other than the answer book, tearing pages of the answer book or supplementary answer book, contacting/communicating or trying to contact/communicate with any person other than the staff during the exam, having copying material but have not used.
Penalties for this category of violation will result in the cancellation of the current exam for the subject. The candidate will be allowed to take that subject in the compartment exam if eligible otherwise.
The benefit of the doubt will be given to students against whom no evidence is available to testify to the foul intent on their part.
Category 2 includes affixing/uploading fabricated photographs on the admit card, erasing or obliterating any information printed on the answer book(s), providing wrong information on the answer sheet, having copying material in possession and having used it, communicating with another student or the assistant superintendent directly or indirectly, assisting another student to engage in malpractice, assisting other students in any kind or attempting to do so and taking assistance from another student.
In these cases, the current exam for all subjects will be cancelled and the candidate will be allowed to appear in the next year.
The third category of UFMs include taking away the answer book out of exam hall/room/centre, smuggling question paper (in part or full) outside exam hall, smuggling answer books/supplementary answer sheet, possession, use or attempted use of electronic devices after entering the examination centre, using abusive language, threatening the staff on duty, indulging in violence during or after the test at the examination centre, forceful entry or exit to/from exam centre or hall.
The penalty for such violations is the cancellation of the current and next year's examinations.
Also read: CBSE issues notice on implementation of APAAR ID in affiliated schools, details here
The fourth category includes impersonation (paying/placing/making someone else to write the examination), sharing/uploading any exam-related material on social media approaching exam authorities, persons for unauthorised privilege in the exam and taking legal course or any other means to influence CBSE for gaining advantage in their favour (by providing false information).
The CBSE will cancel the current exam and the next three years' exams for all subjects in these cases.
The last category of UFM includes the use of obscene/derogatory language in the answer book, use of threatening language in the answer book for the evaluators, use of language/threat of harm to oneself, using ink or pencil for writing answers other than the permitted ones and enclosing/attaching a currency note or other such instrument with the answer book with or without any appeal/message for the evaluator.
The board did not say that the exams of such candidates would be cancelled. It said the UFM committee would counsel such candidates so that they refrain from using such language in the answer book in future examinations.
Currency notes will be forfeited and deposited in the board’s account.
