New Delhi : In a major move to modernize the assessment process, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has officially announced the implementation of On-Screen Marking (OSM) for the evaluation of Class 12 answer sheets starting with the 2026 Board Exams. The decision, communicated via an official circular dated February 9, 2026, aims to enhance the accuracy, transparency, and speed of result processing. While Class 12 will transition to this digital platform, the Board confirmed that Class 10 evaluations will continue in the traditional physical mode for the current session.
What is On-Screen Marking (OSM)?
OSM is a digital evaluation framework where physical answer scripts are converted into high-quality electronic images. Instead of manually handling bundles of paper, examiners log into a secure portal to evaluate these scanned copies on a computer screen.
How it works:
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Scanning: After the exams, answer books are collected and scanned at specialized hubs.
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Digital Distribution: Scanned copies are uploaded to a centralized, secure server.
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Digital Assessment: Teachers use digital tools to navigate pages, add annotations, and award marks.
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Auto-Calculation: The software automatically totals the marks, ensuring there are no arithmetic discrepancies.
Key Benefits of the Digital Shift
The Board has highlighted several strategic advantages for moving away from the "pen-and-paper" checking method:
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Zero Totalling Errors: One of the most significant pain points in manual checking is incorrect addition. OSM eliminates this through automated calculation.
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Faster Result Declaration: Digital workflows remove the need for physical transportation of answer sheets between cities, significantly cutting down on logistical delays.
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Wider Teacher Participation: Teachers can now evaluate papers from their own schools or nearby digital centers, allowing a broader pool of experts—including those from CBSE-affiliated schools abroad—to participate.
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Enhanced Transparency: Every step of the marking process is logged, providing a clear audit trail and reducing the risk of human bias.
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Eco-Friendly Approach: By reducing the physical movement of millions of booklets, the process becomes more environmentally sustainable.
Technical Readiness: Guidelines for Schools
To ensure a smooth rollout, CBSE has directed all affiliated schools to upgrade their infrastructure. Schools must provide:
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Computer Labs: Equipped with a Public Static IP as per affiliation bylaws.
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Hardware: PCs or laptops with Windows 8 or above and a minimum of 4 GB RAM.
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Connectivity: A reliable internet connection with at least 2 Mbps speed and an uninterrupted power supply (UPS).
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Software: Updated browsers (Chrome/Edge/Firefox) and Adobe Reader.
Note for Teachers: CBSE will provide login access via OASIS IDs for practice. The Board also plans to conduct multiple "dry runs," training webinars, and establish a dedicated call center to assist evaluators.
What This Means for Students
While the evaluation backend is changing, the examination format remains the same. Students will still write their exams using pen and paper. However, there is one critical change: Post-result verification of marks may be discontinued for Class 12. Because the system automatically totals marks and ensures no question is left ungraded, the Board believes the results will be final and error-free. Students are advised to focus on clear handwriting and proper spacing, as their scripts will now be read on a digital screen.
Since the answer sheets will now be scanned into a digital format for teachers to evaluate on a computer screen, the way you write and present your answers matters more than ever.
Here are the Best Practices for Students to ensure their Class 12 answer scripts are 100% readable and error-free during the CBSE On-Screen Marking (OSM) process.
Writing and Presentation
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Use High-Quality Blue/Black Ballpoint Pens: Avoid light-colored inks or gel pens that might bleed through the paper. Bold, consistent ink scans much better than faint or "scratchy" writing.
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Maintain Uniform Handwriting: Ensure your letters are neither too small nor too cramped. A slightly larger, clearer font size helps the examiner read your text easily on a backlit screen without straining.
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Leave Adequate Margins: Do not write too close to the edges of the paper. Scanners sometimes "crop" the very edges of a page, so keep your content well within the designated margins.
Diagrams and Illustrations
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Darker Pencil Work: If you are using a pencil for diagrams, use an HB or 2B pencil to ensure the lines are dark enough to be picked up by the high-speed scanners. Faint pencil marks often disappear in digital scans.
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Label Clearly: Use block letters for labeling diagrams. Ensure the pointer lines clearly touch the part you are identifying.
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Avoid Over-Erasure: Excessive rubbing can smudge the graphite or thin the paper, which creates "ghost images" or dark patches on the digital copy.
What to Avoid
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No Highlighters or Sketch Pens: Highlighters can turn into dark, unreadable blocks once scanned in black and white or grayscale. Use underlining with a pen for emphasis instead.
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Avoid Using Whitener/Correction Fluid: Thick layers of whitener can flake off during the high-speed scanning process or cause the pages to stick together. Simply strike through a mistake with a single line.
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Don't Fold or Crumple Pages: Creases and folds create shadows on the scanned image, which can obscure your writing. Keep your answer booklet as flat and clean as possible.
Structural Clarity: Start Each New Answer Clearly. Write the Question Number prominently in the middle or the left margin. Leave at least two lines of space between two different answers to help the examiner distinguish where one ends and the next begins. Limit Supplementaries: While you can use extra sheets, try to be concise. The more sheets you use, the higher the chance of a page being out of sequence during scanning. Ensure every page is numbered if permitted.
Pro-Tip for Success: Imagine you are reading your own paper on a smartphone screen with the brightness turned down. If it’s easy to read there, it will be easy for the CBSE examiner to grade!
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