Patna: The annual matriculation examination conducted by the Bihar School Examination Board will commence on February 17 across 1,699 centres in Bihar, with a total of 15,12,687 candidates scheduled to appear. Authorities have issued strict guidelines on security, entry timing, dress code, and conduct to ensure smooth and transparent examinations.
According to officials, CCTV surveillance and videography arrangements have been mandated at all centres. Entry gates will close 30 minutes before the exam begins, and students must reach their centres at least half an hour in advance. Late arrivals will not be permitted under any circumstances.
Special arrangements have been made for female candidates, with four model examination centres established in each district. The board has prohibited students from wearing shoes and socks; only slippers will be allowed. Entry of unauthorized persons into examination centres is strictly banned, and carrying mobile phones is completely prohibited.
Officials said action will be taken against any unauthorized individual found within a 200-metre radius of examination venues. Timings have also been fixed for submission of OMR sheets and answer booklets to maintain transparency in the examination process. District magistrates, superintendents of police, and local administrative officers have been directed to strictly enforce all guidelines.
In Patna district alone, 71,022 candidates will appear at 70 centres. Of these, 35,897 students will take the exam in the first shift, including 19,069 girls and 16,828 boys. The second shift will have 35,125 candidates, including 18,968 girls and 16,157 boys.
Authorities clarified that if a candidate’s admit card carries an incorrect photograph, they will be allowed to appear upon presenting a valid identity card. In case an admit card is lost or forgotten, verification will be done using the scanned photograph on the attendance sheet and roll records, after which the candidate may be permitted to sit for the exam. This year, each student has also been issued a unique BSEB ID.
The first day’s examination on February 17 will cover language subjects — Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, and Maithili — in both shifts. The first shift will run from 9:30 am to 12:45 pm, while the second shift will be held from 2 pm to 5:15 pm. Students will be given an additional 15 minutes to read the question paper.
Visually impaired candidates and those with disabilities who cannot write on their own will be allowed to use scribes and will receive an extra 20 minutes per hour as compensatory time.
