From photocopy rights to pen bans, CBSE’s lesser-known rules can save your exam year

 

Most students walk into board exams without realising the CBSE rulebook quietly holds dozens of provisions that can protect marks, reduce last-minute panic, and even save a full academic year. Knowing these lesser-known rules can make the difference between a setback and a second chance, and many of them are far more student-friendly than most assume.

CBSE allows students to request a photocopy of their evaluated answer sheet before applying for re-evaluation, giving a clear look at where marks were gained or lost. What’s gone, however, is the old grace-mark system. The board now follows limited moderation only to correct uneven difficulty, and it cannot convert a fail into a pass.

A failed year is not always the outcome if one subject goes wrong. Failing a main subject doesn’t automatically mean repeating the year; students who have passed an additional subject can take a compartment or improvement exam only in the failed subject.

Improvement comes with strict boundaries. CBSE permits just one improvement attempt, and only in the immediate next exam cycle. For compartment exams, the board insists on one subject per attempt, so multiple compartments cannot be clubbed together.

Even exam-day delays offer some flexibility. Students who arrive within 30 minutes of the start time can still be allowed to write the paper at the discretion of the Centre Superintendent, a rule many may never hear about.

Mid-session transfers are possible too, but only up to Class 9 and only for valid reasons such as a parent’s job transfer or school closure. After Class 9, CBSE registration makes movement far more difficult.

The rulebook also gets very specific about stationery. Gel pens are banned; only blue ballpoint pens are accepted for answers, OMRs, diagrams, and maps because ink pens interfere with scanning. OMR sheets are 100% machine-checked, and no teacher can override a machine-read error after submission.

There is room for support, literally, when health is a concern. Students with fever, injuries, anxiety, or menstrual pain can request to be seated in a separate isolation room, provided they come with a medical note.

Certain exam essentials remain straightforward: transparent clipboards are allowed, as long as nothing is attached. In Science and Math, diagrams must be drawn free-hand, except for straight lines with a scale stencils and instruments are not permitted.

For those worried about academic gaps, CBSE clarifies that gap years do not affect the validity of Class 10 or 12 certificates, which never expire. The board also keeps a check on institutions: schools charging unlawful fees can be warned, penalised, or even lose affiliation, and students can report such cases on the grievance portal.

Amid academic rules and exam protocols, one new addition stands out, financial literacy is now officially part of CBSE’s life-skills curriculum, covering budgeting, savings, UPI safety, and everyday money management.