Earlier this month, the state government had announced the discontinuation of the ten-minute Board exam question paper reading time, because it was considered one of the main causes of copying in the SSC and HSC exams. On Wednesday 15 February, however, this decision was revoked. The Maharashtra state board has now awarded students 10 additional minutes to write their paper.

Before

From 2015 up until last year, the Board gave students ten minutes to read their question papers before the exam began. During this time, students could only read the question paper as the answer booklets were not handed out. This was to help students prepare their exam strategy, decide which questions to attempt first etc.

Why Was the Privilege Revoked?

Last year, the Board discovered instances of students broadcasting parts of the question papers on WhatsApp groups during the ten-minute question paper reading time.  Therefore, the state decided to terminate the question paper reading time this year as part of their ‘Copy-free Exam’ campaign.

What Has Changed?

After multiple requests from schools, colleges and parents, the Board has decided to to extend the exam duration by 10 minutes. Before, students could only read the question paper during the extra time. Now, students will have an additional 10 minutes to read and write their paper. For example, a paper that would normally end at 2 p.m. will end at 2:10 p.m.

 

  Previous Exam Duration Revised Exam Duration
Morning Session 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 11 a.m. to 2:10 p.m.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 11 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.
11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 11 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.
Afternoon Session 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. 3 p.m. to 6:10 p.m.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 3 p.m. to 5:10 p.m.
3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 3 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.

 

Important Things to Note:

  • Students must be at their exam centres 30 minutes before the exam.
  • Prohibitory orders, such as Section 144 of the Code of  Criminal Procedure (CrPC) that prohibits the gathering of four or more people, can be invoked 100 m around exam centres.
  • Police will be stationed outside centres but they cannot enter the actual exam centres.
  • Photocopy shops in and around schools and colleges (up to 50 m) will be shut for the duration of the exam.
  • HSC exams begin on 21st  February and SSC on 2nd March.