DHAKA, May 25, 2025 (BSS) – The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka has issued 33-point directives to hold the upcoming Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations in a peaceful and cheating-free environment.

According to a notice signed by Exam Controller Professor S. M. Kamal Uddin Hayder, the directives are applicable to all HSC candidates including regular, irregular, and improvement, who will sit for the 2025 exams under the National Curriculum and Textbook Board’s revised syllabus.

Students will answer full-mark questions within the full allotted time. The exams will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The notice said question papers must be verified against the official list at least three days before each exam in the presence of the treasury officer, the center secretary, and members of the exam committee.

Each exam day will feature two sets of creative (CQ) and one set of multiple-choice (MCQ) questions, securely packed and labeled with the exam date, subject code, and set code.

Improper handling of these procedures will be treated as negligence by the responsible officer. Question paper trunks must not be stored outside the upazila headquarters under any circumstances, the notification reads.

The board asked the local exam taking authorities to collect question papers from the treasury with police escort and a tag officer. The specific set to be used will be confirmed via SMS on the morning of the exam, and only then the packet can be opened and unused question sets must be returned sealed.

There will be strict restrictions on mobile phones. Only the center-in-charge may carry a non-camera phone. All other personnel and invigilators must leave electronic devices outside the exam center.

Each exam hall must have at least two invigilators, with one invigilator assigned per 20 students. Students must be seated at least three feet apart and must enter the exam room 30 minutes before the beginning of the exam.

Late arrivals may only enter at the discretion of the center-in-charge, whose decision and the student’s details must be logged and submitted to the board.

To avoid crowding and disturbances near exam centers, authorities are instructed to take preventive measures, including using microphones or CCTV if necessary. Anti-cheating posters supplied by the board must be displayed at the entrance.

The board will supply all necessary exam materials in advance. After collecting answer scripts and OMR sheets, center staff must sort and return any damaged or unusable ones. Used scripts must be submitted with the OMR top sheets detached. The tag officer must be involved in every step of question handling and script collection, and expenses for their travel and honorarium must be covered from the center’s fees.

Student attendance must be recorded daily, and absences be marked in red ink. Each subject’s answer scripts must be sealed and delivered to the board’s exam branch in separate, clearly labeled packets—one per subject and medium (i.e., English version scripts must be in separate packets and use English question papers only).

Any error in admit cards must be corrected within four working days of issuance.

On exam days, classes in the centers must remain closed. However, on non-exam days, regular academic activities may continue. After the MCQ section ends, the CQ questions must be distributed immediately. Under no circumstances should CQ questions be handed out before MCQ answer sheets are collected.

Only analog wrists clocks will be allowed in exam halls. Since the exams will take place during the monsoon season, center-in-charges must coordinate with local power offices to ensure uninterrupted electricity, and exercise caution while entering exam data online.