Maharashtra board exams for Classes 10 and 12 to be held in offline mode

The written examinations of HSC (Class 12) and SSC (Class 10) of the Maharashtra education board will be held through offline mode only from the next month, state minister Varsha Gaikwad announced on Saturday.

It means that students will have to physically go to the exam centres to appear for it, the School Education Minister said. "The schools of the students will be their exam centres. Apart from the regular three-hour period of the exam, they will get extra half an hour to attempt the questions," she said.

The examination dates have already been announced and practical exams will be held once the written tests are over, Gaikwad added. The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam will be conducted between April 23 and May 21, while the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam will be held between April 29 and May 20, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) had announced last month.

These board exams are usually held in February and March, but this year their schedule has been changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.