Kamal Ghorui
After social media posts claimed that a QR code reportedly printed on the Class 12 Mathematics question paper directed students to a YouTube video, the Central Board of Secondary Education has issued a clarification. In a post on microblogging platform X, the board said that the “security of the question papers remains uncompromised”. “On 09.03.2026, examination of Mathematics was conducted for class 12. In a few question paper sets, it appears that when one of the given QR codes is scanned, it links to a YouTube video,” the board said. “While the concern about the veracity of the question papers is put to rest, the matter has been viewed seriously and necessary steps are being taken by the Board to ensure that such issues are not repeated in future,” it further added.
CBSE clarifies the need for QR codes on question papers
In the official statement, CBSE clarified that the board gives “many security features” on the question papers. One such feature is QR codes, which as per the board, helps “verify the genuineness of the question paper in case of suspected security breach”.
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The board introduced QR codes on question papers in 2019 to help trace the origin of the leak as well as stop its spread. The CBSE Board Exam 2025 rules mandated unique QR codes on all answer sheets as well.
What CBSE said after QR code reportedly printed on the Class 12 Maths paper directed students to YouTube video
In social media posts, students claimed that scanning the QR code on Maths question paper led to the music video of “Never Gonna Give You Up” by British singer Rick Astley. Sharing the clarification on X, CBSE wrote: Many security features are provided on the Question Papers. These include QR codes to verify the genuineness of the question paper in case of suspected security breach. On 09.03.2026, examination of Mathematics was conducted for class 12. In a few question paper sets, it appears that when one of the given QR codes is scanned, it links to a YouTube video. It appears that this has raised concerns about the veracity of the question papers amongst concerned students and their parents. It is hereby confirmed by the Board that the question papers are genuine. The security of the question papers remains uncompromised. While the concern about the veracity of the question papers is put to rest, the matter has been viewed seriously and necessary steps are being taken by the Board to ensure that such issues are not repeated in future.
