The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has defended its newly implemented on-screen marking (OSM) system following a notable decline in the Class 12 pass percentage, which fell to 85.2%, a decrease of 3.19 percentage points from the previous year. This marks the lowest pass rate in seven years, with significant complaints emerging regarding evaluations in science subjects, particularly Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics. CBSE stated that the OSM system aims to improve transparency, fairness, and consistency in the evaluation process, utilizing digital technology to minimize human error in marking. The board confirmed that students dissatisfied with their results could apply for re-evaluation and request copies of their evaluated answer books. The OSM system was fully deployed this year, evaluating 98,66,622 answer scripts from 1.77 million students. Educators have expressed mixed opinions on the new system, with some suggesting that the implementation was rushed and that teachers were not adequately trained, while others noted that the system reduces errors. Additionally, the decline in pass percentage may reflect stricter competency-based evaluations under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.