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Published : 02 Jul 2026, 10:30 AM
A total of 1,270,583 students are starting their Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations.
The examinations are being held at 2,697 centres across the country, starting at 10am on Thursday.
The sky over Dhaka has been cloudy since the early morning, with rain starting as soon as the clock struck 8:30am. Candidates were seen rushing to the capital’s Banani Vidyaniketan School and College centre through the morning shower.
Examinees were allowed to enter the exam centre from 8:30am to 9:30am after strict searches. Even after that time, a few candidates were seen allowed inside.
Md Shahin was waiting outside the centre with his daughter, an examinee from BAF Shaheen College.
He said, “We arrived before 9am. There wasn’t a lot of traffic in the morning. There was a bit of rain, but it didn’t cause us much trouble.”
Md Mortaza Bashir had also brought his daughter, a student at the same college, to the centre for her exam. He said, “I got stuck for a while because of the rain, but my daughter was able to enter by 9:30am.”
“I’m a bit tense now. By the grace of Allah, I hope that my daughter has prepared well. I hope her results will be good.”
The Bangla First Paper exam is being held on the first day of the HSC. The theory examinations of the nine general and Madrasah boards will end on Aug 8, while the practical examinations will continue until Aug 15.
The theoretical examination of the HSC Vocational, under the Technical Education Board, will continue until Jul 25. The theoretical examination of the BMT will continue till Aug 1 and the theoretical examination of the Diploma in Commerce will continue until Jul 22.
This year, 1,069,714 candidates are sitting for their HSCs under the nine general boards, 14,316 more than last year.
These students from 4,885 institutions will take their exams at 1,626 centres.
In addition, 92,905 candidates will sit for the Alim examination under the Madrasah Education Board, 6,803 more than last year.
These candidates from 2,705 madrasas will take part in exams at 461 centres.
Another 107,964 students are taking the HSC Vocational, Diploma in Commerce, and BMT exams under the Technical Education Board, which is 1,647 fewer than last year. These candidates from 1,849 institutions will take the exams at 610 centres.
This year's HSC exams will use the same question set for all examinees. Arrangements have been made for two candidates to be seated at benches that are 5-6 feet in length, while 4-foot-long benches will only have one candidate.
At least two invigilators will be on duty in each room of the exam centres and one invigilator will be tasked with monitoring for every 20 students.
The education boards have instructed the officers in charge of the centres to ensure that the candidates enter the centres by 8:30am on the days of the exams.
Candidates must enter the centre at least 30 minutes before the start of the exam. They have been asked to record their roll number and other information to enter.
Before the start of the exam, the officers in charge of the centre have been asked to take measures so that candidates, guardians or anyone else cannot create any disruption outside the centre.
The police have banned the movement of people within 200 yards around the centres during the exams.
For the first time, CCTV cameras will be installed in all HSC and equivalent exam centres. The centres have been asked to send the camera models, device serial numbers, passwords and IDs to the Examination Controller's Office.
The education boards say that no other person will be allowed inside the exam centre during the exam aside from the candidates, officers and employee in charge of the exams, and observers.
The toilets of the centres will be closed immediately after the exam starts. The officers in charge of the centre will be searched on entry and if any cheating materials are found, they will be thrown away.
Although it is customary for colleges to suspend classes throughout the examination period, this year, like last year, institutions will be able to conduct classes “in between” exams.
