Sipu Jha
NOIDA: A QR code printed on the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 mathematics question paper triggered speculation after several students claimed that scanning it redirected them to a 10 seconds music video from the song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by singer Rick Astley.The link led to the well-known internet prank called “rickrolling,” where users are unexpectedly redirected to the 1987 hit song’s video. The incident left students surprised and sparked discussions about the authenticity of the exam paper.TOI independently checked the QR code shown on a question paper, and found that it redirected to the same music video as claimed by the student.According to students, the unexpected link raised doubts about the paper. “It looked like a prank with the students. Although the maths paper was not very tough, such links in an exam like CBSE that is conducted nationally looked weird,” said a student from Noida.Teachers explained that QR codes are typically printed on question papers as a security feature to verify their authenticity and to access paper-related information. However, they said such an incident had not been reported before.School authorities said the issue appeared in a few sets of the mathematics and applied mathematics question papers.Responding to the claims, CBSE issued an official statement confirming that the papers were genuine.“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.” said Sanyam Bhardwaj, Controller of Examinations, CBSE.The CBSE statement further added “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”
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