LUCKNOW :The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UPMSP) has introduced a new anti-cheating measure for the Class 10 (High School) and Class 12 (Intermediate) board exams 2027 for the first time, students’ signatures will be printed on their admit cards alongside their photographs.
What’s changing
More than 50 lakh students are expected to appear for the UP Board’s High School and Intermediate exams in 2027. As part of the online registration process, students’ photographs and signatures are being scanned and uploaded to the board’s portal.
Once printed on the admit card, these signatures will serve as a reference point during the exam. When students sign the answer sheet and the attendance register at the examination centre, invigilators and centre administrators will match those signatures against the one printed on the admit card to confirm the candidate’s identity.
Why is the board implementing this new rule?
According to UPMSP, this step comes in response to irregularities noticed in previous years, including cases where impersonators (commonly referred to as “solvers”) sat in for genuine candidates, as well as instances of photo-mixing on admit cards.
By tying a verified signature to each student’s admit card, the board aims to make it significantly harder for such impersonation attempts to go undetected, and to tighten the noose on organised cheating networks often described as the “copying mafia.”
Registration timeline
Online registration for the High School and Intermediate exams 2027 is set to continue until August 5, with related processes expected to extend a few days beyond that.
Students and schools are advised to ensure photographs and signatures are uploaded correctly during this window, since any errors could cause complications when admit cards are issued later.
This isn’t the first time UPMSP has tightened exam security. In recent years, the board has introduced measures such as CCTV surveillance at exam centres, geo-tagged and randomised centre allocations, stitched answer sheets to prevent copy-swapping, and enhanced security features on mark sheets and certificates.
The signature-matching system for 2027 adds another layer aimed specifically at stopping impersonation, one of the most persistent forms of malpractice flagged in past exams.
Students appearing for the 2027 board exams are advised to keep checking the official UPMSP website (upmsp.edu.in) for further updates on admit card issuance and exam guidelines.
