Patna: The Bihar School Examination Board's matriculation (Class X) examination begins on Wednesday amidst new directives and strict measures to check cheating.

A total of 17,70,042 candidates - 8.76 lakh girls and 8.91 lak boys - will appear for the exams at 1,426 centres. The exams will be held in two shifts: from 9.30 am to 12.45pm and 2pm to 5.15pm. As reported earlier, students cannot wear shoes or socks inside exam halls.

"At all examination centres there will be deployment of three-level magistrates," board chairman Anand Kishor said. "The students will be frisked twice; first outside at the entrance gate of examination hall and second at the examination hall. For every 25 candidates there will be one invigilator and apart from the centre superintendent no one will be allowed to carry mobile phone inside the examination hall."

Like the Intermediate examination, the board has decided to set up model centres in each district where everyone - from students to invigilators to centre superintendent to security personnel - will be women.

In Patna five such model centres have been set up.

The board has also set up a 24-hour control room where students and teachers can register complaints.

The exams will be video recorded, and Section 144 will be clamped on a radius of 200 metres around examination centres.

The exams will conclude on February 28.