Patna: The Bihar School Examination Board on Sunday said it has banned socks and shoes at its matriculation (Class X) exams that begin on February 21.

The board's idea to prevent cheating - which has been a scourge for the state - is inspired by centrally conducted examinations such as the Common Admission Test (CAT) for India's top business schools, which has banned shoes since 2016.

Matric candidates wearing shoes will have to leave their footwear and socks outside the examination halls. Only candidates wearing slippers will be allowed to take the examination.

"The board has decided that candidates wearing slippers will be allowed to enter the examination hall. Other candidates will have to open their footwear outside the examination hall," said school board chairman Anand Kishor. "The board has taken the decision so as to check unfair means practised by students in the matriculation examination. The board has taken the decision as many agencies conducting entrance examinations too have banned shoes and socks inside examination halls."

The board, sources said, will create awareness on the new rules and issue directives to all district magistrates (DMs) and centre superintendents.

The board will also issue advertisements on the new directives for the matriculation examinations.

The no-shoes diktat is an addition to the many anti-cheating measures the board implemented in the Intermediate (Plus Two) exams this year that got over on Friday.

Like the Intermediate examination, there will be two layers of frisking for candidates at the matriculation examination: first outside the examination centre and again at the hall.

Also, there will be one invigilator per 25 candidates. Invigilators will be deployed at random, with invigilators assigned new centres every day. The tests will be video recorded, and Section 144 will be clamped on a radius of 200 metres from examination centres.

All these measures were introduced at the Intermediate examination, but 985 students were still expelled for use of unfair means. Also, 25 impersonators writing the examination for other candidates were caught.

The board had also taken action against three invigilators for negligence of duty.

Welcoming the board's decision on banning shoes and socks, a student of Miller High School in Patna said under cover of anonymity: "All these measures are good for smooth conduct of examination, but at the same time the board should see that the papers should be easy and scoring."

This year, 17.70 lakh candidates are appearing for the matriculation examinations, which will be held at 1,426 centres.

The exam starts on February 21 and will conclude on February 28.