Changes have swept this year's Intermediate and matriculation exam process - from introduction of bar coding of answer sheets, the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has now asked evaluators to fill the marks on OMR sheets instead of registers to minimise chances of malpractice.

This year's evaluation started on Wednesday at 73 centres across the state, including eight in Patna.

For the past two years, the BSEB, which conducts the Intermediate and matriculation examinations, has been facing flak for gross irregularities in conducting examinations and evaluation of copies. BSEB chairman Anand Kishor said: "With the introduction of bar coding of answer sheets and filling answers of evaluated copies on OMR sheets, human interference will be checked."

The evaluation process will be carried out under CCTV cameras. Five to 10 CCTV cameras will be installed at every evaluation centre. The number of CCTV cameras installed at a centres will be decided on the number of copies being evaluated.

Through CCTV cameras, the movement of evaluators will be checked, including the time at which the evaluator reaches the centre and the time he/she leaves. The evaluators will be provided identity cards in which his/her name, the parent school and the subject, will be mentioned. All evaluators have been asked to enter the centres with their admit card. Apart from evaluators and centre superintendents, no one will be allowed to enter the evaluation centres.

The Intermediate evaluation will be done till March 30. Sources said around 17,000 teachers will be engaged in the evaluation work. A total of 12.61 lakh candidates appeared for the Intermediate exam which was held from February 14 to 25 in over 1,274 centres.