Madhyamik starts on Wednesday with a record 10,04,931 examinees, over half of them girls. The exams will continue till March 7 at 1,273 centres across Bengal. Metro collates useful information for examines.

Exam time: 11.45am to 3pm

Be seated by: 11.30am

Carry: Admit card and registration certificate

Don’t carry: Calculator, cellphone, portable media player like the iPod or pocket radio

Helpline: The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, which holds Madhyamik, will operate helplines for schools and students. The numbers are 22293775, 9830056731, 22268594 and 22268595.

Transport: The state transport department will ply “examination special” buses. Private operators have promised to increase the frequency of their buses.

Rally restrictions: Call the board’s helpline numbers or dial 100 to complain to police if there is traffic congestion on the way to the exam centre or while returning home. The cops have promised to intimate the local police station and organise help.

The Madhyamik board has requested the political parties to refrain from holding rallies and processions till March 7.

Loudspeaker ban: A high court order prohibits the use of loudspeakers during the examination.

Power promise: CESC and the state power utility have promised uninterrupted supply.

Photocopy ban: All photocopy centres within 100 metres of an exam venue are supposed to remain shut from 11.45am to 3pm on examination days.

Official voice: “More than 10 lakh students will write their first board exam. It is our appeal to all sections of people to extend their co-operation to the board to enable us to ensure its smooth conduct,” said Partha Roy, the secretary of the board.