‘Errors’ in Class XII chemistry state board exam spark concerns

A series of errors in the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education Class XII chemistry annual exam 2025 has sparked concern among students and educators, raising questions about the accuracy and fairness of the paper.

Neeraj Thakur, a chemistry faculty member at Snower Valley School, highlighted multiple mistakes across different question paper series, noting that these discrepancies could lead to confusion and impact students’ performance.

In Series A, errors included missing information on FeO in Question 4, an incorrect chloride ion symbol (Cl?) in Question 7, and an ambiguity in Question 10, where a reaction could follow both zero and first-order kinetics depending on pressure, but the paper failed to specify pressure conditions. Additionally, Question 25 contained an incorrect copper symbol in the Zn-Cu alloy.

Series B also had multiple errors, including an incorrect formula for copper sulphate in Question 3 and a fundamental flaw in Question 17(a), where the initial and final compounds were the same, rendering the conversion meaningless. Another mistake in Question 26(a)(ii) was the incorrect spelling of benzenediazonium chloride, which was written as benzediazonium culoride.

In Series C, Question 12 contained an ambiguous reasoning statement about the order of nucleophilicity of halide ions, which could be both true and false, as the nature of the solvent — protic or aprotic — was not specified.

Expressing his concerns, Neeraj Kumar, an experienced educator, emphasised that such errors undermine the integrity of the examination and could negatively impact students’ results. He urged the Board to take immediate corrective measures, ensuring that future exams are error-free and fair for all students.

With students and teachers now seeking clarifications on these discrepancies, many are calling for appropriate corrective actions, such as marking leniency or issuing official explanations. The education community hopes that the Board will take this opportunity to improve its examination standards, ensuring that students are evaluated based on their true academic capabilities without unnecessary confusion caused by question paper errors.