3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 10, 2026 04:24 PM IST
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) went viral on the Internet for all the wrong reasons after a QR code allegedly printed on the question paper of the Class 12 Mathematics board examination directed students to a viral video of British singer Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.
The Mathematics exam was held on March 9 from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm. These QR codes are reportedly included for verification purposes or to provide exam-related information.
However, several students claimed that the QR code redirected them to the well-known 1987 music video. The song is famously associated with the long-running internet prank known as ‘Rickrolling’, where people are tricked into opening the video under the impression that it leads to something important.
Several students shared screenshots and videos on X. In a now-viral video, a student is seen scanning a QR code from her house, which leads her to the clip.
“I want to show you guys something, and I discovered it just now. This is my maths question paper. I am scanning it now. And see what it led to,” she says in the video.
Watch:
In today’s episode of how serious our examination conducting authorities are- presenting to you CBSE class 12th board maths paper which has a QR code that opens rickroll’s song on YouTube 🤷🏿♂️ pic.twitter.com/gvQcsVvGVp
— Nehr_who? (@Nher_who) March 9, 2026
Soon afterwards, other users reported the same result when scanning QR codes from different question paper sets, further fuelling amusement across social media.
> Meet CBSE
> India’s leading government education board for secondary education.
> They printed a QR Code on class 12th Maths paper for board exams.
> The QR code was supposed to carry important instructions
> Instead it redirected to a YouTube video song of Rick Astley… pic.twitter.com/7E12wwrPGa
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) March 10, 2026
Aditya Prakash posted the QR code on the question paper on X and asked users to scan it. “Bhai ye mere friend ka math ka paper hai bas ek baar ye QR code scan kar lo. This was not on my 2026 list CBSE.”
Bhai ye mere friend ka math ka paper hai bas ek baar ye QR code scan kar lo 😭🙏🏻
This was not on my 2026 list CBSE 😭💔 pic.twitter.com/CDG7wnC2gP— Aaditya (@Aadityaparkash) March 9, 2026
The CBSE released a statement ensuring the authenticity of the viral claims. The board said the question papers used in the examination are genuine and that their security remains intact.
Important Update:
Press Release issued by CBSE pic.twitter.com/HqhdjYo23q— CBSE HQ (@cbseindia29) March 10, 2026
The board added that the issue has been taken seriously and necessary steps are being taken to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in the future.
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