Bapu Examination Complex
By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: The Bapu Examination Complex in Bihar’s capital has added a new chapter to India’s education landscape. Developed by the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB), it has emerged as the country’s largest examination centre, with the capacity to conduct examinations for nearly 21,000 candidates simultaneously in both online and offline modes.
Beyond accommodating large numbers of candidates, the complex has been designed as a central hub for the operation and monitoring of examinations across Bihar. Officials believe this will usher in greater transparency and efficiency in the state’s examination process.
BSEB chairman Anand Kishor said examinations can be held in three shifts daily, enabling more students to appear at convenient times. The centre is equipped with advanced technology, robust security arrangements, comprehensive CCTV surveillance and the deployment of technical experts.
At present, offline examinations are conducted in both blocks, with seating for 12,000 candidates. Online capacity, earlier limited to 3,000 candidates, has been expanded to 11,000 and is being further increased. In the coming days, the complex will have 21,000 computers, allowing an equal number of candidates to take online and offline examinations simultaneously.
Kishor clarified that the process of upgrading the 12,000 offline seats to a hybrid mode will begin this month. Due to this upgradation work, the matriculation and intermediate board examinations scheduled for this year will not be held at the centre. These examinations will commence at the complex from next year.
Already the country’s largest examination centre, the Bapu Examination Complex is set to become India’s biggest online examination hub within a year. The hybrid system will allow the same halls to be used flexibly for either online or offline examinations as required.
The complex has prior experience in hosting prestigious competitive examinations, including those conducted by the UPSC, BPSC and SSC, underscoring its managerial capability and infrastructural reliability. A key objective of further development is to reduce dependence on private examination centres and shift more examinations to government-run facilities.
Security and surveillance arrangements are described as exceptionally strong. All CCTV cameras are monitored from a central command and control centre, which also provides live monitoring of examination buildings across all nine divisions of the state. A nodal team from the district administration remains stationed at the control centre, and CCTV footage is securely preserved for scrutiny in case of any irregularity.
Located at Kumhrar in Patna, the complex was inaugurated by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in August 2023. Built over six acres at a cost of around Rs 281 crore, it comprises 44 large examination halls, each capable of seating 470 candidates, with an overall capacity of 21,000 examinees at a time.
The campus is equipped with modern facilities such as escalators, lifts, dedicated rooms for examination officials, jammers, bag scanners, frisking arrangements and wheelchairs for differently abled candidates. A five-storey multilevel parking facility, costing approximately Rs 39 crore, will be constructed nearby under the supervision of the Building Construction Department. In addition, a foot overbridge near Dhenuki Mor, costing about Rs 4.4 crore, will be built with the support of the Road Construction Department to further enhance convenience for candidates and visitors.
Emphasising the broader vision, Kishor said the Bapu Examination Complex is not merely about hosting examinations on a large scale, but about setting a benchmark for transparency and orderly conduct. With adequate halls, systematic seating and stringent security, the centre aims to ensure that examinations across the state are conducted in a calm, fair and impartial environment.
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