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Get a Certified Copy of Your Answer Sheet Through RTI: Your Settled Legal Right

Education / Certificates

Quick answer

You can obtain a certified copy of your own evaluated answer sheet under RTI - the Supreme Court settled this in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011), holding that an evaluated answer sheet is "information" under the Act. This applies to boards, universities and most recruitment examinations. Some bodies still resist with outdated bylaws; the RTI route (and first appeal) overrides that resistance in the ordinary course.

Why this usually gets stuck

Marks far below expectation with revaluation offering only a totalling check
Exam bodies quoting internal rules that "answer sheets cannot be shown"
Recanvassing windows closed before results were even understood
Recruitment exams where a few marks decide selection

What an RTI gets you, on record

A certified copy of your own evaluated answer sheet
The marks awarded question-wise and the model answer key / evaluation scheme (subject to the body's rules and exemptions)
Totalling/mapping records where results were processed electronically
The evaluator's markings - though evaluator identity can be withheld

Where to file it

Address the RTI to the PIO of the examination body - the board, university or recruiting commission. Central bodies (CBSE, UPSC, SSC, central universities) via the Central RTI portal; state boards/universities/PSCs via your state portal or post. See landmark rulings in our RTI Case-Law Library.

Sample RTI questions (edit the bracketed details)

Provide a certified copy of my evaluated answer sheet(s) for [exam name], roll number [number], subject [name], held on [date].

Provide the question-wise marks awarded to me in the said subject, along with a copy of the model answer key / evaluation scheme applied.

Provide the totalling and mark-mapping record by which my final marks in the said subject were computed.

State the fee, if any, prescribed for supplying a copy of an evaluated answer sheet, and the rule prescribing it.

Keep questions factual and specific to your own matter. Ask for records, status, dates, reasons and officer details - not opinions. Do not include anyone else's personal information.

If there is no reply in 30 days

The PIO is ordinarily required to respond within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If there is no proper response, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority of the same public authority; if that fails, a Second Appeal lies with the Information Commission. See the Appeal Generator.

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Frequently asked questions

Is this really allowed?

Yes - the Supreme Court held in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) that evaluated answer sheets are information under the RTI Act and examinees are entitled to inspect/obtain copies of their own, subject to narrow exemptions.

Can they charge extra per page?

Bodies may charge the prescribed copying fee; some prescribe specific per-answer-sheet fees under their rules. Ask for the fee and the rule in the RTI itself, as in the sample above.

Will I learn who evaluated it?

No - evaluator identity is generally protected. You get the evaluated content and marks, not the examiner's name.

Related guides

FileMyRTI is not a government website. This guide explains how the RTI Act can be used when an official process stalls; it is general information, not legal advice. Last updated: June 2026.