Students who appeared for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 Mathematics board exam received an unexpected surprise after the test when a QR code printed on the question paper allegedly redirected users to a viral internet prank video.

The incident reportedly took place on March 9, 2026, after the Class 12 Maths exam. Soon after the exam ended, a video started circulating on social media showing students scanning the QR code printed on their question paper and being redirected to the famous music video 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley.

The song is widely known online for the “Rickroll” prank, a popular internet joke where users are tricked into opening the music video instead of the intended content.

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According to several social media users, QR codes were printed on certain question paper sets, including PQ5RS and Set-2. Usually, such QR codes are added to board exam papers as a security feature to verify authenticity and prevent paper leaks.

However, some students claimed that when they scanned the QR code after the exam, it opened the YouTube link to the 1987 song 'Never Gonna Give You Up'.

Video of student scanning QR code goes viral

In one viral video shared on X (formerly Twitter), a student showed how scanning the QR code from her Mathematics question paper opened the prank video. She said, “Today was my math paper, and it didn't go well at all because someone cast an evil eye on me. But I'm going to show you something interesting.”

She then scanned the code using her phone and said, “I scanned it... and it opened! Look at what CBSE has pulled in the paper as well! I'm over it.”

Soon after the clip surfaced online, several users claimed they experienced similar results when scanning QR codes from different sets of question papers. The incident quickly turned into a meme trend on social media.

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While many people found the situation amusing, some users also raised concerns about a possible security lapse.

One Reddit user wrote that several students were either getting the Rickroll video or the letter “A” when scanning the code. The user also pointed out that QR codes on exam papers are meant to verify authenticity and prevent leaks, suggesting that the issue could indicate a serious security flaw.

For many students who were already stressed about their mathematics exam, the unexpected meme moment added a bit of humour after a tense day.