The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has clarified that students applying for Class XII answer-sheet verification and re-evaluation do not need accounts with specific public sector banks to pay through its online portal. After confusion spread online that payments were restricted to customers of State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank, CBSE said the portal uses payment gateways operated by these banks but applicants can use multiple available payment methods. CBSE said students may pay using UPI, net banking, credit cards and debit cards through the designated gateways. The board also said its portal continued to operate smoothly despite a major cyberattack attempt shortly after it went live. CBSE reported that the platform faced denial-of-service activity soon after launch, including a surge of hits and attempts at unauthorised file access, and that technical teams worked continuously to maintain stability and security. CBSE stated that, as of noon on the reporting day, the system had accepted a total of 43,980 applications, including 4,924 for verification and 39,056 for re-evaluation. The board urged students to follow official CBSE updates on the process.