Revision of Scheme of Combined Graduate Level Examination

The 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) in its report on “Refurbishing of Public Administration – Scaling of New Heights” had made recommendations to restructure the examinations of the Staff Selection Commission with a view to reducing the recruitment cycle to one year. The Commission had constituted an Expert Group in July 2009 under the Chairmanship of the then Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration, with members drawn from the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, IIM, Ahmedabad, IIT, Delhi and the National Productivity Council and an internationally acclaimed expert on testing and assessment, to study the recommendations of the 2nd ARC and to recommend restructuring of the Commission’s examinations and interviews. Detailed Notes, placed by the Chairman, SSC, were studied and recommendations made by the Expert Group by and large on the lines of notes of the Commission. The recommendations of the Expert Group were examined by the Commission and most of its recommendations were accepted for implementation in a phased manner.

The Commission’s periodical proposals on Restructuring the Combined Graduate Level, Combined Higher Secondary Level, Stenographers Gr.’C’&’D’ and Multi Tasking Staff (NT) Examinations, based on the recommendations of the Expert Group, have been accepted by the Government. The Restructured Combined Graduate Level Examination with the following Scheme has been in vogue for three years and has greatly facilitated in reducing the recruitment cycle - from Notification of the Examination to Final Results – to one year, despite the increased number of applications and also the fact that the Scheme envisages four stages for the post of Assistant in CSS, three stages for other interview posts, three stages for the post of Tax Assistant in CBEC and CBDT and two stages for other non-interview posts.

Scheme of the Examination:

Different Tiers of existing Scheme of Examination for Combined Graduate Level Examination are as follows:

• Tier -I -- Written Examination (Objective Multiple Choice Type)

• Tier -II -- Written Examination (Objective Multiple Choice Type)

• Tier -III -- Personality Test /Interview/Computer Proficiency Test or Skill Test (wherever applicable).

Scheme of Examination for different posts will be as follows:

NOTE:

• There is negative marking of 0.25 marks for each wrong answer in Tier-I.
• In Tier-II, there is negative marking of 0.25 marks in Paper-II and III and 0.50 marks in Paper-I for each wrong answer.
• Candidates are advised to keep this in mind while answering the questions.

The Restructured Examination, which tests the native intelligence of the candidates with reduced emphasis on mere reproduction from memory, has elicited appreciation from user departments, who now get the manpower in less than half the time taken earlier, and the candidates because of its facile structure leading to results in reasonable time.

The Commission has been undertaking post-examination analysis based on valid and sound statistical principles since 2011. Action taken by the Commission in cancellation of candidature – sometimes even after selection-based on post – examination analysis – has been questioned in a few cases. There has also been a suggestion from a user department, the Department of Personnel & Training, which recruits Assistants in CSS out of the Combined Graduate Level Examination, for re-introduction of descriptive papers, despite its rejection in the report of the 2nd ARC, on account of time taken for examination and lack of consistency, objectivity, and accuracy in evaluation.

While the restructured scheme of Combined Graduate Level Examination has proved itself in the last three examinations, the Commission has been considering, for some time now, incorporation of a mechanism, without prolonging the recruitment cycle and without any drastic modification of the existing scheme, to ensure that only bonafide candidates finally qualify in the examination and those taking recourse to mal-practices in examination, which has become possible with modern communication technology are screened. This will also obviate the need for detailed posts-examination analysis and wasting scarce human and financial resources in fighting litigation.

It has, therefore, been decided by the Commission that the candidates qualifying in Tier-II of the Examination, for Computer Proficiency Test and Interview for posts of Assistant in CSS, Interview for other Interview posts, Data Entry Skill Test for posts of Tax Assistant and document verification for other non-interview posts, will be subjected to a short descriptive paper of not more than one hour’s duration, with questions drawn from “English Language and Comprehension”, “Quantitative Abilities” and “General Awareness”. If adequate infrastructure with reliable real time connectivity is available, at least in the Regional Headquarters and Lucknow, the Commission will at its option, change this to an online examination. The examination will be qualifying in nature and will not be taken into account for determining the position of the candidates in merit order. This is expected to screen those candidates who might have been able to take advantage of unfair means in Tier-I and II examinations. The proposed short descriptive papers/online test will not only screen but deter those candidates who intend to use unfair means in examination.

As the number of candidates qualifying for the final stage will be in the range of 25,000 to 35,000 and also in view of the fact that Interviews/Computer Skill Test/Data Entry Skill Test take about 8 to 10 weeks, the evaluation of the additional qualifying paper, even if it is not administered online and is of descriptive type, is not expected to lead to lengthening of the recruitment cycle beyond the present one year. Analysis of performance of the candidates in the qualifying examination and other papers will also be facilitated due to very small number of candidates qualifying for the final stage.

The Commission’s decision is now placed on its website for the information of the public, in particular candidates intending to apply for the Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2013, which is scheduled to be notified on 19th January, 2013.

Courtesy: SSC