Dear Editor,
This is apropos the report in your newspaper whereby it was reported that the ‘steering Committee’ of the APPSCCE aspirants had met the Chairman of the commission & requested that the CSAT / Aptitude Test be introduced from the next APPSCCE & not this time.
In this context, it is worth mentioning that the so-called steering committee & the APPSC have both behaved irrationally.
Firstly, the steering committee demanded, & correctly for that matter, for re-conduct of the examination. They demanded that fair & equitable chance should be given to candidates opting for any optional paper of their choice. It was on the basis of their demand, and the evidences adduced by them in support of their demand, that the controversy-marred prelims was cancelled by the beleaguered commission.
Fact of the matter is that it would be rather next to impossible to ensure similar ease or difficulty of all the optional papers. The much touted moderation/scaling method of the UPSC, which the aspirants here have been demanding, comes with its own shortcomings & controversies.
It is in this background that the APPSC proposed that the optional paper may be replaced by the Aptitude Test.
Now this was a rather bold & very wise, although much delayed, move by the Commission. Introduction of Aptitude Test in place of optional papers eliminates the chances of paper difficulty levels being an issue. This move by the Commission won it immediate & instant support.
And then came the news of the Commission Chairman asking the steering committee to give in writing its request for deferment of the Aptitude Test. Seriously?
1. The APPSC has a reputation, much of it being its own creation that most wouldn’t envy.
2. Once the APPSC has given its very wise proposal for the introduction of Aptitude Test in place of optional papers in the prelims, it ought to stick to its proposal.
3. What baffles me more is why the State Public Service Commission, a constitutional body no less needs the approval of the state govt to frame the syllabus of the exam it conducts.
4. As far as the screening committee goes, they would be well advised to concentrate on their studies now that the Commission has heeded to their demand for re-conduct of the exam.
5. The argument that CSAT tilts towards students of technical background only goes to show how much these aspirants know!! Aptitude Test is nothing more than a compiled test of normal intelligence of ANY normal human being. As for the mathematics content argument goes it can only be said that we all studied maths at least till the 10th Standard in school! And if addition, division, subtraction & multiplication frightens the aspirants then lord save him!
6. The argument that aspirants have spent time & money on preparing for the prelims optional paper does not hold ground. A fair test was asked for. Aptitude Test in place of the optional paper in prelims is
the answer. Plus, both time & money will not go waste. Just clear the prelims. The time & money spent on the optional paper will come to your absolute help!
All said & done, the controversy magnet APPSC should stick to its guns & regain the lost trust. Easier said than done it seems.
Yours,
An Arts student!