Editor,
I wish to bring to light a critical issue that has affected several candidates, including myself, who recently appeared for the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Combined Competitive (Main) Examination – APPSCC(M)E.
The Essay paper in this examination required candidates to write two essays in a single answer booklet comprising approximately 49-50 pages. The booklet was divided into two sections, with an instruction to write each essay in its respective part. However, the instructions were nearly identical to those used for the General Studies papers, which typically follow a question-cum-answer format. Due to this ambiguity and the unusually large number of pages – almost double what UPSC provides for the same paper – many candidates unintentionally wrote both essays in the first section, unaware that they were expected to switch sections mid-way.
A major source of confusion stems from the specimen answer booklet for the Essay paper, which is available for download on the Commission’s official website. This sample booklet contains only 23 pages in total for both essays, closely resembling the UPSC pattern and further reinforcing the expectation among candidates that the Essay paper would follow a similar structure. When confronted with a much longer answer booklet in the actual examination, with no distinctive visual cues or sectioning beyond fine print, several candidates – otherwise well-prepared – made an honest and avoidable mistake.
This situation has created widespread anxiety, especially considering the possibility that the second essay may not be evaluated at all due to a technicality. We appeal to the Commission to show understanding and ensure that such a mistake, which was not an act of defiance but a result of structural ambiguity, does not lead to a complete loss of marks. If full evaluation is not possible, then at the very least, awarding proportionally penalized marks would be a fair alternative to protect the genuine efforts of the candidates.
It is important to note that APPSC adopted the UPSC syllabus and examination pattern a few years ago, but this is now the second time that a critical oversight in implementation has had adverse effects on aspirants. The first such instance was in the 2020 APPSCC(M)E, where a 33% per-paper cutoff and 45% overall cutoff were imposed – unlike the UPSC system which only requires a minimum of around 10% per paper without an overall qualifying mark. I was personally affected by that decision, scoring above the final cutoff in total marks but falling short in one paper, thereby being eliminated despite otherwise qualifying.
Now, once again, a technical divergence from the UPSC standard and from its own Specimen Booklet has led to confusion. Aspirants are extensively trained and used to practicing their essay writing within the UPSC booklet format of 12-13 pages per essay. With APPSC(M)E providing 24-25 pages per essay, many candidates unintentionally continued writing in the same section, assuming the entire booklet was open for use, leading to a genuine and avoidable error.
I urge the Commission to address this issue with sensitivity and fairness. Years of preparation should not be invalidated by a structural miscommunication. At the heart of any public service examination is the goal of assessing a candidate’s knowledge, analytical ability, and suitability for public service – not to eliminate them on the basis of technical oversights or ambiguous instructions.
A Concerned Aspirant