Editor,
I am writing to express deep concern and disappointment over the errors found in the just concluded APPSCCE question set, specifically in Paper-II C-SAT. As a candidate who had waited years for this examination, I am utterly dismayed by the apparent lack of seriousness and attention to detail displayed by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC).
It is unacceptable that after such a substantial delay (of four years, to be specific) the question paper was replete with errors. These not only created confusion and anxiety during the examination but also cast serious doubt on the commission’s competence and commitment.
These are not mere typographical errors. The errors reflect a systemic failure in the examination process, indicating a lack of thorough review and quality control – inexcusable, given the protracted period before the exam’s administration. During exam time, a candidate under exam pressure has to manage time and when you’re setting such errors in question, candidates lose time trying to solve it and are unable to allot the required time to other questions, increasing the pressure level, which can cost them their future, since every second counts, which is not fair as it’s not the candidates’ fault.
Compounding this issue is the unreasonably short timeframe allotted for challenging the answer key. This limited window, combined with a complex and convoluted objection procedure, put candidates in further disadvantage. It suggested a deliberate attempt to discourage legitimate challenges, rather than foster transparency and fairness.
The decision to charge candidates for challenging the answer key is particularly egregious. Why should students bear financial penalty for errors committed by the paper setters? Not every aspirant is financially well off, and unemployed, and the fee was already paid for the exam while filling up the application.
This represents a clear injustice and demonstrates the commission’s unwillingness to accept responsibility for its own failings. Instead of rectifying their mistakes at their own expense, they transfer the burden to those they have wronged.
For an affected candidate who invested significant time and resources in preparation, encountering such blatant errors – a rushed and complex challenge process, and the imposition of fees for correcting the commission’s mistakes -undermines the examination’s integrity. It raises serious questions over the commission’s regard for the candidates’ aspirations and efforts.
Given its constitutional mandate (Article 315) to ensure fair recruitment, the APPSC’s frequent involvement in controversies presents a serious contradiction.
I urge the commission to take immediate corrective action, acknowledge its oversight, waive all fees associated with answer key challenges, substantially extend the challenge window, simplify the challenge procedure, and provide a just resolution for all affected candidates.
And I implore fellow aspirants who have encountered similar issues to speak out. This is a matter of collective concern and only through unified action can we ensure accountability and demand a fair and transparent examination process for once.
An aggrieved aspirant