Editor,
I seek to draw urgent attention to the serious irregularities surrounding the evaluation process of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Combined Competitive Examination (APPSCCE) 2024. The marks recently declared by the commission have triggered shock and dismay across aspirant circles, not because of competitive result outcomes, but because of what appears to be a collapse of evaluation standards.
After the infamous paper leak scandal that forced a complete administrative overhaul, the commission was expected to rebuild credibility through transparency and fairness. Instead, the 2024 results raise uncomfortable questions about whether the lessons from that dark episode were ever truly learned. A closer look at the marksheet patterns reveals disturbing anomalies, with some candidates reportedly scoring above 400 in optional papers – a number virtually unheard of even in national-level examinations like UPSC. In general studies too, the gap is grotesquely wide, with Paper IV marks among selected candidates ranging from as high as 190 to as low as 66.
Such outcomes are statistically improbable unless there has been an absence of uniform evaluation criteria, moderation, and scaling. The likely cause appears to be the post-revamp induction of new evaluators who were either inexperienced or inadequately guided by the commission. Without standardised marking rubrics, clear benchmarks, or a moderation policy, evaluation becomes arbitrary. When raw, unchecked marks are uploaded directly into the final system, the process ceases to reflect merit and turns into a lottery of subjective grading. If any form of moderation or scaling has indeed been applied, the present level of mark disparity clearly shows that it is grossly inadequate.
The public deserves answers: Were standard marking schemes and moderation processes followed? Were evaluators properly briefed and cross-checked? Was any form of statistical moderation applied to prevent marking inflation or inconsistency across evaluators?
It is now essential for the APPSC to commission an internal audit of the entire evaluation process, preferably overseen by external experts or an independent review panel. The audit must identify procedural gaps, and recommend corrections before the next recruitment cycle. Only a credible, data-backed review can restore confidence in the system and reassure thousands of aspirants that merit still matters in Arunachal Pradesh’ public service selection process.
In a state striving for administrative integrity, the commission cannot afford another failure. Silence or denial at this stage would only deepen public cynicism and weaken its moral legitimacy. Accountability must begin now through honest introspection and transparent corrective action.
A veteran aspirant failed repeatedly by the system