THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Public Service Commission will re-structure several of its exams on the lines of the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exams wherein the candidates will have to make the cut in a basic qualifying exam before attending post-specific tests. The decision is likely to be implemented this year end and is expected to provide relief to the already burdened PSC, which conducts more than 300 exams a year. The preliminary exams will have objective questions, while the post-specific examinations will have either objective or descriptive pattern.
The new model will be followed in the case of exams with a large number of applicants. A fixed number of candidates will be retained after the preliminary exam, and the number will be pruned down after the mains. In certain posts, the final selection will be based on the output in the postspecific exam and the interview. PSC secretary Saju George said the decision was taken to manage the number of applicants. “Another reason is that those who mug up facts won’t have an edge,” Saju said.
PSC sources said the preliminary test for an SSLC-level exam will be different from that of degree-level one. The preliminary exams will have moderate difficulty, while the final ones will be tougher. “The decision was necessitated by the huge volume of applicants. But there is another angle to it. When we have a twotier selection, then we will be getting the cream of the crop. Those who are able and seriously preparing alone will get through the two exams,” PSC sources said.