Ranchi, March 3: The state government will make structural changes in the annual civil service exams conducted by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) based on the revamped Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) tests.
According to a communiqué issued by the chief secretary’s office, the JPSC syllabus will follow the UPSC pattern of objective-type questions. Personnel secretary Aditya Swaroop told The Telegraph that JPSC’s proposal to change the syllabus had received chief minister Arjun Munda’s nod.
The JPSC had written to Munda on November 3, 2010, proposing an amendment to the rules to change the question pattern. But unlike in the UPSC, forestry, labour and social welfare will continue to be optional subjects in the state exam.
Former JPSC acting chairman A.K. Sengupta, in his letter, had said that the civil service exams followed 60-year-old guidelines, namely Bihar Civil Services (executive branch) and Bihar Junior Civil Services (recruitment) Rules, 1951. “They are virtually archaic,” he had said.
He had also recommended a change in the syllabus, preferring the objective pattern.
The department of personnel and administrative reforms swung to change the face of the prestigious exam after Munda evinced interest.
The UPSC made major changes to its 2011 syllabus, replacing the first stage of the preliminary aptitude test on the lines of Common Aptitude Test (CAT) held for MBA aspirants.
Now, candidates will take two objective-type tests on “aptitude for civil services” and “ethical and moral dimension of decision-making” under Civil Services Aptitude Test. The papers of 200 marks each will be common to all students.
The existing JPSC pattern comprises three preliminary tests, followed by mains and interview. The nature of questions is subjective.
The preliminary paper is of 300 marks — 100 for general knowledge and 200 for an optional paper listed in the syllabus — followed by mains of 400 marks (200 marks each for two subject-centric papers) and a 200-mark interview. The subjective nature of the exam taken by one lakh aspirants is time-consuming as far as holding tests, evaluating papers and generating results are concerned, feel observers.
