The Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) conducted the screening test for CCE 2023 on 10 August 2024, after nearly three and a half years, with over 27,000 candidates appearing. Unfortunately, approximately 99% of candidates have failed, raising significant concerns about the passing criteria and test pattern employed by SPSC, as the test was conducted outside the prescribed syllabus. The test was intended to filter out the top candidates for the next stage of written exams, but it appears that many deserving candidates have been eliminated, undermining the goal of fostering healthy competition. In fact, this is just a preliminary screening, yet SPSC seems to shortlist candidates as if it were the final exam. Many candidates failed due to negative marking, the inclusion of five options, errors in the answer key, and some incorrect questions in the test. Contrarily, other standard testing services only include four options (A, B, C, D), but the inclusion of the option “None of These” (E) by SPSC in the CCE 2023 screening seemed designed to make candidates fail.

This issue concerns the prospects of deserving applicants who have been working tirelessly for four to six years but were unsuccessful on the SPSC screening exam due to errors in the application process. The person who set the paper should have remembered that while the tests are preliminary and not final, rejecting applicants during the screening process is equivalent to eliminating their merit. As a result, the CCE 2023 screening will only accept 200 to 300 candidates. The question is how the competing authority will choose the written procedure and evaluate these candidates. If this institution does not address these issues, many candidates will suffer mentally, their age will increase, and they may no longer be eligible for the next attempt.

Therefore, what should be done is to reduce the passing criteria from 50% to 40% so that no competent student is left behind because the syllabus of this institution suggests one thing and tests another. Lowering the passing criteria could make these exams more accessible and encourage a broader range of candidates to pursue these careers.

INSAF BROHI,

Sindh.