If the PPSC and the NTS can take the tests on the same day, then why cannot the FPSC do the same?
We, the candidates, have a number of grievances against the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).
It takes years to complete the recruitment process. I applied for the post of patrol officer in August 2014 and my interview for the said post is scheduled for October 1, 2015. Only an unemployed candidate can tell how agonising this delay is. On the other hand, the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) and the National Testing Service (NTS) take no more than three months for such a process.
Secondly, the FPSC takes a screening test for the same post in different batches. For example, for the post of customs inspector, it divided candidates into four batches and consequently took four different tests on three different days. In a test consisting of 100 marks, where even one mark can make the difference between a candidate qualifying or failing to qualify, it is sheer injustice to take four different tests for the same post. After the test of batch one, the candidates of batch two come to know of the pattern of the test, meaning they know what type of questions might be asked. Moreover, there is also repetition, sometimes even up to 25 multiple choice questions are repeated, as was witnessed in the second or third batch’s test. If the PPSC and the NTS can take the tests on the same day, then why cannot the FPSC do the same? Furthermore, the FPSC does not declare the marks of candidates, which means that no one can be sure whether the tests were marked fairly or not. The NTS declares marks on the same day and the PPSC also uploads a detailed mark sheet of candidates. The FPSC is requested to do the same and lessen the agony of the candidates.
Name withheld at the writer’s request
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2015.
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