Too many optional questions gave edge to those who picked sociology

The question paper,accessed by the Indian Express,shows that students had to attempt any three out of the five questions in section A and two out of the three questions in section B of the paper. However,in the other subjects,the students had to attempt two compulsory questions – one each from the two sections of four questions each.

Admitting that the sociology paper was set on a different pattern,PPSC chairman Lt Gen (Retd) R S Sujlana,said,“It was the first question paper to be printed and this did happen. I was not the chairman then so I don’t know the details of what led to it. But we have not received any complaint from candidates of other subjects.”

Candidates with sociology and public administration as their optional subjects have dominated the PCS preliminary and mains results leading to questions being raised regarding the conduct of the examination. “The number of candidates with this optional was much higher than the others. In any case the whole marking process will be clear to the candidates on June 13 when the results are declared and individual marks are put on the website,” said Sujlana.

Some students who attempted the Commerce paper in the mains examination alleged that one of the compulsory questions was based on faulty data which was rectified after almost half the paper’s duration was over by which time they had already attempted the faulty question and did not have enough time to re do it.

Pointing out another irregularity in the conduct of the examination,some candidates alleged that the evaluators chosen by the PPSC to check the answersheets were not competent enough. “We have come to know that a political science teacher who was thrown out of the university for not knowing her subject enough,was one of the evaluators,” said Jasjit Kaur,mother of one of the candidates.

To this the PPSC chairman said that “evaluators can be called from in and around Punjab. Many of those called for duty have earlier evaluated answer sheets of other entrance tests. The evaluation process started on December 15,three days after I joined,” said Sujlana.

Several candidates also alleged that they even “knew” who the evaluators were as they were local teachers and there was a possibility that these evaluators were contacted by the candidates for favourable marks.

However,Sujlana rubbished this theory also. “The evaluators were working with the PPSC for over a month. They came and left the PPSC office everyday and it is possible that they were known to the candidates. But the checking process was fool proof. The answer sheets were marked with fake roll numbers and each evaluator was asked to check the same one question in the answer sheets. A candidate,in order to get his other marks increased in any subject would have had to contact every evaluator for that subject and codify his handwriting for all of them. This is not possible,” said Sujlana.