In response to ongoing protests, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has recently revised its decision regarding the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) 2024 preliminary exam. The commission announced that the exam would now be held on a single day, 22 December, in two shifts. However, protests continue over other unresolved issues, particularly the scheduling of the Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) exams. Candidates are demanding clarity and fairness in the examination process for these positions.

Why Are UPPSC Exam Aspirants Protesting?

UPPSC exam aspirants have been protesting against the decision of the commission to conduct the PCS and RO/ARO 2024 preliminary exam over 2 days. Several candidates have cited concerns about travel expenses, confusion over dates, and added stress. As per media reports, some also feared unfairness. They argue that conducting multi-shift exams could lead to unfair normalization, where scores are adjusted to account for differences in difficulty between shifts.

UPPSC’s stand on PCS and RO/ARO exams

UPPSC had previously announced that the PCS 2024 prelims would be held over two days. However, in response to the mounting protests, the commission had to revise its decision, announcing that the exam would now be held on a single day, 22 December, in two shifts (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM).

The UPPSC has yet to resolve the protests regarding the RO/ARO exams, with students continuing to demand clarity and fairness in the exam scheduling. Despite this, the UPPSC’s revised stance on the PCS exam has helped reduce tensions, though some protests continue over unresolved issues.

Timeline of UPPSC PCS 2024 Exam Protest

- Early November 2024: UPPSC announced the PCS 2024 prelims would be held over two days (22 and 23 December) to accommodate a large number of candidates.

- Mid-November 2024: Protests erupted as candidates raised concerns about the fairness of the exam, with some fearing that one shift could have an easier or more difficult question paper than the other. Others also expressed their issue regarding logistics, such as travel costs and confusion over dates. Social media campaigns demanded a single-day exam. Eventually protests intensified with more students gathering outside UPPSC headquarters and submitting petitions for a one-day exam schedule.

- 14 November 2024: In response to mounting protests, UPPSC withdraws the two-day schedule.

- 15 November 2024: UPPSC announces the PCS 2024 exam will be held on 22 December in two shifts (9:30 AM - 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM).

- 15 November 2024 (Post-Announcement): Although the exam schedule was revised, protests continued over unresolved issues like the RO/ARO exams.

How were exams conducted in previous years?

In 2023, both the PCS and RO/ARO exams were conducted on a single day.

The PCS 2023 preliminary exam was held on a single day, with two shifts: one in the morning and another in the afternoon.

Similarly, the RO/ARO exam 2023 was also conducted in a single shift on one day.

So, in 2023, UPPSC opted for a single-day exam format for both the PCS and RO/ARO exams, with the exams conducted in either one or two shifts depending on the specific exam and the number of candidates.

In contrast, for 2024, the UPPSC initially planned to hold the PCS exam over two days due to the higher number of candidates. However, after protests, the commission revised the schedule, deciding to conduct the PCS 2024 exam in two shifts on a single day.