Maharashtra Public Service Commission takes lead, scores big on exam transparency

Times of India: Mumbai: Sunday, May 19, 2013.

While the Union Public Service Commission drafted a plan last week to bring in transparency, nearer home, the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) has already worked towards it. The MPSC has brought in complete transparency since 2012 in all the 40 examinations conducted by it.

According to a senior official, after veteran bureaucrat Sudhir Thakre took over the reins of MPSC, all the examinations have been made student-friendly and basic information has been made available to candidates. Not only are candidates' marks displayed on the MPSC website, their scores in the practical and theory papers are also put up, said the official.

"Nearly 14 lakh students appear for the 40 examinations that are conducted by MPSC. We are among the first state public commissions to have brought in complete transparency in all the examinations," he said.

After appearing for an examination, candidates are allowed to take home a copy of their answer sheets and after two days, the answer key (standard answers to all the questions) too is sent to students and put up on the website. "Students can tally their answers with the answer key and if any doubt, they can write to the MPSC. All objections are verified by the MPSC and then the results are declared. Outsiders too can raise objections," the official added.

The MPSC has ensured complete secrecy of the candidate's identity. A candidate is given a code number and there is a ban on requesting name and caste. "Once a candidate clears the written examination, we give him/her a code number. His identity is kept a secret in the personality test or interview," he said.

There has been a drop in the number of Right To Information Act queries since the MPSC implemented transparency measures, said the official. "RTI applications have gone down as most of the information is available on the website," he said.

After veteran bureaucrat Sudhir Thakre took over the reins of MPSC, all the examinations have been made student-friendly and basic information has been made available to candidates. Not only are candidates' marks displayed on the MPSC website, their scores in the practical and theory papers are also being put up.