RECENTLY, the result of the Central Superior Service (CSS) written exami-nation 2022 was announced. According to the result, 32,059 candidates had applied, 20,262 appeared, and only 393 could qualify; the pass percentage being 1.94.

Those who cleared celebrated and those who failed without any preparation were not bothered by the result. However, those who had worked really hard and yet failed are the ones who feel the pain of the loss the most.

When detailed mark sheets of the written examination were issued, the subjects in which many candidates failed related to English essay and composition. That has always been the pattern and there are valid reasons for that. However, the result of Pakistan Affairs surprised just about everyone. It seemed as if this subject was particularly targeted to fail the candidates.

One of my friends secured just 18 marks in the subject. He told me that he had calculated the marks of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in which out of 20, he had scored 14 correct, which meant that he got just four marks out of 80 in the subjective part. It seemed the examiner had given, on average, one mark per question. In contrast, he performed very well in other subjects, such as in Political Science in which he secured 144 out of 200 marks.

Many failed candidates are angry and dejected, questioning the criterion of marking a paper, and asking if the examiners have some sort of guidelines for performing the task. Such an attitude is brutal. It is also believed that the examiners cannot check such huge number of papers and they seek help either from their students or colleagues in this regard.

If so, this puts a question mark on the entire paper marking process. No matter how an examiner marks a paper, the ultimate losers are the candidates who spend months — in some cases years — to prepare for the competitive examination.

The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) should take steps to ensure transparent paper marking. This attitude of targeting a paper shatters the trust of the candidates in the commission, and many may go into depression. I have seen many serious candidates who suffered psychologically after unexpected CSS results.

For the FPSC and its examiners, a paper is just a 24-page document, but, for candidates, it is the hard work of months and years they spend in pain while making all kinds of sacrifices.

Besides, a single CSS attempt almost costs more than Rs200,000 for a student, and if the answer sheets are treated in such a casual manner, the outcome is nothing but injustice. The FPSC must find ways to overcome these issues in the future.

Muhammad Essa
Quetta

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2022