New Delhi, March 28: A Parliamentary Committee has recommended that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) release the answer key immediately after the Civil Services Preliminary Examination to enhance transparency, fairness, and candidate confidence.
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice made this suggestion in its 145th report on the Demands for Grants (2025-26) for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The report was tabled in Parliament on Thursday.
Current Practice Delays Transparency
The UPSC conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) every year in three stages—Prelims, Mains, and Interview—to select officers for prestigious services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS).
Currently, UPSC releases the answer key only after the entire selection process is completed, which can take almost a year. The Committee criticized this approach, stating that it prevents candidates from challenging potential errors before moving to the next stage, affecting fairness and transparency.
“This delays candidates’ ability to challenge potential errors before advancing to the next stage, undermining transparency and fairness. Such a practice can demoralize candidates and raise concerns about the validity of the examination,” the Committee noted.
While UPSC ensures rigorous scrutiny, the panel emphasized that the possibility of errors in the answer key cannot be ruled out entirely. It urged the Commission to allow candidates to raise objections immediately after the Prelims exam instead of waiting for the entire recruitment cycle to end.
Call for Clear Timeline on Baswan Committee Recommendations
The Parliamentary Committee also pressed for a clear timeline for implementing the recommendations of the Baswan Committee, which was set up to review changes in the UPSC exam pattern and syllabus over the years.
When asked about the progress on the Baswan Committee’s recommendations, the DoPT informed the panel that:
The Baswan Committee submitted its report to the government, addressing issues like age limit, syllabus, question patterns, mode of examination, and answer key disclosure.
A two-member internal committee examined the report along with inputs from UPSC.
The findings are under review by the department, but no implementation timeline has been set yet.
The Standing Committee urged the DoPT to act swiftly, stating that a structured implementation roadmap is needed to modernize the UPSC examination process.
Suggestions for Exam Reforms
The report recommended several measures to improve the fairness and efficiency of the UPSC exam:
✔ Form a dedicated team to focus on key issues like answer key disclosure and examination structure.
✔ Conduct stakeholder consultations, including candidates and subject experts, to ensure effective reforms.
✔ Publish regular progress updates to maintain transparency and accountability.
✔ Escalate recommendations requiring policy changes for prompt government approval.
“A structured implementation roadmap will help modernize the UPSC examination process while addressing concerns about fairness, transparency, and efficiency,” the report stated.
The recommendations aim to make the UPSC selection process more transparent, candidate-friendly, and efficient, ensuring that errors or discrepancies are addressed in a timely manner.
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