Civil services exam: Will publish provisional answer keys after Prelims, UPSC tells Supreme Court

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) – which conducts the prestigious Civil Services Examination – has decided to publish the provisional answer key after the preliminary examination; the Supreme Court has been informed.

The Commission’s latest decision marks a departure from the current practice of releasing answer keys only after the entire examination cycle is complete on declaration of final results. It will allow civil services aspirants to access answer keys immediately after the preliminary examination.

In an affidavit filed in the top court in response to a petition concerning the Civil Services Examination, the UPSC, however, said the final answer key shall be published after the declaration of final results.

The UPSC said it took the decision after deliberating upon various factors including the suggestion of the court-appointed amicus curiae.

“As a consequence of comprehensive deliberation and considering the pious role assigned to the UPSC as a constitutional body, the Commission has arrived at a conscious and well considered decision as under: (a) Publishing the provisional answer key, after the preliminary examination is conducted,” the affidavit stated.

“The decision taken by the UPSC is considered to be an effective and adequate redressal of the grievances raised in the petition and to enhance the level of transparency in the functioning of the UPSC and also to further the cause of public interest,” the UPSC said.

The top court is likely to consider the UPSC’s affidavit on October 6.

The Commission will seek representations or objections from candidates who appeared in the examination, the affidavit stated.

Each such representation or objection should be supported by three authoritative sources and objections, which are not so supported, should be rejected at the threshold, it said. “However, the Commission will decide whether the sources produced are authoritative or not,” it asserted.

The provisional answer key and objections or representations received from candidates on question paper and answer keys shall be placed before a set or team of experts of the concerned subject, who shall undertake an in-depth consideration of all the aspects and will finalise the answer keys, it said

Such finalised answer key by the team of subject experts shall constitute the basis of declaration of the results of preliminary examination, the Commission said, adding it intended to start following these modalities as expeditiously as possible.