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Assistant prof hiring exam: UPESSC introduces negative marking

The Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) has approved a revised examination pattern for the recruitment of assistant professors in 330 government-aided degree colleges across the state, introducing negative marking for the first time and increasing the number of questions in the written test

Published on: Jul 24, 2026, 08:00:00 IST
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The Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) has approved a revised examination pattern for the recruitment of assistant professors in 330 government-aided degree colleges across the state, introducing negative marking for the first time and increasing the number of questions in the written test.

The Prayagraj-headquartered Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission. (HT file)
The Prayagraj-headquartered Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission. (HT file)

Now, candidates will have to answer 120 multiple-choice questions in two hours, compared to 100 questions earlier. The revised paper will comprise 90 subject-specific questions and 30 general studies questions. Each question will carry three marks, making the written examination worth 360 marks.

The most significant change is the introduction of negative marking. Candidates will lose one-third of the marks allotted to a question for every incorrect answer. Previous assistant professor recruitment examinations did not have any negative marking.

In the last recruitment examination held in April under Advertisement No. 51, the question paper consisted of 70 subject-related questions and 30 general studies questions, with each question carrying two marks for a total of 200 marks.

Confirming the move, UPESSC PRO Sanjay Singh said that the commission implemented changes in the pattern for conducting the recruitment exam for assistant professors in government-aided degree colleges. The change is in the interest of selecting the best candidates for the posts, he added

The commission is expected to soon issue a recruitment advertisement for 2,107 vacant assistant professor posts after receiving the requisition from the Directorate of Higher Education. The commission has already initiated the selection process for 111 principal posts in government-aided colleges and aims to complete the assistant professor recruitment by December.

Separately, the commission has also revised the examination pattern for the recruitment of Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT) and Post Graduate Teachers (PGT) in 4,512 government-aided secondary schools across Uttar Pradesh. Unlike the recruitment examinations held in May and June, which consisted only of subject-specific questions, future TGT and PGT examinations will also include general studies questions in the two-hour written test.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K Sandeep Kumar

K. Sandeep Kumar is Senior Assistant Editor and Bureau Head of Hindustan Times in Prayagraj, where he leads the newspaper's editorial coverage across the region. With more than 25 years of experience in journalism, he has built a reputation for credible, in-depth and impact-driven reporting on Uttar Pradesh's governance, politics, education, agriculture, science and technology, defence, infrastructure and development. Over the course of his career, Sandeep has consistently broken and tracked stories that have shaped public discourse, with a particular focus on policy, public institutions and issues that directly affect people's lives. His reporting combines rigorous fieldwork with data-backed analysis, making complex subjects accessible to a wide readership. He has also written extensively on human-interest stories that spotlight resilience, innovation and social change across urban and rural Uttar Pradesh. As Prayagraj Bureau Head, he mentors reporters, drives editorial planning and ensures comprehensive coverage of one of India's most politically and culturally significant regions. His work is marked by accuracy, balance and context, reflecting a commitment to public-interest journalism and high editorial standards. Through his reporting, Sandeep continues to chronicle the evolving social, economic and political landscape of Uttar Pradesh while delivering insightful and reliable journalism for Hindustan Times readers.

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