Fingers have been pointed over the question paper of the assistant professor (mathematics) main examination for recruitment in government degree colleges, conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) on September 18, after candidates alleged that 16 of the 20 questions were repeated verbatim from the 2020 lecturer recruitment examination for government secondary schools.
According to the candidates, 80% of the questions were identical to those asked in the lecturer recruitment examination conducted by the commission on September 19, 2021. One additional question allegedly had only a minor modification, while just three questions were new.
“We have no information regarding this matter. If candidates file formal objections, the matter will be placed before the examination committee,” said Girijesh Kumar Tyagi, secretary, UPPSC.
However, candidates questioned the examination’s fairness, arguing that the posts of lecturer in government inter colleges and assistant professor in government degree colleges are distinct.
They alleged that repeating questions from the earlier examination could have given an advantage to the candidates who had appeared in the lecturer recruitment test, while others had prepared separately for the assistant professor examination.
Candidates also claimed that two questions in the assistant professor mathematics paper were outside the prescribed syllabus. They questioned the role of the subject experts who prepared and moderated the paper, alleging that the syllabus relevance of the repeated questions was not adequately checked.
{{/usCountry}}Candidates also claimed that two questions in the assistant professor mathematics paper were outside the prescribed syllabus. They questioned the role of the subject experts who prepared and moderated the paper, alleging that the syllabus relevance of the repeated questions was not adequately checked.
{{/usCountry}}The disputed questions reportedly covered topics such as complex numbers, average kinetic energy, linear transformations, differential equations, three linear equations, cones generated by lines, the rank-nullity theorem, surface integrals over a cube, the normal to a circle and the area in the first quadrant. Candidates also flagged a question resembling one on transitive relations.
Demanding an independent and impartial inquiry, the candidates urged the commission to conduct a question-by-question comparison of the two papers and have the two allegedly out-of-syllabus questions examined by subject experts. They also demanded cancellation of the September 18 examination and a fresh test.