Months after the alleged scam by fired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationer Puja Khedkar, who faked documents to pass the tests, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) introduced new measures for students to apply to the Civil Service Examination (CSE) 2025.
These revisions now require applicants to submit papers, such as educational, caste, and physical disability certifications, during the preliminary test, as opposed to prior years, when these documents were only uploaded after a candidate qualified for the Mains examination.
However, aspirants allege that the new website created for them to upload their documents and apply for the exam is rife with glitches, including spelling errors and the inability to generate one-time passwords.
Aspirants flocked to social media to complain that the online form misspelt university as "Universtiy," characters as "Charachers," and had grammatical errors, The Hindu reports.
They also reported problems on the page meant for uploading their photographs and signatures.
According to a government source who spoke to The Hindu, the administration is aware of the challenges that candidates are facing, and the UPSC has developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
The FAQ advised aspirants to "use any free image editing software such as MS Paint (Microsoft) or any other image editor, to delete the unnecessary print area" before uploading photos, and to use the "CROP option after selecting the Image".
It added, “To resize to proper pixel size, use the Resize option. If the image is in other formats such as .tiff, .bmp etc, then open the Photograph in MS Paint or any other image editor and click Save as option to save it in the desired format (.jpg).”
The UPSC responded to a question about "delay in accessing the page" by saying, "Please retry after some time preferably not during peak hours. The time taken to access the page depends upon factors like Internet speed and number of applicants registering their applications at the same time. It would always help if applications are made earlier rather than later. It is a good practice not to wait for the last day or hours.”
Candidates reported that their emails and calls to the UPSC's hotline went unanswered.
According to the FAQ, candidates who successfully submitted their application form could alter or change it when a "correction window" opened after the registration deadline.
The source also stated that the information requested at various phases of the examination has been combined this time, and candidates must provide all details during the registration stage.
According to the source, approximately four lakh students have successfully registered for the preliminary examinations. The deadline to apply is February 11.