Odisha: Computer Skill Test for ASO 2022 exam rescheduled; students still decry irregularities

The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) on November 18, Friday, rescheduled the Computer Skill Test for the Group B post of Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in Odisha Secretariat Service. The test will now be conducted on December 4 instead of November 27, as per the official notice.

“It is for information of all concerned that the Computer Skill Test for recruitment to the post of Assistant Section Officer, pursuant to Advertisement No. 26 of 2021-22 is likely to be conducted as per the following programme instead of 27.11.2022 due to pre-scheduled OPSC OES (School Branch) Examination,” the OPSC notice reads. The programme mentions December 4 as the date of the exam, and mentions the exam time as 10:30 am to 11:30 am, while for PwD (Person with Disability) candidates, it will end at 11:50 am.

The results for the ASO recruitment 2022 exam were declared on November 7, and as per a report by Odishatv.in, about 1104 candidates qualified for the Computer Skill Test, which takes place for candidates selected in the written exam. However, several students alleged irregularities in the exam and are irked over this year's selection process.

"The written exam was really tough this year, with its level almost on par with the Civil Services exam, something which is unusual. As per previous years' trends, if candidates secure 215-220 marks out of the total 400 in the exam, they qualify for the Computer Skill Test. However, since the paper was tough, lower cut-offs were expected. But it was strange that students who even obtained over 260 marks could not qualify," said Subhranshu Mishra, one of the ASO aspirants from the state.

"Nonetheless, the actual problem was the irregularities in the marks. Many students claimed that candidates who did not even appear for the exam were declared as qualified. About 300-400 candidates protested in front of the Secretariat as well, and pleas were filed in the High Court, but nothing fruitful came out of it," he added.

It may be noted that on November 14, Monday, the Odisha High Court quashed the batch of petitions filed by these candidates, as per another report by Odishatv.in. However, the court has asked the OPSC to release the marks of the candidates who appeared for the exam after the recruitment process is completed.