The release of the SSC CGL 2024 final results on March 13 has ignited a storm of controversy, with candidates alleging inconsistencies in score normalisation, unexplained discrepancies in results, and a lack of transparency from the Staff Selection Commission (SSC).
Normalisation or Manipulation?
One of the major points of contention is the drastic variation in marks after normalisation. Several candidates and educators have reported significant increases in scores.
Umed Pratap Singh (@umedpratapsingh) highlighted the severity of the issue on X, tweeting:
"For many students, there has been a huge increase in marks due to Normalisation. One candidate received 96.7 extra marks compared to their raw score, while others saw no increase at all. How can there be such a huge difference without a hidden motive? Normalisation is a big scam. All major exams should be conducted in a single shift."
Similarly, various stakeholders found multiple issues with the results and took to social media to express their frustration.
Educators weigh In
Prominent educators on YouTube have also raised concerns about the anomalies. EdexLive reviewed multiple videos, each garnering lakhs of views, where educators dissected the inconsistencies.
Parmar SSC, a well-known channel for SSC preparation, pointed out in a video that was posted on March 15 with 232K views that delays in releasing the answer key would lead to controversy.
He questioned how normalisation could result in such massive score variations and reminded viewers that a similar issue in 2023 led to ongoing legal battles. He called for reforms not just in Tier 2 but in the entire examination process, emphasising that transparency is essential for maintaining trust in competitive exams.
Meanwhile, Gagan Pratap, who runs the popular Gagan Pratap Maths YouTube channel, criticised the decision to hold Tier 2 in two shifts instead of one. His video on the issue, with over 215K views, raised critical questions:
"Why were the two shifts of Tier 2 at different difficulty levels? Why were there so many incorrect questions? Why wasn’t the answer key released before candidates submitted their post-preference forms?"
He suggested that these inconsistencies might be deliberate, preventing students from challenging erroneous answers in time.
Candidates raise concerns
These YouTube videos are flooded with comments from candidates urging influential educators to take action and expose the alleged irregularities.
One candidate commented: “How can there be such a big difference between raw and final scores? Either it’s a scam, or something is seriously wrong with the system.” Another remarked, “Even after scoring 330, I didn’t get selected. This isn’t an exam anymore, it’s a chance of luck.”
A few disheartened aspirants lamented that students spend their prime years preparing for government exams, only to face disappointment due to systemic failures.
The case for a single-shift exam
Another major issue flagged by educators, including Prashant Solanki, an English expert from Rankers Gurukul, is the fundamental flaw in multi-shift exams. He raised concerns on his personal YouTube channel called Prashant Solanki English, arguing that two candidates with the same raw score but from different shifts ended up with drastically different final results.
A candidate from an allegedly ‘easier’ shift got selected, while another from a ‘tougher’ shift did not — raising serious doubts about the fairness of the normalisation process.
A frustrated aspirant summed up the situation:
"Normalisation is a big scam. All major exams should be conducted in a single shift. If UPSC CSE can do it, why can’t SSC?"
Mixed reactions from candidates
EdexLive contacted few candidates to understand the situation better and found out while outrage is widespread, not everyone shares the same experience. and Mithun, a candidate who cleared Tier 2, stated that he found no irregularities. However, Sampath, another successful candidate, admitted that something seemed off.
"Some people got 70-80 extra marks after normalisation. A 20-25 mark difference is understandable, but this much? It definitely raises suspicions," he stated.
A broken system?
The controversy surrounding the SSC CGL 2024 results has once again exposed systemic issues in government recruitment exams. With no final answer key released before the results, unexplained score fluctuations, and repeated instances of normalisation anomalies, candidates are now demanding accountability.
Many aspirants are calling for a re-evaluation of results and considering legal action. One disheartened candidate remarked, “People will talk about this for a few days, then forget. But it’s the students who suffer.”
Another, having lost all hope, simply stated: “Now is the time to quit.”
