SSC Exam Won’t Be Cancelled, But Retest Likely for affected Students: Chairman

The Staff Selection Commission confirmed that the recent Selection Post Phase 13 exam will not be cancelled. However, a retest may be held for candidates who were denied a 'fair chance'. The SSC chairman, S. Gopalakrishnan, spoke after protests over mismanagement during the test.

SSC officials have also asked the test vendor, Eduquity Career Technologies, to fix errors reported during the July 24–August 1 exam period. The chairman added, “We are checking all data. If we find even one candidate who was treated unfairly, we will let that person sit again.”

Major Problems During Exam Week

The Phase 13 tests ran from July 24 to August 1 at 194 exam centres in 142 cities. Nearly 500,000 candidates appeared across India. But many faced serious trouble: sudden cancellations, system crashes, biometric check failures, and wrong centre assignments. These issues led to protests in Delhi and angry reactions on social media.

To help those affected, extra tests were held on August 2 in three shifts. Around 2,500 students were impacted in two centres—one in Delhi (Pawan Ganga) and one in Uttar Pradesh (Educasa). About 16,600 candidates were expected, but only 8,048 appeared—a 60% attendance rate.

Vendor Issues and Security Measures

Chairman Gopalakrishnan said the new vendor faced “teething problems” with software and hardware like mouse malfunctions. Although students demanded that SSC drop the vendor, he refused. He explained that cancelling the vendor would force SSC to issue a new tender, which could delay exams until December. He noted that vendor performance improved during the week after initial failures.

AI Use and Future Exams Assured

The SSC addressed student complaints about repeated questions. It said only basic AI is used—just to reduce repetition, not generate test content. Each question is tagged with metadata. The exam network is monitored by SSC and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) using logs, CCTV, and electronic data checks to maintain exam integrity.

The chairman is optimistic for upcoming tests scheduled between August 6–8. He said that 350,000 students will appear, and they expect smoother operations with far fewer problems.