UPSC: Personality test system free any discrimination, says union minister Jitendra Singh

NEW DELHI: The interview or personality test system followed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is free from any discrimination or bias, Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The UPSC has informed that candidates are randomised while being assigned to interview boards just before the commencement of interviews/personality tests for the day, he said in a written reply to a question.

"Further, the category of the candidates and marks obtained by them in the written examination are not disclosed to the interview board. Also, the identity of members of the interview board is not disclosed to the candidates. Thus, the question of discrimination or bias in interviews against any category of candidates does not arise," said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel.

He was responding to a question "whether in UPSC examinations, OBC, SC and ST candidates, who have secured marks on par with general category candidates in written exams, are given lower interview marks, which leads to low ranks to such candidates and if so, the details thereof".

"The interview/personality test system followed by UPSC is free from any discrimination or bias," the minister said. Moreover, in the interest of full transparency, the marks (written marks, interview/personality test marks, total marks) of all recommended candidates are published on the official website of UPSC, Singh added. The commission conducts different government jobs recruitment examinations, including the prestigious civil services examination, to select the country's bureaucrats, diplomats and police officers, among others. The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages -- preliminary, mains and interview.