Four Major Changes in RPSC RAS Pre-Exam

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) will administer the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) Preliminary exam on Sunday, October 1st. Various modifications have been implemented, from conducting the exam for the first time to preventing cheating. Additionally, new government regulations have been put in place. A total of 697,051 candidates have applied to take the exam.

New Changes in Preliminary Exam

Added 5th option in OMR sheet of RPSC RAS Exam

• In the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) recruitment examinations, candidates must answer every question. Failure to answer a question will result in negative markings. 
• The Commission has recently implemented this new rule, which includes providing a 5th option. The 5th option is for candidates who need help knowing the answer to a question. 
• In addition, candidates must only fill one of the five circles on the OMR sheet with a blue ballpoint pen to indicate the correct answer. It is mandatory to answer each question by selecting one option. 
• If a candidate chooses not to answer a question, they must select the fifth option. If no option is selected, 1/3 marks will be deducted per question. 
• If any option is not selected in more than 10 per cent of the questions on behalf of the candidate, then he/she will be disqualified in that examination.
• Additionally, candidates will be given an extra 10 minutes to fill in their answers. This decision has been made to prevent tampering with the OMR sheet after the examination.

Anti-counterfeiting law implemented

• For the first time, the state government is implementing an anti-cheating law to prevent cheating and paper leaks during examinations by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission. 
• This law allows for life imprisonment, property attachment, and a fine of up to Rs 10 crore. 
• The Rajasthan Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Bill 1992 has been passed to ensure strict legal provisions against cheating and paper leaks. 
• Although the state already has a 2022 law against cheating in exams, it does not have such strict provisions. 
• Similarly, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have enacted stringent laws to prevent cheating in exams, including provisions for action under the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. However, this provision is not in the bill passed by the Rajasthan Assembly. 
• The new law includes 10 categories of exams, including all types of competitive exams by the government, school, college, and university exams. The government can bring all exam types under this scope, including government recruitment and board exams.

Videography

• The candidates' classrooms will be videographed before the start of the examination at the designated centres. 
• SOG and the police will monitor suspected and debarred candidates. The examination will take place from 11 am to 2 pm, with admission to the examination centre granted only until 10 am. 
• By 10:55 am, all candidates in the examination hall will be videographed for added security measures. Paper delivery will occur 30 minutes before the start of the examination, and the papers will also be videographed. These precautions are being taken to ensure a fair and safe examination environment.

Carbon Copy of OMR sheet

• At the end of the examination, candidates are required to hand over their entire OMR sheet to the examiner. 
• The examiner will keep the original copy and provide a carbon copy to the examinee, which they can take with them. Candidates must keep this carbon copy safe until the selection process is completed, as the Commission may request.

Rajasthan Administrative Exam, or RAS, is conducted in three levels. 

1. Preliminary Exam or Screening Test: It is an objective paper comprising 150 questions of 200 marks with 1/3rd negative marking. This stage is the qualifying stage, and candidates are selected based on the required category-wise minimum cutoff. Marks of this exam are not further added in the next two stages.

2. Mains Exam: It is a descriptive written exam comprising 4 papers of 800 marks 200 each. Written papers are conducted in this stage, and candidates are selected for the last stage based on the desired cutoff. 

3. Interview: This is the very last stage of the RAS exam where 100 interview marks are conducted for final selection. Candidates are selected for the RAS exam based on marks opted in the mains and Interview stage.