Students affected by technical problems during the Mahajyoti-Vanarti screening examination in Pune and Nanded will receive a fresh opportunity to take the test on October 10, while officials investigate what went wrong at the two centres.
The screening examination is being conducted to select students for pre-examination training for the civil services, state services, engineering services, combined Group B and Group C examinations, and recruitment to the armed forces. A total of 90,600 applications were received from across Maharashtra, with the examination planned at 64 centres in 32 cities.
Complaints were reported from the Sun Bright English Medium School centre in Ambegaon, Pune, where some students faced technical difficulties during the examination held on October 7. The re-examination for eligible students from the centre will be conducted at Nova Consultancy Services in Bibwewadi and the J.P. Online Exam Centre in Vadgaon Budruk.
In Nanded, the examination could not be conducted at the Marathwada Online Exam Centre because of technical problems. Students assigned to that centre will take the re-examination at Dnyandeep Shiksha Prasarak Mandal and Anjangiri Computer Based Centre in Ashtavinayak Nagar, Nanded, on October 10.
The examination authorities said the affected students would be informed about their allotted centre and examination timing. The re-test arrangement separates students who experienced technical disruption from the wider examination process, while retaining the original selection exercise for candidates whose tests were conducted as scheduled.
Mahajyoti Managing Director Milind Naringe and Vanarti Managing Director Prashant Wavge said an objective inquiry would be conducted into the Pune incident. Reports will be sought from the centre supervisor, the concerned assistant director of the Other Backward Bahujan Welfare Department and the agency responsible for conducting the examination.
The inquiry will examine CCTV footage from the centres, technical records and the examination procedure. The officials said action would be taken according to the rules if the investigation establishes any fault.
The episode highlights the operational dependence of large public examinations on computer-based testing infrastructure and private examination agencies. In this case, the authorities have announced a defined remedial step for affected candidates and said the review will determine whether the disruption resulted from an identifiable failure in the centre, technology or examination process. The next immediate milestone is the October 10 re-examination in Pune and Nanded.
