Patna: The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has announced a major change in the pattern of its competitive examinations, bringing back the “Option E” system for multiple-choice question (MCQ) papers. Under the new rule, candidates will no longer be allowed to leave questions blank without consequence. If an examinee does not wish to answer a question, they must now select option “E”, which will stand for “Not Attempted”. The Commission has also clarified that if no option is marked at all, one-third of a mark will be deducted as negative marking.
The move has been introduced as part of the Commission’s effort to improve transparency and accountability in the examination process. According to BPSC officials, many candidates previously skipped difficult questions without selecting any option, leading to a large number of unanswered responses in examinations. The Commission believes the new system will ensure that every candidate takes a clear decision on each question, making the evaluation process more organised and systematic.
Under the revised format, each question paper will now contain five options instead of the earlier four. Candidates who know the correct answer can continue selecting options A, B, C or D as before. However, if they choose not to attempt a question, they will now have to select option E. Officials said the rule has been designed to reduce confusion during evaluation and encourage students to remain attentive while filling out their answer sheets. The biggest change is that leaving any question completely blank will now directly affect the final score through negative marking.
Rajesh Kumar, Examination Controller of BPSC, said the Commission wants to make examinations more disciplined and credible. He explained that candidates must either answer the question or officially indicate that they are not attempting it. According to him, this system will help maintain fairness in competitive examinations and make the assessment process clearer. He added that the rule is expected to create greater seriousness among aspirants appearing for BPSC recruitment tests.
The “Option E” rule had earlier been introduced during the 60th to 62nd Combined Competitive Examinations conducted in 2017. At that time, the fifth option represented “None of the above” or “More than one of the above”. However, many students had opposed the rule, claiming it created confusion during examinations. After protests from candidates, the Commission later removed the option and returned to the traditional four-choice system beginning with the 69th examination.
With the rule now being reinstated, candidates preparing for upcoming BPSC examinations will have to change their exam strategy accordingly. Experts believe the new pattern may influence how students manage time and approach difficult questions during tests. Aspirants have also been advised to carefully read examination instructions before appearing for future BPSC papers, as even a single blank response could now lead to loss of marks.
