Patna: The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) is likely to conduct the Teacher Recruitment Examination (TRE-4) in December or January, Examination Controller Rajesh Kumar Singh said at a joint press conference.
The exact examination date will be announced after the application process ends on September 30 and the Commission determines the total number of applicants.
Applications for BPSC TRE-4 will be accepted from September 1 to September 30. Singh said the Commission can accommodate up to 5 lakh candidates in a single day.
If the number of applicants is up to 5 lakh, the examination will be conducted on one day. If applications exceed that figure, the Commission will conduct the examination over two days.
Two-Stage Examination
Singh defended the decision to conduct the recruitment process through a Preliminary Test (PT) and a Main examination, saying Bihar is not the first state to adopt a two-stage selection process.
He cited Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat as states that already use two-stage examinations for recruitment. According to Singh, the Radhakrishnan Committee also recommended a two-stage examination system.
He added that the Bihar Economic Offences Unit (EOU) had also advised the Commission to adopt a two-stage examination process.
Both the PT and Main examination for TRE-4 will be objective-type tests.
Negative Marking To Continue
Addressing concerns over negative marking, Singh said the BPSC follows negative marking in all its objective-type examinations and that the same system will apply to TRE-4.
He said the provision was intended to discourage candidates from relying on random guesses during the examination.
BPSC Rejects Claims Over Medium Of Instruction
Singh also rejected allegations that Hindi-medium candidates receive lower marks than English-medium candidates.
He described the allegation as baseless and said the Commission had never collected data on candidates’ medium of instruction.
Protests Continue In Patna
The announcement comes amid protests by student leaders and BPSC TRE-4 aspirants in Patna.
Candidates have raised objections to several aspects of the recruitment process, including the two-stage examination format and negative marking.
Student leader Dilip Kumar has issued a two-day ultimatum to the government, warning of further protests if the candidates’ demands are not addressed.
Assistant Engineer Recruitment Case
On the recruitment of Assistant Engineers through the BPSC, Singh said the matter is currently sub judice.
The recruitment process has been underway for about a year, but the Commission cannot release the results until the court delivers its verdict.
Singh also responded to questions about the Commission’s credibility, saying it would remain focused on carrying out its responsibilities despite criticism.
