Bhutan Civil Service Examination’s preliminary examination (PE) screened more than 6,500 graduates in the last four years.

Close to 51 percent of the total PE candidates were screened out from sitting the main examination this year.

Of the 3,218 graduates who sat PE in August this year, 1,589 secured 50 percent and above. More than 1,600 graduates did not qualify to appear main examination.

With more than 500 slots available in the civil service this year, at least two graduates be will vying for a vacancy in the civil service.

About 284 graduates who registered for PE did not turn up for the prelim on August 5.

In the last four years, the highest number of graduates that qualified to appear main examination was in 2016. Seventy five percent of the total 3,536 graduates secured 50 percent and above to appear main examination. Only 877 graduates did not qualify from PE.

However, 2017 recorded one of the lowest percent of the graduates who qualified PE since 2015. Only 27 percent of 3,409 graduates made it to main examination.

An extra point awarded due to a clerical error by the Royal Civil Service Commission in preliminary examination led to increase in the number of graduates qualifying the preliminary examination to 1,024 from 927.

Only 49 percent of 3,322 graduates qualified to appear main examination in 2015. Close to 1,700 were screened after PE.

Of the total 13,985 graduates who appeared PE since 2015, 6,582 candidates (47 percent) did not get chance to sit for the main examination

PE, according to RCSC, is conducted to shortlist candidates for the main examination and to test the minimum standard of candidates. The official from RCSC said that 1,589 graduates qualifying for the main examination was a good pool of candidates for 554 vacancies.

While acknowledging the need for PE to check the fundamental knowledge of candidates and to save budgets while conducting BCSE, Phurpa Tshering, a graduate from College of Science and Technology, said the PE was unfair to those candidates with minimum mathematics background.

Document verifications and confirmation of candidature for the main examination of the BCSE will start from August 27. 

Nima