Itanagar: Amid apprehensions raised by aspirants regarding a possible change in the syllabus for the upcoming Assistant Engineer (AE) recruitment examination, the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) has clarified that no such change has been introduced, terming the rumours “baseless”.
The AE examination is scheduled to be conducted tentatively between May and June, as per the recruitment calendar issued by the commission on February 14, 2025.
In a query sent to NewsFy, a civil engineering aspirant expressed concern over alleged alterations in the Preliminary syllabus, citing recent instances in other recruitment examinations, such as those for the Inspector of Legal Metrology (ILM) and Lab Technician Assistant posts.
The aspirant alleged that changes in those exams were announced at the last minute, affecting candidates’ preparation. In the case of ILM, a notification was issued just 27 days before the exam, introducing General Studies (GS) and General Knowledge (GK) along with technical subjects. For the Lab Technician Assistant post, candidates claimed there was no prior notification regarding the inclusion of GK and General English in the Prelims.
Fearing a similar last-minute change for the AE exam, the aspirant said, “I am getting old and unemployed. I prepare day and night. I don’t even have the energy to point out their mistakes anymore. I am just frustrated.”
According to the selection scheme published by APPSC, the AE recruitment process includes a qualifying Preliminary examination of 100 marks, followed by a Mains examination carrying 450 marks and a Viva Voice worth 50 marks. Marks from the Prelims are not counted in the final merit.
Aspirants have questioned the inclusion of GS, GK, and General English in the Prelims, arguing that such subjects could instead be assessed in the Mains. “Otherwise, civil services aspirants will have an undue advantage,” one candidate said.
Responding to these concerns, APPSC Secretary Parul Gaur Mittal dismissed the speculation and clarified that the AE Preliminary examination will include technical questions in addition to General Studies, General English, Mathematics, and General Knowledge.
A senior commission official also refuted the claim of abrupt changes in earlier exams. He stated that the commission had only issued clarificatory notices in response to queries from candidates, and that the pattern had remained consistent.
“All questions are framed at a basic level and any serious aspirant should be comfortable with them,” the official said, urging candidates to stay focused on preparation. “If there is any change, it will be formally notified on the commission’s website,” he added.
A detailed syllabus for the AE examination was uploaded on the commission’s website on March 25, 2025.
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GS, GK should not be included in the preliminary/Screening test. Only technical subjects should be there like previous AE n JE prelim exams. Other wise we have to prepare for GK n GS for both level of examination which is useless n time consuming. uper se AE syllabus zyada hogaya hai