Civil Services prelims’ candidates get UPSC’s nod to change exam centres

New Delhi(Agencies):The candidates, who have applied to take the civil services preliminary examination for 2020, are allowed to change their centres, according to an order issued on Wednesday by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The preliminary examination is scheduled to be held on October 4.

 “Keeping in view the large number of candidates of the civil services (preliminary) examination, 2020 (including the Indian Forest Service (preliminary) examination, 2020) and requests received from the candidates for changing their centres, the Commission has decided to give an opportunity to them to submit their revised choice of centre,” the UPSC said in an official statement.

More to it, the Commission has also decided to give the candidates the option to change the centres for the civil services (main) examination, 2020, and the Indian Forest Service (main) examination, 2020, it added.

 “The window of submitting the revised choice of Centres by the candidates will be operational in two phases i.e. 7th-13th July, 2020 (6 pm) and 20th-24th July, 2020 (6 pm) on the Commission’s website https://upsconline.nic.in,” it said, adding: “The candidates are advised to visit the website and submit their choices of centres of the above examinations, if required.”

Noting that the request for change will be considered against the enhanced capacity intimated by the centres for accommodating additional candidates, the UPSC said, “The candidates may please note that their requests for change in the centres will be considered based on the principle of ‘first-apply-first-allot’ basis (which is followed in all the examinations of the Commission and was mentioned in the examination notices of the civil services (preliminary) examination, 2020 and Indian Forest Service examination, 2020) and once the capacity of a particular centre is attained, the same will be frozen.”

The candidates, who cannot get a centre of their choice due to ceiling, will be required to choose a centre from the remaining ones, it said.

Originally, the civil services preliminary examination 2020 was scheduled to be held on May 31, but it had to be postponed to October 4, due to COVID-19 induced lockdown.