CIC Advises UPSC to Bring Back Detailed Marks Breakdown for Civil Services Main Exam

What Happened

The Central Information Commission has recommended that the Union Public Service Commission bring back the practice of showing detailed paper-wise marks for candidates who clear the Civil Services Main examination. This development follows a Right to Information application that asked for comparative data on marks in General Studies papers, optional subjects, and the Personality Test over a ten-year period. The petitioner pointed out that while detailed marks were public until 2017, only total marks have been shared since 2018.

Official Stance

During the proceedings, the Department of Personnel and Training could not produce any official file noting, policy decision, or office memorandum explaining why the practice was stopped in 2018. Meanwhile, the UPSC stated that final score break-ups are sent directly to the Department of Personnel and Training and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration after results are declared.

Commission Advisory

The information panel issued an advisory under Section 25(5) of the Right to Information Act to restart publishing the detailed scores. The commission noted that candidates must score at least ten percent in each of the seven written papers. It also directed the department to provide the applicant with the specific marks obtained in each paper and test by recommended candidates from the 2018 cycle onward, noting that this transparency helps aspirants choose optional subjects without relying on unreliable sources.