Editor,
The recently conducted UDC (upper division clerk) 2026 examination by the Arunachal Pradesh Staff Selection Board (APSSB) has left many aspirants disappointed - not because the examination was unfair, but because of concerns regarding the standard and relevance of several questions in the paper.
A large number of aspirants spend months preparing for a graduate-level competitive examination. They study a wide range of subjects and prepare themselves for questions that test not only their memory but also their conceptual understanding, analytical ability and application of knowledge.
However, the mathematics section of the UDC 2026 paper raised questions about whether the difficulty level adequately reflected the expected standard of a graduate-level examination.
Questions based on extremely elementary concepts such as LCM and HCF were asked. These are important fundamental concepts, but questions of a very basic nature from such topics are generally associated with the mathematics curriculum of the middle-school level. Including a few basic questions is understandable, but when an examination is intended for graduates, there should ideally be a reasonable proportion of questions that challenge candidates beyond elementary calculations
Even in LCM and HCF, there are many tricky questions which could have been asked to test the aspirants for such graduate level examination.
There are numerous areas of mathematics that could be used to assess a candidate at a higher level. Geometry, trigonometry, algebra, mensuration, data interpretation and other application-based topics can test reasoning and problem-solving skills much more effectively. The absence or limited representation of such questions, while giving considerable importance to very basic concepts, can make aspirants question the overall difficulty level of the paper.
The concern is therefore not that basic questions should never be asked. Basic questions have their place in any examination. The concern is about balance and the overall standard. A graduate-level recruitment examination should ideally differentiate candidates based on their broader knowledge, conceptual clarity, reasoning and ability to solve moderately challenging problems.
It is also important to acknowledge that setting a competitive examination is a difficult responsibility.
The purpose of this letter is not to question the intentions of the APSSB or the examination authorities. Rather, it is a humble appeal from aspirants who have invested considerable time, money and effort in preparing for these examinations.
Aspirants expect the examination to provide a meaningful assessment of the skills required for the post. If the questions remain predominantly elementary, the examination may not adequately distinguish between candidates who have prepared at a graduate level and those who possess only basic knowledge.
The APSSB has an important role in maintaining the credibility and competitiveness of recruitment examinations in Arunachal Pradesh. A carefully balanced question paper - combining basic, moderate and challenging questions - can make the assessment more effective and reflective of the advertised educational level.
The disappointment expressed by aspirants should therefore be viewed as constructive feedback, rather than mere criticism. Candidates are not asking for unnecessarily difficult questions. They are asking for questions that are appropriate to the level of the examination.
As future examinations are conducted, it is hoped that the board will consider maintaining a suitable balance in mathematics, while giving greater emphasis to conceptual, analytical and application-based questions.
Ultimately, the objective should be simple: a graduate-level examination should provide a graduate-level assessment.
APSSB aspirant