UPSC to restructure its exam system with AI technology

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is preparing to revamp its examination system through technological solutions like Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition systems, as well as closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance using artificial intelligence (AI), in response to widespread allegations of paper leaks and cheating in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination for medical college admissions.

The Civil Services Examination (CSE), as well as several recruiting tests and interviews for induction into the Government of India's Group "A" and Group "B" positions, are among the 14 examinations that the Commission conducts every year.

Approximately 5.9 lakh applicants took the CSE 2023 exam out of over 10.1 lakh registered applications. The UPSC conducts the CSE in order to recommend applicants for appointments to the esteemed Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Administrative Service (IAS), among other positions.

Following various alleged inadequacies in the administration of the NEET 2024, the National Testing Agency (NTA) was recently summoned before the Supreme Court. Following that debacle, the UPSC released a call for bids on June 20th, asking public sector enterprises (PSUs) to restructure the examination procedure.

The action was taken in tandem with the controversy surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who was accused of forging documents in order to appear for the CSE on the 12th attempt—far more than was allowed. The UPSC has registered a criminal case against Khedkar.

"The Commission plans to use the most recent digital technology to match and cross-check the candidates' biometric details and to monitor various activities of the candidates during the examination to prevent cheating, fraud, unfair means, and impersonation," reads the tender document.

The UPSC will send the data and photos given by applicants during the online registration process to the service provider, who will use Aadhar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition systems to verify the identity of candidates on exam day. Fingerprint scanners and facial recognition technologies will be deployed at examination centers to prevent impersonation attempts.

The Commission has recommended a real-time attendance tracking system, complete with GPS data, to ensure that enrollment occurs within the specified shift.

"The QR code on the admit card (which contains the candidate's roll number) should be scanned to automatically retrieve the candidate's information from the application database (supplied by UPSC). If the QR code on the admit card is not scannable, then manually entering the candidate's roll number from the admit card has to be done,” the UPSC said.

The Commission said that it had chosen to “implement CCTV/video surveillance with recording and a live broadcast system to monitor various activities of the candidates and other persons deployed to conduct the Commission's examinations at the various centers and venues across the country in a secure environment.”

The service provider will be required to install an adequate number of CCTV color cameras in each classroom, with at least one camera for every 24 candidates, at the exam center's entry and exit gates, and in the control room, where pre-examination sensitive material will be kept and opened, as well as post-examination sensitive material packed.

The service provider will also need to establish facilities for remote live viewing of CCTV footage at the UPSC's control room.