Railways Departmental Examination - Consolidated guidelines

Railways Departmental Examination – Consolidated Guidelines for Personnel Officers, Paper Setters & Evaluators of Question Papers of written examinations held as part of 70% Selection/30% LDCE for Promotion from Group ‘C to Group ‘8’ posts

Railway Board Circular on Consolidated Guidelines for Personnel Officers, Paper Setters

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

(RAILWAY BOARD)

RBE No:142/2016

No. E(GP)2015/2/8

New Delhi, dt : 28/11/2016

The General Managers,
All Indian Railways and Production Units.

(Kind attn : CPOs)

Sub: Consolidated Guidelines for Personnel Officers, Paper Setters & Evaluators of Question Papers of written examinations· held as part of 70% Selection/30% LDCE for Promotion from Group ‘C to Group ‘8’ posts

A Committee was constituted to review the pattern of selection held for promotion to Group ‘B’ posts on the Railways. One of the mandates given to the Committee was to review the instructions issued from time to time relating to evaluation of answer sheets. Accordingly, these instructions have been reviewed by the Committee and in supersession of all existing instructions issued on the subject including those contained in Board’s letter no.E(GP)2001/2/32 dated 07/07/2014, it is advised that following guidelines may be kept in view while holding Selections/LDCEs for promotion to Group ‘B’ posts:

1. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PAPER SETTER

(i) Objective type questions will include only Multiple Choice questions and numbering of indicative answers to these questions and replies to such answers by the candidates should invariably be given in Capital Letters only as per the illustrations given below:-

Question: Please name the Capital of India

Options:

(A) Mumbai

(B) New Delhi

(D) Chennai

Correct Answer – (B)

(ii) Para 204.2 of IREM Vol-I:

The question paper for the written test should have a practical bias i.e. it should be designed to test the ability of candidates to tackle the practical problems they are likely to face rather than their theoretical knowledge.

(iii) Para 204.3 of IREM Vol-I:

15 marks out of 150 marks for testing the professional ability should be set apart for questions on official language policy and official language rules. While the employees should be encouraged to attempt questions on official language policy and official language rules, the questions on official language should not be compulsory.

(iv) The question Paper setter must Invariably provide, in sealed cover, to the Dy.CPO (G)/Dy.CAO (G) the following:
a) important points in respect of narrative type questions.

b) answer key for objective type questions:

Each page of (a) & (b) above should be signed by the Paper Setter.
2. INSTRUCTIONS FOR EVALUATORS:

(i) Evaluating the answer sheets without the secret numbers is not allowed.

(ii) Evaluating the answer sheets with the fly leaves is not allowed.

(iii) Evaluation of answer-sheets where the candidate has written his name on the answer sheet or where he has made some distinguishing mark on the answer sheet is not allowed. Evaluation of answer sheets even where secret numbers are present but the candidate has written his name etc. in the other sheets of the· answer book, is also not allowed. In case the candidate has violated any of these instructions, his/her answer-sheets are not to be evaluated.

(iv) Proper and uniform evaluation of the answer sheets, especially for narrative type of answers should be ensured. In order to achieve this objective, the officer evaluating the answer sheets before starting the evaluation, should keep ready important points in respect of narrative type questions & answer key for objective type questions furnished by the Paper-setter and handed over to him by the Dy.CPO(G)/Dy.CAO(G) and then only evaluate the answer sheets with reference to these answers.

(v) In both the objective type and narrative type answers, there should normally not be any over-writing/erasing of the marks awarded. However, correction of marks awarded by the evaluator, if genuinely warranted, may be made by striking off the marks originally given and entering the fresh marks duly attesting the
correction.

(vi) If any candidate has answered questions in excess of the required number, the evaluating officer should ignore the answers given later as per sequence of attempting the same. However, if such questions stand evaluated, only the marks awarded against the requisite number of answers attempted first; ‘should be included in the tabulation on the top sheet of the answer book and the later of the answers book and later of the answers should be ignored.

(vii) After evaluation of answers, there should be no failure on the part of the evaluating officer to tabulate the marks awarded for each question on the top sheet of the answer book. This type of tabulation will ensure that only the required number of questions that have been answered are evaluated and the evaluation of same question twice (if answered by the candidate) is avoided. There has to be a careful effort on the part of the evaluating officer that erasing, cutting or over writing in totalling the marks granted to the candidates on the top sheet are avoided. However, if genuinely warranted, errors may be corrected by striking off the marks originally entered in the· table and entering the correct marks duly attesting the correction.

(viii) The evaluating officer is fully responsible for totalling of marks in the answer scripts and also ensuring the correctness of marks entered against each secret number. He will hand over the following to the Dy. CPO (G)/Dy. CAO(G) or in their absence to the officer nominated by the General Manager:
(a) The evaluated answer sheets in a sealed cover and the important points & Answer key, in a separate sealed cover.

(b) The statement of marks after plotting the marks against respective secret numbers in a separate third sealed cover.
3. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

(i) Para 204.5 of IREM Vol-I : No moderation of the marks is permissible. No rounding off is permissible in marks for individual Answers for the questions. However, total marks in decimal of 0.5 and more should be rounded off to next higher integer figure. Similarly, total marks in decimal of less than 0.5, should be rounded off to lower integer figure.

(ii) Para 208.1 of IREM Vol-I: The answer papers of the written examination as well as the mark sheets of viva-voce should be marked with indelible ink. Each answer book should carry a fly leaf, Tabulation Sheet for the Evaluator and Guidelines for the Candidates. Both fly leaf as well as the answer book should be stamped ahd signed by the Gazetted Officer in charge of conduct of the examination. The employees should write their names and designations on the fly leaf only. After the answer books are received from the employees, the fly leaf should be removed and allotted a secret number which should also be simultaneously recorded on the corresponding answer book by Dy. CPO/G or Dy CAO/G. The answer books should be sent to the examiner with secret numbers alone indicated on the answer books. The fly leaves removed from the answer. books should be carefully preserved in a sealed cover, it being sealed by Dy.CPO(G)/Dy.CAO(G). The sealed envelope should be kept in the personal custody of the Dy.CPO(G)/Dy.CAO(G). In case of their non-availability, any other JAG/SG officer may be nominated by the General Manager.

(iii) The work relating to Hindi translation of the question papers and evaluation of answer sheets of the written examinations held as part of LUCE/Selections for promotion to Group ‘B’ posts should be entrusted to competent and experienced officials duly ensuring complete confidentiality.

(iv) Any distinguishing mark on the answer script would make the answer script invalid.

(v) Any delay in evaluation by more than one month should be brought to the notice of the PHOD/HOD by CPO. Delays of more than two months should be brought to the personal notice of the General Manager by CPO.

(vi) The answer sheets should be-preserved in terms of instructions contained in Board’s letter no.E(GP)201012127 dated 23.08.2010 (Copy of RBE No.125/2010 enclosed as Annexure-1) and destroyed thereafter as per the extant instructions.

vii) A copy of the Fly-leaf, Tabulation-Sheet and instructions for the candidates, constituting Top sheet of the Answer-sheets to be used for examinations held as part of Group ‘B’ Selections is enclosed as Annexure-11.

It is desired that the Question Paper Setter and the Evaluating officer should invariably be informed of the latest instructions on the subject.

Please acknowledge receipt.

(LILY PANDEYA)

DIRECTOR, ESTT.(GC)

RAILWAY BOARD

Download Railway Board RBE No:142/2016 No. E(GP)2015/2/8 dated 23.08.2010 dated 28.11.2016