New Delhi: Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will be holding the Combined Graduation Level Examination, 2010, that will mark the commencement of examination reforms in the Commission.

For the first time, SSC will be introducing on-line application along with this examination with the facility of paying the application fee through State Bank of India, either by Challan or on-line.

The salient features of the Combined Graduate Level Examination, 2010 are:

i. The examination will substitute five earlier examinations- Combined Graduate Level Examination, Tax Assistant Examination, Sub Inspectors in Central Police Organizations Examination, Statistical Investigator Gr II Examination, and Compilers in RGI Examination.

ii. The written examination will be conducted in two tiers; the first tier utilized for short listing candidates for the second tier and will also have weightage in the final selection.

iii. Each candidate applying for multiple posts will need to submit only a single application with one time payment of examination fee, relieving the candidates of the burden of submitting multiple applications with payment of fee with each application.

iv. Entire recruitment cycle is proposed to be completed in 11-12 months against almost two years at present for Combined Graduate Level Examination.

v. All papers will have only objective type multiple choice questions, amenable to machine scanning and quicker and more objective evaluation.

vi. Interview/Personality Test is prescribed only for posts for which interaction with the general public will be necessary immediately after entry into service.

vii. All India selection will be made for all the posts as at present.

The restructured Combined Graduate Level Examination is expected to benefit the government, candidates and user ministries/ departments by way of faster completion of recruitment cycle, quicker selection and early placement.

In order to equip itself for the restructured examination, SSC has conducted three question bank projects at Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai during 2009-10 so far with the last in the series scheduled at Kolkata in February, 2010.

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2nd ARC) has made extensive recommendations in its report on SSC's selection process in order to enable it to complete the recruitment cycle within reasonable time.

Its major recommendation was to have a single short listing examination for posts, for which graduation is the minimum educational qualification, in order to obviate the need for holding multiple examinations.

In order to cut down the delay in evaluation, to eliminate bias and to infuse further objectivity into the selection process extensive use of objective type testing was also recommended.

SSC constituted an expert group under the chairmanship of Director, Indian institute of Public Administration, with members drawn from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad (IIM-A), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, Mumbai, National Productivity Council, and private sector to consider the recommendations of the 2nd ARC and advise on various terms of reference relating to the entire gamut of selection processes adopted by SSC.

Based on the advice of the expert group, SSC has initiated proposals for restructuring all its examinations.

Government of India has accorded approval for SSC's proposal for revising the scope, format and structure of Combined Graduate Level Examination.

Proposals for restructuring of the Combined 10+2 Level Examination and Stenographers Examination have also been submitted by the SSC and are under active consideration of the government.