Will This Year’s SSC CGL Recruitment Process Be More Transparent?

The SSC CGL 2024 recruitment process has been surrounded by controversies, raising serious concerns about fairness and transparency. Many aspirants are now wondering whether the SSC CGL 2025 process will be conducted more transparently or if similar issues will arise again.

Why This Question?

Candidates are questioning the transparency of SSC CGL 2025 due to multiple issues in the SSC CGL 2024 recruitment process. The problems started right from the preliminary exam and continued throughout the mains and final result declaration.

• One of the biggest concerns was the unexpected increase in cutoff scores despite the number of vacancies being more than double compared to the previous year.
• In SSC CGL 2023, the total vacancies were 8,415, and the Tier 1 cutoff was 150 for the unreserved category.
• In SSC CGL 2024, the vacancies increased to 18,236, but the cutoff increased to 152.97, which is almost the same as 2023 despite the huge rise in vacancies.

This raised suspicions about how the cutoff could remain high despite the number of available posts being significantly greater.

Major Issues in SSC CGL 2024

1. Candidates Above Age Limit Selected in List 3

A major irregularity was noticed in List 3, which includes posts other than Junior Statistical Officer (JSO) and Statistical Investigator Grade-II.

• All the posts under List 3 have an upper age limit of 30 years.
• However, candidates above 30 years of age were included in the list, despite being ineligible for any of the posts under this category.
• This increased the cutoff for List 3, making it unfair for eligible candidates.

2. Mains Result Declared Without Final Answer Key and Scorecard

• When SSC CGL 2024 Mains results were announced, the final answer key and scorecard were not released immediately.
• This created doubts among aspirants about how normalization was done.
• When the final answer key was released later, huge discrepancies were found in the normalization process.

3. Uneven Normalization in Mains Exam

Normalization, which is meant to balance the difficulty levels across different shifts, was a major point of concern in SSC CGL 2024.

• Some candidates received an increase of 60+ marks after normalization.
• On the other hand, some candidates who had raw marks higher than the cutoff were not allotted any post, possibly due to a decrease in their marks after normalization.
• This led to massive protests, with aspirants trending #SSC_CGL_Final_Answer_Key_Release_Karo on Twitter (X).

4. Final Answer Key Blunder – 19 Question Bonus Marks

When the final answer key was finally released, it was found that a huge mistake had been made.

• A total of 19 Question bonus marks were given to candidates.
• Candidates who appeared for the exam on 20th January 2025 received 9 Question bonus marks.
• Candidates who appeared on 18th January 2025 received 10 Question bonus marks.
• These extra marks heavily affected the normalization process, resulting in an extremely high final cutoff.

5. Extremely High Cutoff for Various Posts

Due to the flawed normalization and bonus marks, the cutoff for many posts skyrocketed:

• Postal Assistant – 335/390
• ASO in MEA – 362/390
• This made it almost impossible for many genuine candidates to secure a position despite performing well in the exam.

Will SSC CGL 2025 Be Transparent?

With all these issues in mind, aspirants are now uncertain whether they should invest time in preparing for SSC CGL 2025. The key question remains: Will SSC ensure transparency this time?

To restore faith in the selection process, SSC must take the following steps in 2025:

1. Release the Normalization Formula in Advance

• SSC should clearly define the normalization formula before the exam to avoid confusion.
• Shift-wise raw marks and normalized marks should be published for transparency.

2. Last-Minute Answer Key Changes Should be Minimized

• Any modifications in the final answer key should be justified.
• Candidates should have a chance to challenge the final answer key before normalization.

3. Fair & Consistent Normalization

• The normalization process should be reviewed to ensure fairness across shifts.
• SSC should avoid extreme fluctuations in marks due to normalization.

4. No Selection of Ineligible Candidates

• SSC must strictly follow the age criteria and ensure only eligible candidates are included in merit lists.
• Candidates above 30 years should not be included in List 3 if they are not eligible for any posts in that list.

5. Immediate Release of Final Answer Key and Scorecard

• SSC should release the final answer key and scorecard along with the results to maintain transparency.
• Delays in publishing these details create unnecessary doubts among candidates.

The SSC CGL 2024 recruitment process raised serious concerns about transparency, with issues like high cutoffs despite increased vacancies, flawed normalization, bonus marks, and selection of ineligible candidates. These irregularities have left aspirants questioning whether SSC CGL 2025 will be conducted fairly.

If SSC wants to regain the trust of candidates, it must implement stricter transparency measures, ensure fair normalization, and avoid major blunders like those seen in 2024. Otherwise, aspirants will continue to have doubts about the credibility of this highly competitive exam.