Marked fall in aspirants for SSC’s CGL exam this year
Possible number of posts is believed to remain as low as 7,500 or so. This is believed to be the prime reason for the fall in the numbers of applicants
There has been a considerable fall to the tune of a million (10 lakh) in the number of aspirants for Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam—one of the biggest recruitments undertaken by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC)—this year as compared to last year.
Around 34.80 lakh candidates from across the country had applied for CGL-2022 but according to the information received under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, a copy of which is with HT, just around 24,74,030 applications have been received for CGL-2023.
The RTI was filed by an aspirant hailing from Bihar but preparing for the recruitment exams in Prayagraj. As per the information provided by SSC in its reply to RTI query, out of 24.74 lakh applications received for CGL-2023, a maximum of 9,47,864 are from OBC category.
Likewise, 5,83,421 candidates are from unreserved category, 5,34,968 from scheduled caste, 2,18,875 are from scheduled tribe while 1,88,902 candidates are from economically weaker section (EWS).
“Due to the number of posts in CGL last time being 36,012, there was enthusiasm among the candidates across the country. Its final results are expected to be declared soon. However, this time the possible number of posts is believed to remain as low as 7,500 or so and this is believed to be a prime reason for the fall in the numbers of applicants in 2023,” said Avanish Pandey, president Pratiyogi Chhatra Sabha, an organisation representing educated unemployed youths vying for government jobs.
“Among other reasons being attributed for this fall include the fact that multiple exams are being held simultaneously by other recruitment bodies of the country around the CGL exam as well as high traffic load on SSC servers during the last days of filing CGL-2023 applications that could also have prevented many from applying,” he added.
SSC CGL -2023 tier 1 exam is scheduled from July 14 to July 27, 2023. The online registration process for CGL-2023 started from April 3 and concluded on May 3.
Posts like tax assistant in Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), auditors in the Controller General of Defence Accounts, inspector (central excise) in Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, assistant section officers in ministry of external affairs, sub inspector, Central Bureau of Investigation, senior administrative assistant in military engineering services, ministry of defence and sub-inspector/junior intelligence officer in Narcotics Control Bureau (ministry of home affairs) among many others are filled through SSC’s CGL exam.
