Visually Impaired Candidates Allowed to Use Scribe for Writing Civil Services Exam

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recently notified that candidates suffering from ailments like blindness, locomotor disability and cerebral palsy can use scribes to write civil services preliminary and main examination. Such candidates will also get compensatory time of twenty minutes per hour for the exam.

As per the UPSC’s notification, visually impaired candidates and candidates with locomotor disability and cerebral palsy where dominant (writing) extremity is affected to the extent of slowing the performance of function (minimum of 40 per cent impairment) will be allowed to write the examination with the help of a scribe in both the civil services (preliminary) as well as in the civil services (main) examination.

Extra Time for IFS Exam:

Candidates appearing in Indian Forest Service (IFS) examination will get additional 60 minutes for each paper.

Low vision candidates (minimum 40 per cent impairment) will be allowed to write the examination with the help of a scribe.

Since there’s a possibility of common candidates for civil services examination and the Indian Forest Service examination, after the common screening test is done through civil services preliminary examination, separate lists will be prepared for the candidates eligible to appear in the Civil Service (Main) examination and Indian Forest Service (Main) examination, UPSC said.

Cerebral Palsy is a kind of neurological disorder that affects body movement whereas locomotive disability means poor functioning of joints and muscles.

The civil services examination is conducted by UPSC annually in three stages - Preliminary, Main and Interview. The exams are conducted to select candidates for the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).