More than 374,000 sit for 47th BCS preliminary exams

More than 374,000 candidates have sat for the 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) preliminary examination.

The test was organised simultaneously at 262 educational institutions across eight divisional cities from 10am to 12pm on Friday.

Police have arrested a candidate who attempted to enter the Eden Mohila College centre with an electronic device, according to Public Service Commission Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder.

“A boy tried to enter the Eden College centre with an electronic device,” Tarafder told bdnews24.com.

“He was caught during the check at the entrance of the centre. He could not enter the centre. The police arrested him from outside the gate.”

He added, “Aside from that, the exams have been held smoothly across the country. We have not received any unpleasant news until now. Our officials have visited several centres. I myself have also visited two centres. The exams went well.”

Lalbagh Police Station chief Mustafa Kamal Khan confirmed to bdnews24.com at 12:30pm that a person had been detained for attempting to bring electronic devices into the Eden College centre.

However, no case has been filed over the incident.

The Public Service Commission issued the 47th BCS notification on Nov 28 to appoint people to 3,487 cadre posts and 201 non-cadre posts.

Although the online application process was scheduled to begin at 10am on Dec 10, the PSC postponed it on Dec 9.

A revised notification was later published on Dec 26.

In the revised notification, the application fee and the marks allotted for the oral exam were reduced.

The viva marks were lowered from 200 to 100, bringing the total marks down from 1,100 to 1,000.

For the first time, the age limit for applicants has been set at 32 years.

Applications opened on Dec 29 and closed on Feb 27.

The preliminary exam was initially scheduled for Aug 8, but it was postponed. It was eventually held 43 days later.