Gurgaon: Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) has declared the result of the subject knowledge test for assistant professor (mathematics), with less than 11% of candidates qualifying. Only 17 candidates cleared the exam against 163 advertised posts, leaving 146 vacancies unfilled and underscoring the persistent faculty shortage in the state’s higher education institutions.The exam, conducted on Dec 7 last year, required candidates to secure a minimum of 35% marks to move to the next stage, which includes document verification and interview. The commission follows a three-stage selection process comprising a screening test, subject knowledge test and interview.HPSC released a provisional list of 17 roll numbers, stating that the result is “subject to eligibility verification” and the outcome of pending cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.The trend mirrors an earlier recruitment cycle for assistant professor (English), where less than 10% qualified, raising concerns over stringent selection criteria, exam difficulty and a shrinking pool of eligible candidates.Candidates have raised concerns about the examination process. “In the screening test, two hours is not enough, especially when each question has multiple subparts and candidates must also fill an OMR sheet,” said Sumit, a research scholar at IIT Guwahati, adding that scoring above 25 marks under such conditions was disproportionately difficult.He also flagged the deletion of questions carrying 13 marks in an exam where the cutoff was around 26, calling it “a significant concern” given the narrow margin between qualifying and non-qualifying scores.Anjali, another research scholar at IIT Guwahati who appeared for the second round, said the subject knowledge test was more difficult than previous HPSC exams. “Several questions were directly taken from Berkeley Problems in Mathematics, which is based on PhD prelims-level problems and is highly advanced,” she said.She added that such exams are usually conducted over longer durations with multiple attempts and choices. “Here, we had a single three-hour attempt with 15 questions, many of them extremely difficult and with little choice. There is a clear mismatch between the level of questions and the exam structure,” she said, arguing that the 35% qualifying criterion appeared “extremely harsh”.Vijay, a postdoctoral fellow in Brasov, Romania, also questioned the process. “Candidates are not opposing high standards, but an exam design that seems to prioritise elimination over meaningful evaluation of teaching competence and subject understanding,” he said. All three candidates did not qualify for the interview.Candidates have suggested forming a committee of independent subject experts to review the paper design and time allocation, and to assess how many questions a well-prepared candidate can reasonably solve within the given time.Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda termed the trend worrying. “Haryana’s youth are excelling in national-level exams like UPSC, but struggling in state recruitment tests. In many cases, over 50% of posts remain vacant,” he said, adding that the pattern raises concerns about opportunities for local candidates.Officials said the final outcome will depend on pending cases before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. HPSC stated that “due care has been taken” in preparing the result and any inadvertent errors may be rectified.The recruitment drive is part of efforts to fill teaching positions in government colleges, but delays, litigation and stringent criteria have led to a persistent faculty crunch, with many institutions relying on guest faculty or ad hoc arrangements.
