Pune: A screening test for selection of students for pre-examination training for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s Group-B and Group-C exams was cancelled on Wednesday after candidates reported widespread computer failures at the centre. The exam was being conducted at Sun Bright English Medium School in Ambegaon.The examination was also cancelled at the Marathwada Online Exam Centre in Nanded following technical difficulties faced by the candidates.Students appearing for the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Research and Training Institute (Mahajyoti) screening test in Pune said several computers failed to start and the login systems remained unresponsive when the examination was scheduled to begin. According to candidates, only around 10 to 15 of the nearly 100 computers at the Pune centre were functioning.“Several computers were not switching on, and we were unable to start the examination. We were waiting for the systems to be made functional,” a student at the centre said.Another candidate said some students who managed to log in also faced problems during the test. “The system suddenly shut down or logged us out while the examination was in progress. We lost important examination time because of the technical problems,” the student said.Aspirants also alleged that the centre staffers were uncooperative when they sought assistance. “We went to the staff and asked them to start the computers, but there was no proper solution. Students were already under pressure because of the examination,” another student said.Aggrieved candidates have sought an audit of the system logs to establish the extent of the technical disruption and demanded either a fresh examination or compensatory time for those affected.Mahajyoti subsequently issued a joint circular dated Oct 7 announcing the cancellation of the examination at the two centres.“The screening examination being conducted on Oct 7, 2026, for selection of students for pre-examination training for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) Combined Group-B and Group-C examination at the following examination centres in Pune and Nanded is being cancelled,” the circular stated.It further stated that all students who had been allotted the two centres on Oct 7 would be given another opportunity to appear for the screening examination.“The screening examination of all students who were allotted the above-mentioned examination centres on Oct 7, 2026, will be conducted again,” said Milind Naringe, managing director, Mahajyoti.The notification mentioned that information regarding the fresh examination would be announced on the Mahajyoti website shortly and asked all students to take note of the decision.
