SSC Exam Protest 2025: A wave of protests has erupted across the country following widespread mismanagement during the Staff Selection Commission’s (SSC) Selection Post Phase 13 examination. Held between July 24 and August 1 across 194 centres in 142 cities, the exam has drawn intense criticism from aspirants over technical failures, poor infrastructure, repeated question sets, and allegations of mismanagement.
Amid protests over mismanagement during the recent Selection Post Phase 13 exam, Chairman S Gopalakrishnan clarified on Monday that the Staff Selection Commission will not cancel the exam. However, a retest may be conducted for those candidates who were denied a fair opportunity.
What Went Wrong?
More than 5 lakh candidates appeared for the exam, but for many, it turned into a nightmare due to widespread issues. Across several states, students faced non-functioning computers and faulty peripherals, repeated question papers, poor centre management, and overcrowding. Many were assigned distant centres, some traveling over 400 km despite preferences. Basic materials like usable pens and proper rough sheets were often missing, and technical glitches caused delays and system failures.
Here’s what students are saying
“I don’t trust the SSC process anymore,” said Deepraj Amarya, an aspirant from Datia, Madhya Pradesh, whose centre was allotted in Kanpur, (July 31). “Centre preferences are ignored, systems don’t work. The exam environment is chaotic, with invigilators on phones and repeated question papers. Eduquity is a blacklisted company; we want TCS to conduct future exams fairly."
Eduquity firm has previously been criticised for exam mismanagement, including during the MP Patwari test has become a major point of contention. Students' questions on how a company with such a track record was allowed to conduct a national level exam.
“We sacrifice everything to prepare,” said Raja, another aspirant whose centre was allotted at the Pawan Ganga Educational Center in Delhi on July 25 but was later cancelled. “And this is what we get? Every year there's a new issue. When will the SSC finally take responsibility?”
Neha Khare, a student from Madhya Pradesh whose exam centre was allotted in Gwalior, said, "The constant protests and chaos have completely disrupted my focus. Every time I try to study, I get distracted by videos and updates about the SSC Phase 13 exam. How can I trust a process run by Eduquity, a company already known for exam mismanagement like in the MP Patwari test? Even in this exam, the computers weren’t working, pens were unusable, and there wasn’t even a place to keep our bags safely. It’s unacceptable that a banned organisation was allowed to conduct a national-level exam after failing at the state level. Students deserve better."
Prince Tripathi, a candidate from Madhya Pradesh who appeared for the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 exam on July 26 (evening shift), shared his experience. “My exam centre was allotted in Bhopal, nearly 24 km from the station. From the very beginning, things were mismanaged, and we were told to keep our bags in an unsecured room with no responsibility taken by the staff. At my system, my photo wasn’t visible, the display was poor, and the mouse barely worked even after being replaced. The rough sheet was smaller than A4 size, and the pen provided was of such bad quality it stopped working mid-exam. The system lag was unbearable, with mouse cursor delays and sudden jumps across questions, wasting precious time."
After the exam, Tripathi said he discovered that the paper was the same as the previous day's shift, triggering student outrage and protests at the centre. Some questions were incomplete or lacked any logical coherence. He described chaos in the exam halls, inattentive invigilators, and multiple system failures, including machines shutting down mid-exam. Having prepared for SSC for three years, he expressed deep frustration, saying that allotting a blacklisted company the exam contract for cost-saving reasons was risking the future of lakhs of aspirants.
Another candidate, Rakesh from Dumka, Jharkhand, who appeared for all levels of the SSC Phase-13 exam in Suri, West Bengal, echoed similar concerns. “On the first day (July 25), he observed no proper security checks, absence of jammers, and poor invigilation, which could easily allow cheating. He noted that candidates were allowed to use the washroom before the exam, violating standard protocol. The pen quality was poor, and there were sudden power cuts on both exam days (July 25 and July 31).”
He further added, “on the second day (July 31), while some security issues were addressed and jammers were finally installed, a technical glitch caused his screen to go black before the exam, showing only his photo, requiring a system restart. He worries such issues during the exam could ruin a candidate’s entire attempt.”
In support to students and against misconduct in the National level exam, teachers too have joined the call for reform. Rakesh Yadav, an educator, argued that the students' demands are not only reasonable but urgent. "The demands are completely genuine. We are simply saying—announce as many vacancies as you want, charge ₹1000 instead of ₹100 from students if needed, but not a single paper should be leaked, and no student should be physically harmed. Students are being beaten up, and at exam centres, they are struggling for basic things like a working mouse, keyboard, or pen. There shouldn't be a fight for such basic necessities. Increase the fees if needed, but conduct the exams on time and in a proper, fair manner."
SSC’s Response and Retest Plan
In response to the protests, SSC conducted a retest on August 2 for 16,600 students. However, attendance was only 48%. Two centres—Pawan Ganga (Delhi) and Educasa (Uttar Pradesh)—saw complete cancellations due to severe malfunctions. The SSC has assured further retests if necessary and is currently analysing logs, CCTV footage, and server data to identify affected candidates.
Chairman Gopalakrishnan admitted to “teething problems” with Eduquity, the new vendor, and said penalties would be imposed. However, he dismissed calls to cancel the vendor’s contract, saying that selecting a new one would take months.
The SSC has expressed optimism about the smooth conduct of the upcoming sessions. The SSC Stenographer Grade 'C' and 'D' Examination 2025 (Computer-Based Exam) is scheduled to be held on August 6, 7, and 8, 2025. Approximately 3.5 lakh candidates are expected to appear during this phase. "In this exam, we have seen what issues can arise. The upcoming exams on August 6-8 will be much less disruptive," he said, as reported by news agecny ANI.
