Odisha ASO, CGL, and Police SI exams scheduled on same date, lakhs of aspirants face tough time

Lakhs of job aspirants in Odisha are in shock as several key recruitment exams have been scheduled on the same date. The OPSC Assistant Section Officer (ASO) exam is set for September 21, but on the same day, the OSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Preliminary Group-B and Group-C exams are also scheduled.

Adding to the clash, the Odisha Police Recruitment Board has fixed the Combined Police Service Sub-Inspector exam for September 21 and 22. This overlap has left many candidates anxious, since most of them are preparing for more than one of these competitive exams.

Aspirants say this lack of coordination between recruitment bodies is causing confusion and unfairly forcing them to choose one exam over another. Discontent is growing across the state.

This is not the first time such clashes have happened. Earlier this year, the OAS Mains exam and Railway JE exam coincided, while in March, the Assistant Agriculture Officer and Odisha Police Group-B exams were fixed for the same day. In both cases, dates had to be changed after public outcry.

Former Chief Secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik has criticised the government, calling the repeated mismanagement “unfortunate” and warning that candidates are being deprived of fair opportunities.

Meanwhile, aspirants are also angry that the cancelled RI and Amin exams have not been rescheduled yet, despite OSSSC’s earlier promise to hold them within 15 days.

The recurring confusion over exam schedules has sparked widespread frustration, with aspirants demanding better coordination and accountability from the authorities.