Printing error forces rescheduling of two Manipur Civil Services Mains papers

Guwahati: In an unexpected turn during the Manipur Civil Services Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination 2022, officials halted proceedings after invigilators detected a printing mismatch in one of the question papers.

The Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) has now rescheduled two papers, General Studies Paper-III and Paper-IV, for November 22, 2025 (Saturday).

The confusion erupted moments before the test began on November 9, when invigilators unsealed the envelopes and noticed that the paper’s heading did not correspond to its actual content. The discovery prompted immediate action from the Commission to suspend the papers and announce new dates.

According to an official clarification, the secured press responsible for printing the question papers made the error, which went unnoticed due to the Commission’s strict confidentiality protocols.

Since officials are barred from accessing or previewing the papers before the examination, the mistake surfaced only inside the examination hall.

“The MPSC prioritises absolute secrecy in handling question papers, even at the cost of not detecting printing issues beforehand,” the clarification noted. Controller of Examination Kh. Lalmani Singh signed the official notice, expressing regret for the inconvenience faced by candidates.

The Commission has also warned the printing agency against future lapses and assured that the rescheduled papers will be freshly printed, verified, and distributed under reinforced security measures. With the revised schedule, candidates will now sit for the postponed exams nearly two weeks later than planned.