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special featureIBPS : Transformation of ServicesDr. Jaya Phadnis *AbstractIBPS has undergone the transformation in the past27 years by adopting latest State of the Art Technologyfrom time to time such as from manual scoring ofanswer sheet to mechanical scoring with the helpof Optical Mark Reader, from receiving & processingmanual (offline) applications to online applications,introducing online examinations enabling instantprocessing of results, using Assessment Centre Processfor senior positions rather than using only the traditionalwritten examinations, from testing a few lac candidatesto testing more than a crore candidates in a year andalso providing end to end solution rather than onlythe post examination activity of result processing inthe yester years. Today, IBPS can duly boast of itselfas the world's largest scientific service providingrecruitment Organization.BackgroundIBPS since its inception in 1984 and prior tothat as erstwhile PSS unit of NIBM for about 15 yearshas been involved in recruitment / selection / promotionexercises of Public Sector Banks, Private Banks andCentral Financial Institutions. Gradually the servicesof IBPS were extended, on request, to variousDepartments of Central Government, MaharashtraState Government & Corporations and PrivateOrganizations for their recruitment and selectionprocesses. IBPS also provides services to AcademicInstitutes for admissions. The systems were evolvedon the basis of extensive and continuous researchstudies undertaken by IBPS faculty and were updatedand upgraded from time to time in tune with themodernization scenario taken place globally. IBPS hasnot only upgraded its technology and evolved thesystems of international level comparable with thoseadopted by Educational Testing Services (ETS)Princeton, USA, but also educated the technologyscaredIndian candidate population to effectively copeup with the techno-invasion.Thus, it has also duly observed its social obligation.It has its own technology and state of the art machineryto handle the voluminous jobs through out the year.All the activities are In-House under one roof includingwell equipped modern printing press & composingunits to handle the volume. It manages the stupendousjob of packing and dispatch of confidential test materialto various locations across the country with the helpof Airfreight and Courier agencies. It also managesthe scanning and scoring of answer sheets by latestmodel of Optical Mark Reader - INSIGHT-150 withcapacity of scanning 15000 answer sheets per hourfollowed by result processing as per the client'srequirements. It has also developed a program todetect cases of “Use of unfair means and copying”based on “Theory of Probability”.In order to guard against the threat of pilferage of testsbefore examination, IBPS has been adopting stringentsecurity measures such as CCTV cameras at all thelocations and biometric checks at sensitive locations likePhoto type setting unit and printing press. In addition,one has to go through the frisking process beforeentering the printing press. All these measures becameessential with increase in volume on the one hand andgrowing temptation among the competing candidates toresort to unfair means to beat the escalatingunemployment in the country on the other hand.* Professor & Associate Head Client Relations, IBPS.44July - September 2011The Journal of Indian Institute of Banking & Finance