The Rajya Sabha Secretariat conducts open competitive examination for filling up Research Assistant vacancies that may occur in the following posts from time to time:
The primary responsibility of a Research Assistant is to provide research assistance to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretary-General and the senior officers of the Secretariat on topics of interests to Parliament. He/she is inter-alia required to prepare research notes on the procedures & practices existing in Parliaments of various countries and on matters of interests to Parliament or connected therewith; prepare speeches; interventions, messages; articles, research notes etc.; answers to Questionnaires received from various bodies etc. and compile/collect information sought by various national and international bodies; preparation of `Sessional Review` to be published in the Journal of Parliamentary Information (JPI); and prepare papers & background notes on topical issues for use of Members of Rajya Sabha. In addition, he/she will also be required to perform such other duties and discharge responsibilities as may be assigned to him/her from time to time.
Exam Pattern of Research Assistant : The Examination Scheme for recruitment to the post of Research Assistant in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat consists of Three stages…
1. Preliminary Examination (Objective Type-Multiple choice answers) : The Preliminary Examination is a screening test for selection of candidates for the main examination and is of objective type. It consists of only one paper of 180 marks (Duration 3 hours) having three parts as indicated below:-
- Part A :
- Subject : General Intelligence
- No. of Question : 60 Questions
- Marks : 60 Mark
- Part B :
- Subject : General Awareness
- No. of Question : 60 Questions
- Marks : 60 Mark
- Part C :
- Subject : English Language
- No. of Question : 60 Questions
- Marks : 60 Mark
2. Main Examination (Descriptive Type) : The Main Examination is of descriptive type and consists of the following papers:
- Paper : Paper I
- Subject : English Language
- Marks : 80 Mark
- Duration : 2 hours
- Paper : Paper II
- Subject : Constitution of India
- Marks : 100 Mark
- Duration : 3 hours
- Paper : Paper III
- Subject : Drafting of Research/ Reference Note
- Marks : 100 Mark
- Duration : 2 hours
3. Interview (20 marks) : The interview is structured to evaluate the interests, knowledge, traits, aptitude, skills etc. of the candidates with a view to assess his/her overall personality and to judge his/her suitability for the post.
Syllabus for Research Assistant Exam : The syllabus of the Preliminary Examination (Objective type) and the Main Examination (Descriptive type) for recruitment to the post of Research Assistant in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat is as under…
Preliminary Examination :
- General Intelligence : Questions shall be both verbal and non-verbal types.Test may include questions on analogies, similarities, differences, space visualization, problem solving, analysis, judgment, decision making, visual memory, discrimination, observation, relationship, concepts, arithmetical reasoning, verbal and figure classification, arithmetical number series, coding & decoding, etc..
- General Awareness : Questions shall aim at testing the candidate’s awareness of current events and environment around him/her, besides testing the knowledge of Everyday Science, Scientific Research, Sports, Indian Culture, Indian History, Indian Geography, Economics, Indian Polity, Indian Constitution, etc.
- English Language : Questions in this component are designed to test the candidate’s understanding, correct usage and knowledge of English Language and will be based on error recognition, fill in the blanks (using Verbs, Prepositions, Articles, etc.), vocabulary, spellings, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, phrases and idioms, etc.
Main Examination :
Paper I :
- English Language : This paper will test the skills and abilities of the candidate in Essay Writing, Precis Writing, Comprehension, Drafting of letters/notices/other forms of communications in English.
Paper II :
- Constitution of India : This paper is designed to test the candidates knowledge of the Indian Constitution and its working, particularly in respect of its nature, salient features of the Indian Constitution; Preamble; Fundamental Rights; Directive Principles of State Policy; Fundamental Duties; Constitutional position and powers of President and Governor; Parliament-officers of Parliament, disqualification of Members, powers, privileges & immunities, legislative procedure; Supreme Court and High Courts-jurisdiction, powers, appointment and transfer of judges; Separation of Powers; Distribution of Legislative and Administrative Powers between Union and States; Elections; Emergency Provisions; Amendment of the Constitution; other related issues; and the Tenth Schedule.
Paper III :
- Drafting of Research/Reference Note : This paper is designed to test the ability of the candidate to prepare a research/reference note in a lucid and analytical manner on a constitutional, national or international issue by extracting relevant information from the material (like newspaper clippings, articles, etc.) made available to the candidates.
