Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardAnalytical Decision Making and Criteria Selection

The following criteria must be satisfied for the appointment of a Senior Disaster Management Officer in the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) as of July 1, 2026:

1. The candidate must hold a Master's degree in Disaster Management, Environmental Science, or Civil Engineering with at least 60% aggregate marks.
2. The candidate must be between 30 and 45 years of age as of July 1, 2026.
3. The candidate must possess at least 5 years of post-qualification field experience in crisis response management.
4. The candidate must have published at least 2 research papers in indexed journals or completed a certified international training module in flood control.

However, the following exception clauses apply:
(i) If a candidate satisfies all criteria except (1) above, but holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with at least 70% aggregate marks and has more than 8 years of field experience, the case is to be referred to the Vice-Chairman of SDMA.
(ii) If a candidate satisfies all criteria except (4) above, but has served in the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for a minimum of 3 years, the case is to be referred to the Director-General of SDMA.

Candidate Profile:
Deepa Nair was born on October 12, 1992. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with 74% aggregate marks and has accumulated 9 years of field experience in crisis response management. She has published 3 research papers in indexed journals.

Based on the criteria and information provided above, what administrative decision should be taken regarding Deepa Nair's application?

  1. The case should be referred to the Vice-Chairman of SDMA.Answer
  2. B
    The candidate should be selected directly for the post of Senior Disaster Management Officer.
  3. C
    The case should be referred to the Director-General of SDMA.
  4. D
    The candidate should be rejected because she lacks a Master's degree.

Answer

The case should be referred to the Vice-Chairman of SDMA.
The applicant satisfies criterion 2 (age 33 falls between 30 and 45), criterion 3 (9 years field experience exceeds the 5-year requirement), and criterion 4 (3 research papers exceeds the minimum requirement of 2). She fails primary criterion 1 because she lacks a Master's degree. However, she meets all conditions of exception clause (i): holding a B.Tech in Civil Engineering with 74% marks (which is ≥70%\ge 70\%) and having 9 years of field experience (which is >8> 8 years). Therefore, her case must be referred to the Vice-Chairman of SDMA.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate primary criteria against candidate attributes
Age as of July 1, 2026 is 33 years (passes criterion 2: 30-45 years). Experience is 9 years (passes criterion 3: min 5 years). Research papers published is 3 (passes criterion 4: min 2 papers). Educational qualification is B.Tech with 74% (fails primary criterion 1 which requires a Master's degree).
Systematic verification identifies which primary conditions are satisfied and which single condition fails.
2
Cross-check applicable exception clauses for the failed criterion
Exception clause (i) addresses failure of criterion (1). It requires a B.Tech in Civil Engineering with ≥70%\ge 70\% (candidate has 74%) and >8> 8 years field experience (candidate has 9 years). Both conditions are met.
Candidates missing primary educational qualifications may qualify for administrative referral if specific exception thresholds are satisfied.
3
Determine the mandated administrative action
Under exception clause (i), the candidate's case must be referred to the Vice-Chairman of SDMA.
Following procedural protocol strictly dictates referral to the designated authority.

Key Concept

Criteria Verification with Exception Overrides
Rate this question

Topics

Analytical Decision Making and Criteria Selection

More questions from this topic