How Google Maps may solve one of the biggest problem faced by Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exam candidates – Times of India

Indian Railways will now be using Google’s navigation tools Google Maps to link the location of candidates appearing for its exams to test centres. In a first, Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) exams will provide candidates examination centres within a 300-km radius. The move is aimed to cut travel time.
For years, candidates appearing for the Railways exams have complained about test centres being far away from their homes. This not only means they travel long distances, but also spend on lodging and food.
“With this, we are linking the pin codes of each candidate to an exam centre within 300 km of their residences through Google Maps. Also, we are ensuring that the centres have easy access to different modes of transport like buses and trains. If this works, we will be able to solve one of the most frequent and perennial complaints of candidates,” a senior official told news agency PTI.
When does the process start
The process starts as soon as this month. It will be rolled out in the Level 6 and Level 4 computer-based tests to be held at the end of this month (July 30). Around 60,000 candidates are likely to appear for the test at approximately 90 centres for 7,026 posts.
“As of now, we have been able to accommodate around 99 per cent of candidates who have been provided centres within a 300-km range, while 100 per cent of female candidates have been accommodated within 400 km,” the official added.
Most of the candidates took to Twitter after the RRB released the exam city links for the last set of exams, raising concerns about far away centres allotted to them.
A Twitter user from Kolkata said she had been assigned a centre in Karnataka, while a candidate in Bengaluru complained about being allotted a centre in Ranchi, which is about 1,900 km away. Another candidate said her centre was 900 km from her hometown.
The officials said candidates would get centres within the range, but it could be in a neighbouring state with good connectivity.
However, in North-eastern states, the Railways is finding it difficult to accommodate candidates within the 300-km range as there are only a few test centres, they said.