PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 10 -- The upcoming Preliminary Examination for the combined state/upper subordinate services (PCS) and assistant conservator of forest (ACF)/range forest officer (RFO) services-2025, scheduled for October 12, will be conducted across 67 centres in Prayagraj district, with some centres located as far as 25 kilometres from the city. Due to a shortage of adequate venues within the city, schools in Jasra, Karachhana, Soraon and Sahson have been designated as exam centres. However, officials have ensured that all centres are located along major roads for ease of access. Over 28,000 candidates registered in Prayagraj will take the exam, which will be conducted in two shifts: from 9:30 am to 11:30 am and 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, said Harshdev Pandey, the controller of exams. Some of the remote examination centres include Shri Ishwardeen Chedilal Inter College, Jasra, located around 25 km from the city. Others include Madan Mohan Malaviya Inter College, Karchhana; Brijmangal Singh Inter College, Rampur Karcahhana; Keshav Shiksha Sadan Inter College, Saidabad; Pt. Hanumat Dutt Tripathi Inter College, Ismailganj in Soraon; Mewalal Ayodhya Prasad Smarak Inter College, Soraon; and Saraswati Devi Parmanand Sinha Inter College, Kaurihar. Notably, CBSE and CISCE-affiliated schools have not been selected as examination centres. Compared to last year's PCS 2024 preliminary exam held on December 22, where 51 centres were set up in the district, this year has seen an increase in the number of centres to 67 to accommodate the larger candidate pool, officials shared. To ensure the smooth conduct of the exam, 2,420 invigilators (1,210 internal and 1,210 external) have been selected to be deployed. Additionally, 67 external centre administrators will oversee arrangements. A training session for the first phase of invigilators was held on October 2 at MNNIT-Allahabad in Prayagraj, in preparation for the PCS (Pre) exam. The session was conducted under the supervision of ADM (City) Satyam Mishra, DIoS PN Singh, UPPSC representative Sunil Kumar Prajapati, and trainer Prabhakar Tripathi. Over 2,400 invigilators and reserve staff attended the training. Key instructions included: Candidates must deposit personal items like bags, books, and mobile phones in designated cloakrooms managed by centre administrators. No candidate will be allowed to enter the exam hall with covered faces or electronic devices. Invigilators must arrive at their assigned centres 2.5 hours before the start of the exam, and biometric verification, including iris scanning, will be conducted. A hologram sticker will be affixed on each candidate's admit card after successful verification. Invigilators have also been instructed not to carry mobile phones into the exam halls. Each exam room will receive a sealed packet containing 24 question booklets and answer sheets 15 minutes before the start of the exam. Invigilators must display the sealed packets to candidates 10 minutes prior to the start time, open them in front of the class, sign an opening certificate, and collect signatures from two candidates as proof of packet integrity. Candidates will not be allowed to leave the exam room during the last 30 minutes of the exam, even if they complete early....