Local Exam Scandal: Over 75% Irregularities Found
A review of local government employee recruitment exams found irregularities affecting 35.84% of nearly 15,000 candidates, with Southern Thailand test centers showing the worst problems—Songkhla recorded 75.96% irregularities.
The Department of Local Administration (DLA) announced on July 10 the completion of a comprehensive review of test scores from the local government employee recruitment and appointment process. Of 14,988 candidates who reported for appointment (out of 15,520 total called, with 532 no-shows), the investigation found that 9,217 passed with normal scores, representing 61.50%. However, 5,372 candidates—or 35.84%—showed irregularities, with an additional 399 (2.66%) pending further review.
The investigation identified three main categories of problems: general system irregularities affecting 3,044 candidates (20.31%); discrepancies between actual answer sheets and database records involving 1,522 candidates (10.15%); and 806 candidates (5.38%) who scored below 60% in Section C or below 10 points in English.
When broken down by test center, the Northern Region 1 center in Chiang Mai showed the highest transparency with 79.15% normal scores. In stark contrast, the Southern Region 2 center in Songkhla recorded alarming irregularities at 75.96% (477 out of 628 candidates), followed by Southern Region 1 in Nakhon Si Thammarat at 74.09%. The Nakhon Si Thammarat center also reported the highest number of candidates nationally failing to meet minimum English and Section C standards, with 691 such cases.
The DLA has committed to conducting fair and transparent document and answer sheet verification to protect public interest and maintain confidence in the local government system.
