Physical Efficiency Test After a Knee Injury
A Constable (GD) candidate, aged 22, has cleared the written examination and computer-based test and now faces the Physical Standard Test and Physical Efficiency Test. His height is 170 cm and chest 80 cm unexpanded, 85 cm expanded - both within the prescribed minima for his category. Six months ago he sustained a ligament injury to the right knee, surgically treated, and his surgeon has cleared him for running but advised against deep squats and long jumps for another three months. The PET requires a race, a long jump and a high jump within fixed timings and distances. He is unsure whether to appear, seek postponement, or disclose the injury.
1. Evaluate his physical standard measurements and advise on the correct course regarding the injury.
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Standards: His measurements clear the usual minima - 170 cm height and 80/85 cm chest meet the general category thresholds, so the PST is not a problem. The PET is the issue.
Injury: The PET events are conducted on a single scheduled day and are not individually waivable. There is generally no provision to postpone the PET for medical reasons once shortlisted; a candidate who does not appear is treated as absent. Partial participation is not an option either - all events must be completed within the prescribed limits.
Advice: He should not conceal the injury. Concealment risks collapse mid-event and, worse, a finding of misrepresentation. The realistic options are: (a) obtain a fresh orthopaedic opinion on whether he can complete the long jump and high jump safely within three months, and if cleared, train specifically for those two events; (b) if not cleared, accept that this cycle is likely lost and prepare for the next notification. He should also check whether the notification provides any relaxation in PET standards for his category, since some categories receive relaxed timings.
2. Suppose he decides to appear but underperforms in the long jump because of pain. What should he do on the spot, and what is the likely outcome?
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On the spot he should:
- Report the pain to the conducting officer before the attempt, not after a failed one, and request that the medical officer present examine him.
- Complete the attempt if medically permitted. A recorded attempt, even a short one, is a result; abandoning the event without a recorded attempt is treated as failure to qualify.
- Ask for the measurement and outcome to be recorded in his presence and note the names of the conducting and medical officers.
Likely outcome: PET results are ordinarily treated as final for that cycle. A shortfall in one event means he does not qualify, and there is usually no re-test on medical grounds. If he believes he was wrongly denied a fair attempt - for example, the medical officer directed him to stop - he may represent in writing to the recruiting authority citing the officer's direction, but the burden is on him to establish it. Realistically, he should plan for the next cycle and train the jump events once his surgeon clears them.