Candidates who passed the preliminary stage of the 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination have launched a sit-in and hunger strike at Dhaka’s Central Shaheed Minar, demanding more preparation time before the written test. The protest began on Wednesday, November 19, with hundreds of participants carrying banners calling for a ‘reasonable schedule’ and denouncing what they describe as an unfairly short preparation period. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has scheduled the written exams to start on November 27 and continue until December 18, allowing only 40 days of preparation, compared to the usual three to six months in previous BCS sessions. Demonstrators argue that the vast syllabus cannot be covered adequately in such a short time. The written exams will take place across eight regional centers, including Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh, with some subject-specific tests held only in Dhaka.