As many as 744 former members of the Tamil Nadu Special Police Youth Brigade (TNSPYB) attended the written test here on Sunday in an attempt to get promoted as constables.

The members, who have for long been demanding the government to absorb them as constables, were finally given a chance to enter the police service after clearing the preliminary tests, including written and physical tests. The decision follows the letter from the Director General of Police in February, to the state government proposing that 8500 candidates be recruited to the police services after they completed training.

The proposal was accepted by the state government on August 2015, and the Rule 6 of the TNSPYB charter was also amended. As per the new TNSPYB rules, the members will be absorbed into the police force as constables based on their performance in the exam.

Around 747 candidates, including 283 from Coimbatore, 179 from Tirupur, 144 from Erode, and 141 from Nilgris were invited to appear for the written tests held at the CODISSIA hall on Sunday. One of the candidates turned up late and two were absent.

According to a police official, the tests are for 100 marks, out of which 60 marks were for their knowledge on current affairs, and the remaining 40 for their policing knowledge.

“We will filter the candidates based on their performance in the written tests and select them for the physical examinations. 35 is the minimum qualifying score,” he informed.