BPSC Exam Pattern 2026: Prelims, Mains and Interview
BPSC exam pattern at a glance
| Stage | Marks | Counted in merit? |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims: General Studies | 150 (2 hours) | No |
| Mains: General Hindi | 100 (3 hours) | No (30% needed) |
| Mains: GS Paper I | 300 (3 hours) | Yes |
| Mains: GS Paper II | 300 (3 hours) | Yes |
| Mains: Essay | 300 (3 hours) | Yes |
| Mains: Optional (CCE) | 100 objective (2 hours) | No (minimum marks needed) |
| Interview | 120 | Yes |
| Final merit | 1,020 | — |
The BPSC Integrated Combined Competitive Examination has three stages. The Prelims screens candidates, the Mains decides most of the rank through three 300-mark papers, and the interview adds 120 marks. The rules below are from the 72nd CCE advertisement of 5 May 2026 and BPSC’s notice of 1 May 2026.
Prelims exam pattern
| Feature | Rule |
|---|---|
| Paper | One General Studies paper, objective multiple-choice |
| Marks and time | 150 marks, 2 hours |
| Language | Question paper in Hindi and English |
| Options | Five options per question: A, B, C, D and E |
| Option E | Means ‘not attempted’; must be marked if the candidate does not want to answer |
| Wrong answer | 1/3 mark deducted |
| No option marked | 1/3 mark deducted (same as a wrong answer) |
| Calculator | Not allowed |
| Qualifying marks | General 40%, Backward Class 36.5%, Extremely Backward Class 34%, SC/ST, women and persons with disabilities 32% |
| Candidates for Mains | About 10 times the number of vacancies |
| Marks in merit | Not counted; no re-totalling or disclosure of Prelims marks |
How option E changes the score
Under the five-option system, a question can be answered (A–D), deliberately skipped (E) or left blank. A blank question now costs the same as a wrong answer. The examples below assume one mark per question.
| Candidate | Correct | Wrong | Marked E | Left blank | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 100 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 100 − 10 = 90 |
| B | 100 | 30 | 0 | 20 | 100 − 10 − 6.67 = 83.33 |
| C | 110 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 110 − 13.33 = 96.67 |
The practical rule: never leave a row blank. Mark E for every question you choose to skip.
Mains exam pattern
| Paper | Marks | Time | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Hindi | 100 | 3 hours | Qualifying: 30% needed, not counted in merit |
| General Studies Paper I | 300 | 3 hours | Merit |
| General Studies Paper II | 300 | 3 hours | Merit |
| Essay | 300 | 3 hours | Merit |
| Optional subject (CCE posts) | 100 (100 objective questions) | 2 hours | Qualifying: minimum marks needed, not counted in merit |
- Answers may be written in Hindi (Devanagari), English or Urdu script; only one of these may be used.
- Mains qualifying marks follow the same category percentages as the Prelims (40%, 36.5%, 34% and 32%).
- For Child Development Project Officer, Financial Administrative Officer and Sub-Divisional Protection Officer posts, the optional is a 300-mark descriptive paper that counts for merit.
- Successful Prelims candidates fill a separate online Mains application and fee, and must choose service/post preferences at that stage.
Interview (personality test)
- The interview carries 120 marks.
- About 2.5 times the number of vacancies are called, category-wise, on the basis of Mains marks; all candidates at the same cut-off mark are called.
- Attendance is compulsory; candidates who do not appear are left out of the final merit list.
- A medical examination by the Commission’s medical board follows the interview.
Final merit and tie-break
For CCE posts the merit list is prepared on 1,020 marks: GS Paper I (300) + GS Paper II (300) + Essay (300) + Interview (120). When totals are equal, the candidate with higher Mains marks ranks higher; if those are also equal, the older candidate ranks higher, and then names are ordered alphabetically in Devanagari.
Stage-wise numbers from recent cycles
| Cycle | Appeared in Prelims | Qualified for Mains | Called for interview | Selected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70th CCE | — | — | 5,401 | 2,009 (against 2,017 vacancies) |
| 71st CCE | 3,16,905 | 13,368 | Awaited | — |
Topics for each paper are on the BPSC syllabus page, and eligibility, posts and age limits are on the BPSC CCE complete guide.
हिंदी में मुख्य बातें
- प्रारंभिक परीक्षा: सामान्य अध्ययन, 150 अंक, 2 घंटे; केवल क्वालिफाइंग। गलत उत्तर पर 1/3 अंक की कटौती।
- हर प्रश्न में पाँच विकल्प (A–E)। E = ‘प्रयास नहीं किया’। कोई भी विकल्प न भरने पर भी 1/3 अंक कटेगा, इसलिए छोड़े गए प्रश्न में E भरें।
- न्यूनतम अर्हतांक: सामान्य 40%, पिछड़ा वर्ग 36.5%, अत्यंत पिछड़ा वर्ग 34%, अनुसूचित जाति/जनजाति, महिला एवं दिव्यांग 32%।
- मुख्य परीक्षा: सामान्य हिंदी 100 (30% आवश्यक), सामान्य अध्ययन I 300, II 300, निबंध 300, वैकल्पिक 100 (वस्तुनिष्ठ, क्वालिफाइंग)।
- साक्षात्कार 120 अंक; अंतिम मेधा 1,020 अंकों पर बनती है।
Practise timed General Studies sets with negative marking in the GSMitra MCQ Test Builder.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BPSC Prelims exam pattern?
One General Studies objective paper of 150 marks and 2 hours, in Hindi and English. Each question has five options (A–E), where E means not attempted. A wrong answer, or a question with no option marked, costs one-third of a mark.
Is there negative marking in BPSC?
Yes. In the Prelims, one-third of a mark is deducted for each wrong answer and for each question where none of the five options is marked.
What is option E in BPSC?
Option E means ‘not attempted’. BPSC introduced it by a notice of 1 May 2026 for its MCQ-based exams. Candidates who do not want to answer a question must mark E; leaving all five options blank attracts the one-third penalty.
How many marks is the BPSC Mains?
Merit papers total 900: GS Paper I (300), GS Paper II (300) and Essay (300). General Hindi (100) and the CCE optional (100, objective) are qualifying.
How many marks is the BPSC interview?
120 marks. The final merit is prepared on 1,020 marks (900 Mains + 120 interview).
What are the qualifying marks in BPSC Prelims?
40% for General, 36.5% for Backward Class, 34% for Extremely Backward Class, and 32% for SC/ST, women and persons with disabilities.
Sources: BPSC Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination advertisement (5 May 2026), corrigenda of 6 May 2026 and 3 September 2026, and notice on option E (1 May 2026); BPSC CCE syllabus document (Bihar Gazette, 23 August 2017); 70th CCE final result (20 June 2026); 71st CCE Prelims result (18 November 2025), bpsc.bihar.gov.in. The Commission’s notices are the final authority.
Prepared by the GSMitra Editorial Team. Last updated 22 October 2026.