BPSC Exam Pattern: Prelims, Mains, Interview| BPSC Exam Syllabus

BPSC Exam Pattern & BPSC Exam Syllabus

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The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) conducts the BPSC Civil Services Exam to recruit officers for various administrative positions in the Bihar government. The recruitment process includes 3 stages -

Preliminary examination
Mains examination
Interview

Stage I: BPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

BPSC Prelims is the first stage of the BPSC exam and serves as a screening test.
It consists of an objective-type paper of 150 marks.

BPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2024

Number of Questions	150
Total marks	150
Duration	2 hours
Subjects covered	General Studies ( Indian Polity, Economics, History, Geography, General Science, General Mental Ability, Current affairs)
Negative marking	Not applicable (No penalty for wrong answers)

BPSC Prelims Exam Syllabus

S.No	Subject	Topics
1.	General Science	General understanding of Science, including matters of everyday observation.
2.	History	Salient features of the History of India and Bihar Emphasis will be on understanding of political, social, and economic aspects of the subject of History. Indian National Movement and the contribution of Bihar to it. Under the Indian National Movement, questions will be asked on the nature and character of the nineteenth-century resurgence, growth of nationalism, and attainment of Independence
3.	Geography	Geography of India and geographical division of Bihar and its major river systems. Questions on the Geography of India and Bihar will be related to the physical, social, and economic Geography of the country including the important characteristics of Indian agricultural and natural resources.
4.	Polity and Economics	Indian Polity and Economy Major changes in the Economy of Bihar post-independence. Questions of Indian Polity and Economy will test knowledge of the country’s political system, panchayati raj, community development, and planning in India and Bihar.
5.	Current Affairs	Important national and international events.

Stage II: BPSC Mains Exam Pattern

Candidates who qualify the 1st stage (Preliminary examination) are eligible to sit for the Mains examination.
This stage consists of five papers.

S. No.	Papers	Total marks	Duration of exam	Subjects
1.	Hindi (Qualifying)	100	3 hours	General Hindi
2.	General Studies Paper 1	300	3 hours	Modern History of India and Indian Culture Current events of National and International Importance. Statistical Analysis, Diagrams, and Graphs
3.	General Studies Paper 2	300	3 hours	Indian Polity Indian Economy and Geography The Role of Science and Technology in the Development of India
4.	Essay	300	3 hours
5.	Optional Subject Paper (Qualifying)	100	3 hours	One optional subject is to be chosen from the list of the following subjects - English Language and Literature, Urdu Language and Literature, Hindi Language and Literature, Persian Language and Literature, Arabic Language and Literature, Pali Language and Literature, Maithili Language and Literature, Bangla Language and Literature, Sanskrit Language and Literature, Chemistry, Sociology, Physics, Agriculture, Statistics, Botany, Zoology, Philosophy, Political, Science and International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Labour and Social Welfare, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Civil Engineering, Economics, Commerce and Accountancy, Electrical Engineering, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Anthropology.

BPSC Mains Exam Syllabus

Paper 1: Hindi

This paper is qualifying in nature. Its marks are not considered for the final merit.
Candidates are required to score 30% marks to qualify for this paper.
The syllabus covers basic understanding and usage of the Hindi language, including:
- Essay writing (निबन्ध) - 30 marks
- Grammar (व्याकरण) (sentence correction, antonyms, synonyms) - 30 marks
- Usage of words (वक्य विन्यास) - 25 marks
- Summary writing (संक्षेपण ) - 15 marks

General Studies Paper - 1

Modern History of India and Indian Culture:
- Key events in the history of India during the 19th and 20th centuries Indian culture, and history of Bihar.
- Modern History of India would include questions related to Gandhi, Tagore, and Nehru. Questions related to the Santhal Uprising of 1857 in Bihar, the Birsa movement, the Champaran Satyagraha, and the Quit India Movement of 1942 will be asked.
- The modern history of Bihar will include questions on the introduction and expansion of Western education (including technical education).
- Examinees will be expected to have knowledge of the chief features of Mauryan and Pal art and Patna Kalam painting.
Current Events of National and International Importance: Contemporary issues, both national and international.
Statistical Analysis, Diagrams, and Graphs: This part will include exercises to test the candidate’s ability to draw common sense conclusions from information presented in statistical, graphical, or diagrammatic form and to point out deficiencies, limitations or inconsistencies therein.

General Studies Paper - 2

Indian Polity: The political system, public administration, Panchayati Raj, and community development In India and Bihar.
Indian Economy and Geography: Key features of the Indian economy, including planning and Bihar's economy. Questions will be asked from the physical, economic, and social geography of India and Bihar.
The Role of Science and Technology in the Development of India: Role of Science and Technology in the Progress of India and Bihar. Emphasis will be on applied aspects.

Paper 3 - Optional subject

There will be one objective-type paper on an Optional subject chosen, carrying 100 marks.
This paper will be qualifying in nature. The candidates are required to score minimum qualifying marks of 40% for general candidates, 36.5% for Backward classes, 34% for Extremely Backward classes, and 32% for SC/ST, Women and Disabled candidates.
The detailed syllabus of all the Optional subjects can be viewed in the BPSC Syllabus PDF (https://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in/Misc/Syllabus-CC-Exam-Updated.pdf)

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Stage III: BPSC Interview/Personality Test

The interview or Personality test is the final stage of the BPSC examination process.
This stage carries 120 marks.
Candidates' overall personality, communication skills, problem-solving abilities, and general awareness are evaluated.

Important Information / Key Points about BPSC Exam:

The prelims exam only acts as the gateway to the 2nd stage which is Mains examination. Marks of Prelims are not added to the final merit.
There is no penalty for wrong answers in the prelims. So, candidates can answer all questions without the risk of losing marks.
Marks from the Mains and Interview are used to prepare the final merit list.
Mains has two qualifying papers. Marks of these papers are not considered while preparing final merit. However, scoring required qualifying marks in these papers is necessary to get through the Mains stage of the selection process.

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