BPSC Combined Competitive Examination — Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Free preparation for BPSC Combined Competitive Examination — the official exam pattern and topic-wise syllabus are below. Start preparing from home.
Exam Pattern
Three stages: Preliminary (screening) -> Mains (written descriptive) -> Interview/Personality Test.
STAGE 1 — PRELIMINARY (objective, screening only; marks NOT counted in final merit):
- Single paper: General Studies.
- 150 objective (MCQ) questions, 150 marks, duration 2 hours.
- Negative marking: 1/3 (0.33) mark deducted for each wrong answer. CONFIRMED — introduced in the 71st CCE (2025); older CCEs had no negative marking.
- NEW RULE (71st CCE onward, also carried into 72nd) — mandatory "Option E (Not Attempted)": each OMR row must be filled. If you don't know the answer you must darken Option E to register a non-attempt (E = zero marks, NO penalty). Leaving a question COMPLETELY blank (none of A/B/C/D/E marked) now attracts the same 1/3 negative mark. This materially changes strategy versus the draft.
- Prelims is only qualifying to sit the Mains.
STAGE 2 — MAINS (descriptive), current 71st-CCE pattern:
- General Hindi — 100 marks — QUALIFYING (min 30%; not added to merit).
- General Studies Paper I — 300 marks — counts in merit.
- General Studies Paper II — 300 marks — counts in merit.
- Essay Paper — 300 marks — counts in merit.
- Optional Subject (1 chosen from BPSC's list) — 100 marks — QUALIFYING only; it is OBJECTIVE/MCQ-based (approx 2 hours), not descriptive. (The other papers are descriptive, 3 hours each.)
- Mains merit total = GS-I 300 + GS-II 300 + Essay 300 = 900 marks.
STAGE 3 — INTERVIEW / Personality Test: 120 marks (counts in final merit).
FINAL MERIT = 900 (Mains merit papers) + 120 (Interview) = 1020 marks.
Caution: BPSC revises paper-wise structure between CCE cycles; always confirm against the specific CCE notification (e.g., 72nd CCE for the current cycle) on bpsc.bihar.gov.in.
Syllabus (topic-wise)
- PRELIMS — General Studies (single paper, 150 marks): General Science — everyday observation and experience of science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology basics)
- PRELIMS — Current events of national and international importance
- PRELIMS — History of India, with special reference to the freedom/national movement of India
- PRELIMS — History of Bihar and its role in the national movement, plus social and cultural developments
- PRELIMS — Geography of India and of Bihar (physical, social and economic geography)
- PRELIMS — Indian Polity and Governance — Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj
- PRELIMS — Indian and Bihar Economy — economic development, planning
- PRELIMS — General Mental Ability / reasoning
- MAINS — General Hindi (100 marks, QUALIFYING, min 30%): Essay, grammar, syntax, precis/summary writing, comprehension in Hindi
- MAINS — General Studies Paper I (300, merit): (i) Modern history of India and Indian culture; (ii) current events of national and international importance; (iii) statistical analysis, diagrams and graphs
- MAINS — General Studies Paper II (300, merit): (i) Indian Polity; (ii) Indian Economy and Geography of India; (iii) role and impact of science and technology in the development of India (with Bihar context)
- MAINS — Essay Paper (300, merit): descriptive essays (candidates write essays, typically one from each section, on social, political, economic, ethical and current themes)
- MAINS — Optional Subject (100, QUALIFYING, OBJECTIVE/MCQ type): one subject chosen from BPSC's official optional-subjects list (e.g. History, Political Science & International Relations, Geography, Public Administration, Sociology, Hindi, and various science/arts subjects)
Official source: https://bpsc.bihar.gov.in
⚠️ Always confirm against that year's official notification — the exam pattern and syllabus can change. This page is free guidance only.