BPSC Exam Pattern 2023 is notified by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) in its official notification. The Commission is expected to release the 69th BPSC notification soon, thus, candidates in large numbers will be applying for the exam. To clear the exam, you must ensure that you have full information about the latest BPSC paper pattern.
The BPSC exam pattern is divided into Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Bihar Public Service Commission had recently made slight changes in the BPSC Prelims exam pattern. There was an introduction of negative marking in the 68th BPSC Prelims paper which was conducted in February 2023. A clear understanding of the BPSC exam pattern will help you prepare for the exam in a more systematic manner.
BPSC Exam Pattern 2023 is segregated into Prelims and Mains. Later on, an interview is conducted for the candidates who clear the Mains exam. The BPSC Prelims exam is objective in nature, while Mains is descriptive in nature. As per the latest exam pattern, negative marking is introduced in the Prelims exam. Both Prelims and Mains are held in offline mode.
Candidates should have good knowledge about the Bihar PCS exam pattern to fare well. The Prelims exam carries 150 marks and is used to weed out candidates for the next stage and is qualifying in nature. In comparison, the BPSC Mains exam pattern consists of four papers that are descriptive in nature. Gathering information on the BPSC exam pattern and the marking scheme shall help in setting up a strategic approach for the candidates to attempt the exam.
To help you understand and get familiar with the Bihar PCS exam pattern, we have provided you with the latest exam pattern for both Prelims and Mains. Click on the link given below to download the BPSC exam pattern PDF for Prelims and Mains. The candidates who will be able to clear the first stage will be asked to appear in the second stage of the exam which is the Mains examination.
Download BPSC Exam Pattern PDF
To ensure success in the exam, candidates should download the BPSC exam pattern PDF and save it for future reference. You can refer to the PDF at any point in time while preparing for the BPSC exam. The exam pattern informs you of the marking scheme for each paper for the Prelims and Mains exam. This will, in turn, help you to plan a strategy for BPSC exam preparation.
To perform exceptionally well in an exam, it is imperative for the aspirants to have complete and correct knowledge of the exam details such as the BPSC exam pattern. It is impossible to perform and prepare well in the absence of the right information and details.
Here is an overview of the BPSC exam pattern for the Prelims and Mains exams. This shall give you detailed knowledge about the paper pattern with the marking scheme.
BPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims | |
| Name of Exam | Bihar Combined Preliminary Competitive Exam |
| Conducting Body | Bihar Public Service Commission ( BPSC ) |
| No of Papers | 1 (General Studies) |
| Total Marks | 150 Marks |
| Negative Marking | Yes |
| Duration | 2 hours |
| BPSC Syllabus | General Science Events of national and international importance History of Bihar and Indian History Geography(mainly Geography of Bihar) Indian Polity and Economy Changes in the economy of Bihar post-independence Indian National Movement and the Role of Bihar General Mental Ability. |
BPSC Exam Pattern for Mains | |
| Name of Exam | Combined Competitive Exam (Mains) |
| Conducting Body | Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) |
| No of Papers | Four Papers (4) General Hindi – Qualifying Paper (100 marks) Essay - (300 marks) General Studies 1 (300 marks) General Studies 2 (300 marks) Optional Subject (300 marks) |
| Duration | 3 hours for each paper |
Prelims is the first stage in the BPSC exam pattern and is objective and qualifying in nature. All the candidates who apply successfully for the same are expected to appear for the Prelims. BPSC Prelims exam pattern must be known to each candidate as it is important to clear the screening test.
Paper | Duration | No. of Questions | Total Marks |
General Studies | 2 hrs | 150 | 150 |
It must be known to the candidates that as per the BPSC exam pattern, Prelims exam will be qualifying in nature. It implies that the candidates need to secure a minimum score in the Prelims exam which will be considered as qualifying marks. Any candidate who secures equal or above the minimum qualifying marks will be allowed to appear in the Mains exam. Therefore, candidates should be aware of the minimum qualifying marks for BPSC Prelims.
| Candidate Category | Minimum Marks |
| General | 40% |
| Women/SC/ST/PwD | 32% |
| OBC | 34% |
| BC | 36.5% |
The BPSC exam pattern for Mains consists of five papers now as per the latest update. The papers are General Hindi, Essay, General Studies Paper-1, General Studies Paper-2, and Optional Paper. General Hindi Paper is qualifying in nature (30 % Marks required). Its marks will not be considered in the calculation of the merit list. All the papers are descriptive in nature as per the BPSC exam pattern.
An exception has been made for the Optional Paper which will not be descriptive in nature and will have multiple-choice questions. As the test will be qualifying in nature, candidates have to just secure minimum qualifying marks.
| S. No. | Paper | Marks | Duration |
| 1. | General Hindi (Qualifying) | 100 | 3 hrs |
| 2. | Optional Paper (Qualifying) | 100 | 3 hrs |
| 3. | Essay | 300 | 3 hrs |
| 4. | General Studies Paper-1 | 300 | 3 hrs |
| 5. | General Studies Paper-2 | 300 | 3 hrs |
| Total Marks | 900 | ||
As per the latest BPSC exam pattern for Mains, there is a total of 34 subjects, and the candidate can choose one out of these. It is advised that the candidates choose the subject in which it is easier to grasp the concepts. The optional subject should be able to enhance the score rather than reduce it. Thus, it is important that the candidates choose the optional subject wisely.
| S.No. | Subject |
| 1 | Agriculture |
| 2 | Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science |
| 3 | Anthropology |
| 4 | Botany |
| 5 | Chemistry |
| 6 | Civil Engineering |
| 7 | Commerce & Accountancy |
| 8 | Economics |
| 9 | Electrical Engineering |
| 10 | Geography |
| 11 | Geology |
| 12 | History |
| 13 | Labour and Social Welfare |
| 14 | Law |
| 15 | Management |
| 16 | Mathematics |
| 17 | Mechanical Engineering |
| 18 | Philosophy |
| 19 | Physics |
| 20 | Political Science And International Relations |
| 21 | Psychology |
| 22 | Public Administration |
| 23 | Sociology |
| 24 | Statistics |
| 25 | Zoology |
| 26 | Hindi Language & Literature |
| 27 | English Language & Literature |
| 28 | Urdu Language & Literature |
| 29 | Bangla Language & Literature |
| 30 | Sanskrit Language & Literature |
| 31 | Persian Language & Literature |
| 32 | Arabic Language & Literature |
| 33 | Pali Language & Literature |
| 34 | Maithili Language & Literature |
The last stage of the BPSC exam pattern is the interview or personality test. The BPSC interview is only for those candidates who have cleared the Mains Exam. The Commission appoints a Board to interview the candidates. The BPSC Interview consists of 120 marks.
The purpose of forming a panel of competent and neutral observers is to assess the candidate's personal suitability for a career in the state services. The final merit list is calculated based on the marks obtained by you in BPSC Mains an Interview. Therefore, it is crucial that the candidates have a thorough and detailed look at the BPSC exam pattern before starting the preparation.
The BPSC exam pattern consists of two major stages, Prelims and Mains. An interview is also conducted for those who clear the Mains. The BPSC Prelims exam pattern is objective, consisting of a General Studies paper. On the other hand, the Mains exam pattern consists of 5 descriptive papers, and both are held offline only.
BPSC Prelims exam pattern 2023 has a single paper known as the General Studies paper held offline. The BPSC GS paper has 150 objective questions for 150 marks. You can check out the important topics covered in it by going through the BPSC syllabus.
Yes, BPSC has introduced negative marking in the BPSC Prelims exam as per the 68th BPSC notification. There is a negative marking of 0.25 on the BPSC General Studies paper, while 1 mark will be awarded for every correct answer key.
The BPSC exam pattern for Mains consists of 5 papers. Out of these five papers, one is the General Hindi paper & one is the Optional Paper. Both these papers are qualifying in nature. Further, there are two General Studies papers and one Essay writing test, and all of these are descriptive in nature.
You can download the BPSC exam pattern from the direct link that has been provided here. Referring to the exam pattern PDF time and again will help the candidates stay updated and in check while preparing for the exam.
There are 34 options available for BPSC Optional Papers. Candidates must select a subject in which they have a keen interest. However, here are some of the most opted subjects for the BPSC optional paper.
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