Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Exam : Exam Stages, Eligibility Criteria, Age Limit, Pattern, Syllabus, Preparation And Books List

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) is one of the most reputed State Level Civil Services Exam conducted to recruit multiple posts such as –

Sub Divisional Officer
Rural Development Officer
District Sanapark Officer, etc.

The Board also has finally released the exam date sheet for BPSC 2021. Official Notification has been released in the last week of June 2021.

The Bihar Public Service Commission sets the BPSC Syllabus. The Bihar Public Service Commission sets BPSC Prelims and Mains Syllabus. The commission is also constitutionally incorporated to assist the Bihar State Government in recruitment, transfer, and disciplinary matters, of public service.

BPSC Exam – Stages

The BPSC Examination (Combined Competitive Exam) is held in three primary stages:

First- Prelims – 1 objective type paper for 150 marks
Second- Mains – 4 descriptive papers (1 qualifying + 3 merit ranking)
Third- Interview – 120 marks

Stage of BPSC Exam	Type of Exam	Mode	Total Marks	Duration
Prelims	Objective	Offline	150	2 Hours
Mains	Subjective	Offline	900 (3 Papers of 300 marks each)	3 Hours for each Paper
Personal Interview	Physically Present	Offline	120	Not Defined

Candidates have to clear each stage to be eligible for the next step; if candidates clear the prelims, they can also give the mains, clearing which they would be summoned for the final stage, i.e., the last interview of the BPSC Exam.

Bihar PSC Exam – Eligibility Criteria

BPSC Age Limit for General Category Male Aspirants

Minimum Age – 20, 21, and 22 years
Maximum Age – 37

Category-Wise BPSC Upper Age Limit

General Category – Male: 37 years
General Category – Female- 40 years
BC/OBC (Male, Female)- 40 years
SC/ST (Male, Female)- 42 years

Category	Gender	Upper Age Limit
General	Male	37 years old
General	Female	40 years old
BC/OBC	Male/Female	40 years old
SC/ST	Male/Female	42 years old

Important points regarding BPSC Age Limit

There is no restriction on the number of attempts as long as candidates fulfill the age criteria.
For government employees who have been in continuous service for at least three years:
- Number of Attempts: 3
- Relaxation in Upper Age Limit: 5 years
- For Persons with Disability (PwD), the upper age limit is relaxed by ten years.
- Ex-servicemen who are not above 53 years of age can avail BPSC age relaxation of three years plus the number of years in service.

Educational Qualification as per the BPSC Eligibility Criteria

A Graduate Degree from a recognized University or
An equivalent qualification

Physical Eligibility Criteria

Minimum Height

General Category (Male) – 5 feet 5 inches
Women candidates – 5 feet 2 inches
SC/ST – 5 feet 3 inches

Chest

General category (Male) – 32 inches
SC/ST (Male) – 31 inches

Notes:

For claiming benefits under reservation, candidates need to:
- Have a Bihar Domicile
- Mention the reservation category in the BPSC online application
The SC/ST category aspirants seeking reservation need to present the following documents:
- Caste Certificate
- Domicile
The BC/OBC aspirants seeking reservation need to present the following documents:
- Caste Certificate
- Domicile
- Non-Creamy Layer Certificate

BPSC Exam – Pattern

Prelims are the qualifying in nature; it is used to screen out the non-serious candidates. All the candidates who have qualified or clear the Prelims exam are called for the BPSC Mains. The marks in the Prelims will not be taken into consideration for the final merit list.

Before going to the BPSC Prelims Exam syllabus, all candidates must check the BPSC Exam Pattern in the table mentioned below.

Name of the Exam	Combined Competitive Exam
Conducting Body	Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC)
No of Papers	1 – General Studies (150 marks)
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 BiharGeneral Mental Ability.

Marks of the paper should be considered for qualifying the ideal candidates for the mains examination.
Prelims also have negative marking for all the incorrect answers or irrelevant responses.
There will be no negative marking for the unattended questions/responses.
There is a negative marking system of 1/3 of the marks allocated to the questions.
BPSC Prelims is a screening exam/paper in nature.
All candidates need to score the minimum marks as decided by the commission to qualify or get shortlisted for the mains examination.
All the questions are set in – English and Hindi, except for those questions meant to test the candidate’s English knowledge.

BPSC Exam – Syllabus

PRELIMINARY TEST- COMPULSORY SUBJECT

General Studies

The paper on General Studies will include questions covering the following fields of knowledge: –

General Science
Current events of national and international importance. History of India and salient features of the history of Bihar.
General Geography and geographical division of Bihar and its major river systems.
Indian Polity and Economy and significant changes in the economy of Bihar in the post-independence period.
Indian National Movement and the part played by Bihar in it and also Questions on General Mental Ability.
Questions on General Science will cover general appreciation and understanding of science, including matters of everyday observation and experience, as may be expected of a well-educated person who has not made a particular study of any scientific discipline.
In history, emphasis will be on the broad general understanding of the subject in its social, economic, and political aspects. The candidates are expected to be familiar with the overall characteristics of the history of Bihar. In Geography, emphasis will be on the geography of India and Bihar.
Questions on the Geography of India and Bihar will relate to the physical, social and economic Geography of the country, including the main features of Indian agricultural and natural resources. Questions of Indian Polity and Economics will test knowledge on India and Bihar’s political system, Panchayati Raj, community development, and planning.
Question on the Indian National Movement will relate to the nature and character of the nineteenth-century resurgence, growth of nationalism, and Independence attainment. Candidates will be expected to answer questions on the role of Bihar in the freedom movement of India.

Main Examination

General Studies

General studies paper I and Paper II will cover the following areas of knowledge: –

02. GENERAL STUDIES PAPER- I

(1) Modern History of India and Indian culture.

(2) Current events of national and international importance.

(3) Statistical analysis, graphs, and diagrams.

03. GENERAL STUDIES PAPER- II

(1) Indian Polity:

(2) Indian economy and Geography of India; and

(3) The role and impact of science and technology in the development of India.

In Paper-I, Modern History of India and Indian Culture will cover the country’s comprehensive history (with special reference to Bihar) from about the middle of the nineteenth century. Bihar’s modern history will include questions on the introduction and expansion of western education (including technical education). It will also have questions on Bihar’s role in the freedom struggle of India.
Questions will relate to the Santhal Uprising, 1857 in Bihar, the Birsa movement, Champaran Satyagrah, and the Quit India Movement 1942. Knowledge of Mauryan and Pal art and Patna Qulam painting’s top features will be expected from the examinees. It would also include questions or Gandhi, Tagore, and Nehru.
The part relating to statistical analysis, graphs, and diagrams will include exercises to test the candidate’s ability to draw common-sense conclusions from information presented in a statistical, graphical, or diagrammatical form and point out deficiencies, limitations, or inconsistencies therein.
In Paper II, the part relating to Indian Polity will include questions on India’s political system, including Bihar. In detail about the Indian Economy and Geography of India, items will be put on planning in India and the physical, economic and social geography of India and Bihar.
In the third part relating to the role and impact of science and technology in India’s development, questions will be asked to test the candidate’s awareness of the role and impact of science and technology in India and Bihar Emphasis will be on applied aspects.

Note- For BPSC Syllabus, click- http://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in/Syllabus.htm

Bihar PSC 2020 Exam Preparation

Toppers recommend reading a newspaper daily to keep abreast of significant national and international news.
The Hindu and The Indian Express are the two most essential newspapers for civil service exam preparation.
BPSC aspirants should also analyze the news in the context of Bihar. For daily video analysis of The Hindu, please check the linked article.
Weekly and monthly magazines are also an excellent source to boost your current affairs preparation for the BPSC exam.

A. The best magazines for BPSC preparation are listed below:

Aspirants can also download the Monthly Magazine curated for civil service exam preparation from the linked article.

The weightage being given to questions based on Current Affairs in state service exams or the UPSC IAS exam is increasing in recent years. In the linked article, aspirants can see the trend analysis of UPSC Current Affairs and find BYJU’S latest compilations, such as:

Daily Comprehensive News Analysis – Essential daily news analyzed and compiled in an easy to read way. Also, download PDFs for free.
PIB Summary – Summary of exam relevant releases by the Press Information Bureau
The list of RSTV – Summaries of important shows on Rajya Sabha TV

This Day in History – Many important historical events are important from the context of the BPSC Exam. Hence, this section can be referred to for keeping yourself in line with the major events of Indian history.

Note- Simply reading the news and current affairs is not enough as competition is tough, and the exam pattern and syllabus vary to a certain extent.

B. Best BPSC Books

As the first step, candidates should go through the syllabus and read the state board books and NCERT books (Class 6 – Class 12th). Candidates should read the old NCERT books as well.

C. The best BPSC books are listed below:

D. Preparation for Bihar PSC or any other civil service exam in India should contain the following steps:

Reading the NCERTs
Going through the standard reference books
Making notes for objective type questions and theory questions
Aligning current affairs with the syllabus
Going through the previous years’ question papers and practicing mocks
Ample revision

While carrying the BPSC preparation, if aspirants come in touch a few terms that confuse them or know the difference between such terms/concepts, they can check our differences between articles page for reference. Here, we have compiled 100 such articles mentioning fundamental differences between important topics/terms or concepts.

E. Candidates who are pressed for time can read subject-wise NCERT notes on the following subject areas:

Ancient Indian History Notes
Medieval Indian History Notes
Modern Indian History Notes
Geography Notes
Art and Culture Notes

F. The notification of the BPSC Civil services exam for the recruitment of :

Sub Divisional Officer
Deputy Superintendent of Police
Rural Development Officer
Block Panchayat officer
District Sampark Officer
Bihar education Service
labor Enforcement Officer
Food and Consumer Inspector
Election Department
SC/ST Welfare Department, etc.

Has been released, and the exam is probably scheduled to be conducted in September.

BPSC Selection Process

Preliminary Exam
Main Exam
Interview.

Candidates who will complete the exams and the interview will get shortlisted for the BPSC 2021. The preliminary examination is of 2 hours and carries 200 marks.

Now talking of BPSC, General Studies is the vital section in the examination as it constitutes a significant chunk of the test, and it must not be neglected. In this way, general studies can’t be underestimated as it leads you to the final selection.

Though Optional subject also has its importance at the same time, General Studies has its contribution. In the Essay & Interview stage, this helps a lot. So General Studies should be prepared well.

For the preparation of General Studies, the first and foremost thing is to learn from the best in the industry. The examination contains Bihar special state-specific section and current affairs in the syllabus, and it is a desirable portion in the BPSC general studies curriculum.

Well, candidates need to acknowledge the BPSC as BPSC CCE, i.e., Bihar state civil services. Like UPSC CSE, the BPSC exam pattern is also divided into three stages, i.e., prelims, mains, and interviews.

Prelims- It consists of 150 questions of 150 marks. To qualify this stage, we need to focus on NCERT books of arts group (class 6–12), Lucent science for general science, Daily newspaper (The Hindu) for current affairs, any book for quantitative aptitude, KBC Nano for Bihar specific questions.

Mains- There are four papers in the BPSC mains exam-

Paper 1- Hindi (100 marks), Qualifying in nature.

The Rest 3 papers of 900 marks are for merit.

Paper 2- GS Paper 1(300 marks) Mainly contains a) Modern India national movement since 1857 (with particular reference to Bihar)-
For this, one can read Astha ias coaching notes and KBC modern India (Bihar).
Current affairs (National & International importance) for this follow standard newspaper (The Hindu for English medium & Jansatta for Hindi medium) and monthly magazine of Current affairs.
c)Statistics (Data interpretation)- spectrum book for statistics and DI.

Paper 3- GS Paper 2 (300 marks) Mainly contains a) Indian polity, Indian economy & Indian geography (all with particular reference to Bihar)-
NCERT (class 11&12), current affairs, and KBC Nano (Bihar) are enough.
Indian and Bihar government’s schemes – refer Economic survey of India and Bihar.
c)Environmental & ecology and science & technology (refer to TMH) along with current affairs.

Paper 4- Optional paper (300 marks) Prepare according to your optional subject.
One must go through the BPSC syllabus & previous year question papers for both prelims and mains.
Interview- It is of 120 marks. Develop your communication skills and interpersonal skills (according to the language you prefer for interview).

Note- For detailed BPSC Syllabus, click- http://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in/Syllabus.htm

Vital Books for Preparation

Indian Politics by Lakshmikanth’s
Ancient History by D.D. Kausambi’s Historical outline
Medieval by J.L. Mehta
BL Growers [Gandhi & Sub hash]
NCERT History [Std. xi & STD Xii]
R.S. Agarwal [Arithmetic]
Wren & Martin [English Grammar]
A Brief Introduction to Indian Constitution by Xavier’s Pinto
Logical Reasoning and Data Interpretation by Arun Sharma
Basic Level Mathematics- Part 1 and Part 2 by Goyal Brothers
Essential of Grammar- by Oxford Publications
Upkars Today’s General Knowledge (GK) – by Khanna and Verma

All the candidates should consider these books with ample practice. All the candidates should make it a point to consult and solve and practice different problems, enabling the syllabus’s coverage with minimum effort. Candidates should focus on current affairs as well.

Summary

This article discusses information about the Bihar PSC Exams, including the exam highlights, exam pattern & syllabus, eligibility criteria, as well as the recommended books for reading.

Areas covered in this article

BPSC Syllabus
BPSC Exam Pattern
BPSC Booklist
Bihar PSC Eligibility Criteria

Relevant Links

Learn about all state PSC exams here.
Study the Bihar PSC Exam Previous Years Question Papers here.
Learn more about the State Public Service Commission at the official link.
Find out the eligibility criteria for the State PSC here.