The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has scheduled the Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination for 25 October 2026, according to its exam calendar dated 14 August 2026. The prelims was first fixed for 26 July 2026 but was postponed by a BPSC notice of 18 July 2026 "for unavoidable reasons". BPSC marks every date in the calendar as tentative, so confirm the final date and shift timing from the admit card notice on bpsc.bihar.gov.in.
After two corrigenda, the exam now covers 1,189 posts — SDO/Senior Deputy Collector, DSP, Revenue Officer, Block Panchayat Raj Officer, Supply Inspector, CDPO and more. Online applications closed on 31 May 2026; only candidates who applied can appear.
BPSC 72nd CCE 2026 — Overview
| Item | Details |
|---|
| Commission | Bihar Public Service Commission, 15 Nehru Path (Bailey Road), Patna |
| Exam | Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination |
| Advertisement date | 5 May 2026 |
| Total posts | 1,189 (revised; first advertised as 1,230) |
| Pay levels | Level 9, Level 7 and Level 6 |
| Qualification | Graduation from a recognised university (special subjects for CDPO, FAO and Sub-divisional Protection Officer) |
| Age | Minimum 20/21/22 years (post-wise), maximum 37–42 years by category, as on 1 August 2026 |
| Selection | Prelims (screening) → Mains (written) → Interview (120 marks) → Medical |
| Prelims date | 25 October 2026 (tentative) |
| Website | bpsc.bihar.gov.in, bpsconline.bihar.gov.in |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|
| Advertisement published | 5 May 2026 |
| Corrigendum: 44 Sugarcane Officer posts removed (1,230 → 1,186) | 6 May 2026 |
| Online application | 7 May – 31 May 2026 |
| Corrigendum: Sub Registrar posts raised from 3 to 6 (1,186 → 1,189) | 27 May 2026 |
| Exam programme notice (prelims on 26 July, 12 noon – 2 PM) | 10 July 2026 |
| Prelims of 26 July postponed | 18 July 2026 |
| Prelims (as per BPSC exam calendar of 14 Aug 2026) | 25 October 2026 (tentative) |
| Admit card | On bpsconline.bihar.gov.in before the exam — date to be announced |
What Changed After the Advertisement
- Sugarcane Officer (Ikh Padadhikari) posts deleted: the 44 posts at serial 11 of Table I were removed on 6 May 2026, because under the Bihar Sugarcane Development Rules 2025 they are Assistant Director-level posts with a different qualification and exam scheme.
- Sub Registrar / Joint Sub Registrar raised to 6 posts: the Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department revised the vacancy from 3 to 6 (UR 4, EWS 1, BC 1; 1 reserved for women; 1 for PwBD-MD).
- Exam postponed once: the 26 July 2026 prelims was postponed; the BPSC calendar now shows 25 October 2026.
Vacancy Details (1,189 Posts)
Table I — 72nd Combined Competitive Exam (1,036 posts)
| Post / Department | Pay level | Posts | Min. age |
|---|
| Sub-divisional Officer / Senior Deputy Collector (Bihar Administrative Service) | 9 | 100 | 22 |
| Deputy Superintendent of Police (Home Dept, Police) | 9 | 22 | 20 |
| State Tax Assistant Commissioner (Bihar Finance Service), Commercial Tax | 9 | 76 | 22 |
| Sub Election Officer, Election Dept | 9 | 7 | 22 |
| Sub Registrar / Joint Sub Registrar, Prohibition, Excise & Registration | 9 | 6 | 22 |
| Labour Superintendent, Labour Resources | 9 | 10 | 22 |
| Assistant Registrar, Cooperative Societies | 9 | 10 | 22 |
| District Audit Officer, Cooperative Societies | 9 | 2 | 22 |
| Bihar Education Service (Administration sub-cadre) | 9 | 9 | 22 |
| District Minority Welfare Officer | 9 | 1 | 22 |
| Probation Officer, Home Dept (Prisons) | 9 | 4 | 21 |
| Assistant Planning Officer / Assistant Director, Planning & Development | 9 | 10 | 21 |
| Executive Officer (Nagar), Urban Development & Housing | 7 | 54 | 21 |
| Rural Development Officer (Bihar Rural Development Service) | 7 | 65 | 21 |
| Revenue Officer (Bihar Revenue Service), Revenue & Land Reforms | 7 | 365 | 21 |
| Block Panchayat Raj Officer (Bihar Panchayat Service) | 7 | 70 | 21 |
| Cooperative Extension Officer | 7 | 130 | 21 |
| Labour Enforcement Officer, Labour Resources & Migrant Workers Welfare | 7 | 56 | 21 |
| Supply Inspector (Bihar Supply Service), Food & Consumer Protection | 7 | 31 | 21 |
| Block SC/ST Welfare Officer | 7 | 5 | 21 |
| Block Minority Welfare Officer | 6 | 3 | 22 |
| Total | | 1,036 | |
Table II — Other Posts Through the Same Prelims (153 posts)
| Post / Department | Pay level | Posts | Min. age |
|---|
| Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), Social Welfare | 9 | 20 | 21 |
| Financial Administrative Officer & equivalent (Bihar Financial Administration Service), Finance | 9 | 32 | 22 |
| Sub-divisional Protection Officer, Social Welfare (women only) | 9 | 101 | 21 |
| Total | | 153 | |
The advertisement gives the full category-wise split (UR, EWS, SC, ST, EBC, BC, BC women) and the seats reserved for women, freedom fighters' grandchildren and persons with disabilities for every post. BPSC also notes that the number of posts can still go up or down if departments send revised demands before the prelims.
Eligibility
Educational Qualification
| Post | Qualification |
|---|
| 72nd CCE (all Table I posts) | Graduation or equivalent from a recognised university |
| CDPO | Graduation; one optional subject for Mains from Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Labour & Social Welfare |
| Financial Administrative Officer | Graduation in Commerce, Economics, Mathematics or Statistics |
| Sub-divisional Protection Officer | Graduation in Psychology or Law; that subject is taken as the Mains optional |
Age Limit (as on 1 August 2026)
| Category | Maximum age |
|---|
| Unreserved (male) | 37 years |
| Unreserved (female), BC and EBC (male and female) | 40 years |
| SC and ST (male and female) | 42 years |
- Minimum age is 20 years for DSP, 21 years for Probation Officer, Assistant Planning Officer, all Level 7 posts, CDPO and Sub-divisional Protection Officer, and 22 years for the rest.
- Persons with benchmark disabilities get 10 more years.
- Bihar government employees get 5 years' relaxation, but may sit in BPSC competitive exams only 5 times in their whole service.
- Ex-servicemen get 3 years plus their period of defence service (actual age not above 57); ex-servicemen and commissioned officers with 5+ years of service get up to 5 years.
- Date of birth is taken from the Matriculation certificate.
Reservation Rules
- Reservation (SC, ST, EBC, BC, BC women, EWS) is only for permanent residents of Bihar; others apply as unreserved.
- 35% horizontal reservation for women applies only to women who are native residents of Bihar.
- 4% for persons with benchmark disabilities and 2% for grandchildren of freedom fighters (Bihar domicile only).
- A married woman's caste / non-creamy-layer certificate must be issued in her father's name and address, not her husband's.
- All certificates had to be issued on or before the last date of application (31 May 2026). Originals are checked at the interview.
Prelims Exam Pattern
| Item | Details |
|---|
| Subject | General Studies (objective, multiple choice) |
| Marks / time | 150 marks, 2 hours |
| Options | Five per question — A, B, C, D, and E = "not attempted" |
| Negative marking | 1/3 mark for every wrong answer, and also for any question where none of the five options is marked |
| Minimum qualifying marks | General 40%, BC 36.5%, EBC 34%, SC/ST, women and PwD 32% |
| Shortlisting for Mains | About 10 times the vacancies, category-wise (all candidates at the cut-off are included) |
The syllabus covers General Science, current events of national and international importance, history of India and salient features of Bihar's history, general geography and major geographical divisions and rivers of Bihar, Indian polity and economy, changes in Bihar's economy since independence, the Indian national movement and Bihar's role in it, and general mental ability. Prelims marks are only for screening and are not added to the final merit.
Mains and Interview
| Paper (72nd CCE) | Marks | Counted in merit? |
|---|
| General Hindi | 100 (3 hours) | No — 30% needed to qualify |
| General Studies Paper I | 300 (3 hours) | Yes |
| General Studies Paper II | 300 (3 hours) | Yes |
| Essay | 300 (3 hours) | Yes |
| Optional subject (one of 34, MCQ) | 100 (2 hours) | No — qualifying only |
| Interview | 120 | Yes |
Final merit for the 72nd CCE posts is out of 1,020 marks (900 Mains + 120 interview). For CDPO, Financial Administrative Officer and Sub-divisional Protection Officer, the Essay is replaced by a 300-mark descriptive optional paper that counts in merit, so their total is also 1,020. Candidates who pass the prelims have to apply again online and pay a separate Mains fee. About 2.5 times the vacancies are called for interview, and the post preference you fill in the Mains form decides allotment.
Medical Examination and Physical Standards
After the interview, every candidate is examined by a medical board set up by the commission, for a fee of ₹16 paid in cash. A candidate who does not meet the standards of a service is not appointed to it. Women candidates are examined with a woman doctor on the board. BPSC decides the disability percentage of PwBD candidates through its own medical board.
For the DSP (Bihar Police Service) post only, Appendix "Ka" of the advertisement sets these minimum chest measurements for candidates aged 21 or more:
| Height (without shoes) | Chest (exhaled / inhaled) |
|---|
| 62½ in to under 65 in | 30 in / 32 in |
| 65 in to under 68 in | 31 in / 33 in |
| 68 in to under 70 in | 32 in / 34 in |
| 70 in to under 72 in | 33 in / 35¼ in |
| 72 in and above | 34 in / 36½ in |
The same appendix also covers eyesight (e.g. distant vision without glasses at least 6/24 in the better eye), hearing, teeth and general health.
Application Fee (Already Paid)
| Item | Fee |
|---|
| Exam fee, per exam applied for (72nd CCE / CDPO / FAO / Sub-divisional Protection Officer) | ₹100 |
| Extra biometric fee, per exam, if Aadhaar number was not given in the form | ₹200 |
| Mains exam fee | Paid separately by candidates who pass the prelims |
Pay Scale
| Pay level (7th CPC) | Pay band | Example posts |
|---|
| Level 9 | ₹53,100 – ₹1,67,800 | SDO, DSP, State Tax Asst. Commissioner, CDPO |
| Level 7 | ₹44,900 – ₹1,42,400 | Revenue Officer, BPRO, Supply Inspector |
| Level 6 | ₹35,400 – ₹1,12,400 | Block Minority Welfare Officer |
How to Download the Admit Card
- Watch bpsc.bihar.gov.in for the admit card notice of the 72nd CCE prelims.
- Log in at bpsconline.bihar.gov.in/candidate/login with the mobile number/email and password from your One Time Registration.
- Open My Account, find the 72nd CCE application and download the e-admit card.
- Check your name, photo, signature, exam centre and reporting time. Report any mistake through the Grievance tab right away.
- Carry a printed copy and an original photo ID to the centre. Keep spare copies of the photo you used, as BPSC may ask for them.
Important Links
This post was prepared by the UttarakhandJobs Team from the official notification or government portal linked above. We do not copy content from other job sites. Spotted a mistake or an outdated detail? Tell us and we will correct it.
