72th BPSC PCS Exam Pattern: Stages, Marks Distribution, and Duration

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Easetolearn will give students all the information regarding Exam Pattern of BPSC PCS 2026 Exam. It will make easier for students to understand pattern of the BPSC PCS exam like total number of question, marking scheme, sections of the exam and duration of the exam.

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72th BPSC PCS Exam Pattern 2026

The BPSC 72th notification 2026 and the most recent BPSC exam pattern were both made public on May 07, 2026. The BPSC administers the combined competitive exam in three stages, just like the other State Service Commissions and the UPSC. Candidates should review the phases listed below.

• Prelims
• Mains
• Interview

72th BPSC PCS Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

• Mode of Examination – Offline
• Total Number of Papers – One (General Studies)
• Exam Duration for Paper – 2 hours
• Types of Question – Objective type
• Total number of question - 150
• Total Marks – 150 marks
• In accordance with the most recent 72th BPSC notification, negative marking has been included to the Prelims exam.
• For each incorrect answer, 0.33 marks will be deducted,while 1 mark shall be awarded for the correct answer.

72th BPSC PCS Mains Exam Pattern 2026

• Mode of Examination – Offline
• Total Number of Papers – Five (General Hindi, Essay, General Studies 1 and 2, as well as one optional paper)
• Exam Duration for each Paper – 3 hours
• Types of Question – Subjective type except optional paper which is objective type
• Total Marks – 1100 marks

72th BPSC PCS Interview 2026

The interview or personality test is the final phase of the BPSC exam pattern. Only candidates who passed the Mains Exam are eligible for the BPSC interview. A Board is selected by the Commission to interview candidates. There are 120 marks given for the BPSC Interview.

72th BPSC PCS Final Merit list

Final Merit list of 72thBPSC PCS Exam will consist of 900 marks of Mains exams (General Studies Paper-1 – 300 marks, General Studies Paper-2 – 300 marks, Essay -300 marks) and 120 marks of interview. Final merit list of 72th BPSC PCS will be created on the basis of total 1020 marks discussed above.

72th BPSC Exam Pattern 2026 : FAQs

1. What is the exam pattern for BPSC PCS 2026?
The BPSC PCS exam consists of three stages: Preliminary Examination (objective type), Main Examination (descriptive type), and Interview/Personality Test.

2. What is the marking scheme for BPSC Prelims?
Each correct answer earns 1 mark, and there's a penalty of 1/3 mark for each wrong answer. Multiple answers for a question are treated as incorrect.

3. How many papers are there in the BPSC Mains exam?
The BPSC Mains exam consists of five papers: General Hindi (qualifying), General Studies Paper 1, General Studies Paper 2, Essay, and one Optional Subject paper.

4. What is the minimum qualifying mark for General Hindi in BPSC Mains?
Candidates must secure 30 marks out of 100 in General Hindi to qualify. However, these marks aren't included in the merit calculation.

5. How many subjects does the BPSC Prelims exam have?
The BPSC Prelims exam has one paper on General Studies, comprising 150 multiple-choice questions.

6. What is the duration of the BPSC Prelims exam?
The BPSC Prelims exam is 2 hours long.

7. What is the total marks for BPSC Mains?
The total marks for BPSC Mains are 900 (excluding the qualifying General Hindi paper and optional paper).

8. Is there negative marking in BPSC Mains?
No, there's no negative marking in BPSC Mains.

9. What is the weightage of the Interview round?
The Interview round carries 120 marks.

10. How is the final merit list prepared?
The final merit list is prepared based on the cumulative marks obtained in the Main Examination (900 marks) and the Interview (120 marks), totaling 1020 marks.