BPSC Exam Pattern and Syllabus, 2024

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) conducts the State Level Civil Services Exams for recruiting Sub Divisional Officers and other PCS level Officers. The Commission has recently released an updated BPSC syllabus and exam pattern. All participating candidates need to be aware of the detailed syllabus, exam pattern, marking scheme, and other crucial points related to the exam. In this article, we will discuss in detail the BPSC Prelims and Mains Syllabus and exam pattern to provide comprehensive information about the exam.  Let's take a look at the BPSC Syllabus 2024 for the upcoming BPSC 70th exam. 

BPSC Selection Process 

The  BPSC Exam comprises three stages namely.  

• Prelims: objective-type  
• Mains: Descriptive /Objective-type
• Interview  

BPSC Syllabus 2024 Overview

The BPSC examination is a multi-stage process designed to assess the knowledge and capabilities of candidates aspiring for various administrative positions in the state of Bihar. Let us look at an overview of different stages that involves BPSC Syllabus.  

BPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2024

The Prelims is qualifying in nature, it is used to select candidates for mains exam. Those who qualify for the Prelims exam are called for BPSC Mains. The marks in Prelims will not be taken into consideration for the final merit list. The BPSC Prelims comprised of one papers. The papers is of 150 marks with Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). Check the BPSC Prelims Exam Pattern in the table below.  

BPSC Prelims Syllabus 2024  

The BPSC syllabus 2024 for the BPSC 70th Prelims exam is the same as that of the previous exams of the BPSC. It covers the aspects of General Science, Polity, Economy, History and the National Movement. The candidates have to go through the syllabus and prepare themselves well because the exam will have questions of a good standard. Here is a detailed syllabus of the BPSC 70th Prelims exam:

General Science 

• General understanding of science, including matters of everyday observation and experience). The questions on Science and Tech will be such that they do not require subject specialization.

Current Affairs

• Current Affairs of National/International Importance

History

• History of India and Bihar (General understanding of the subject with the broad aspects of the history of Bihar)

Geography

• Geography of India and Bihar (Questions will relate to the physical, social and economic geography of the country including the main features of Indian agricultural and natural resources)
• General geography and geographical division of Bihar and its major river systems

Polity 

• Indian Polity (Questions will test knowledge on the country’s political system, Panchayati raj, community development and planning in India and Bihar)

Economy 

• Indian economy and economy of Bihar post-independence

Indian National Movement

• Indian Movements and Contribution of Bihar in it (Questions will relate to the nature and character of the 19th century resurgence, growth of nationalism and attainment of Independence with special reference to Bihar) 
• Under the Indian National Movement, candidates have to focus on the resurgence in the 19th century, the nature and growth of nationalism in India, and India’s independence. Also, the role of Bihar in the Indian National Movement is important from the BPSC exam point of view

Questions based on General Mental Ability

BPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 

• The candidates are called for the BPSC main exam only if they qualify in the BPSC Prelims Exam. Since the BPSC Prelims Exam is qualifying in nature it does not matter what one score. 
• The marks of the mains exam will be considered for the final selection of the candidates. 
• the BPSC Mains examination schedule will have five exams, with the Optional Paper and General Hindi Paper qualifying. 
  • The General Hindi (Qualifying)
  • General Studies Paper 1
  • General Studies Paper 2
  • Essay
  • Optional Subject (Qualifying)
• When filling out their application form, candidates can choose any topic from a list of 34 disciplines as an optional paper.
• According to the recent changes in the BPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024, the Optional Paper will contain objective-type questions.
• The time limit for each paper will be of 3 hours and will be of subjective type in nature (except for the optional paper). 

BPSC Mains Syllabus 2024

The BPSC Mains will be will be given by those candidates who have passed the preliminary exam. The BPSC Mains Syllabus 2024 consists of four descriptive papers, each of them requires a deeper understanding of the subjects. The Mains exam holds significant importance as its score is added to the final merit list.

BPSC Mains GS Paper 1 Syllabus

• Modern History of India and Indian Culture, which includes the broad history of the country (with special reference to Bihar) from about the middle of the 19th century.
• The introduction and growth of Western education will be covered in questions on Bihar’s Modern History (including technical education).
• Bihar’s role in the freedom struggle of India.
• Santhal Uprising,
• Revolt of 1857 in Bihar,
• Birsa Movement,
• Champaran Satyagraha
• Quit India Movement 1942.
• Knowledge of the chief features of Mauryan and Pal art.
• Patna Qulam Painting
• Basic knowledge of Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore and Nehru.
• Exercises in statistical analysis, graphs, and diagrams will assess the candidate’s capacity to infer reasonable inferences from data presented in statistical, graphical, or diagrammatic form and to identify any limitations, constraints, or contradictions.

BPSC Mains GS Paper 2 Syllabus

• Questions in the GS Paper 2 of the BPSC 70th Syllabus will test your understanding of Indian politics, with a focus on Bihar.
• Indian Polity: Political system in India and also including the political system in Bihar
• Indian Economy: Planning in India,
• Geography of India: It mainly includes the economic, physical and social geography of India and also focused on Bihar especially.
• Science and Technology: The contribution and effects of science and technology to the development of India and Bihar. The candidate will be tested on their knowledge of how science and technology have impacted India and Bihar and the emphasis will be on applied aspects also.

BPSC Essay Syllabus

For the purpose of choosing applicants for various administrative positions throughout the state of Bihar, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) administers the main test. The mains exam’s essay writing section is a crucial component where applicants must show they can effectively and coherently articulate their writing. The essay writing carries 300 marks. The BPSC essay paper is divided into three parts.

• Each section is worth 100 points.
• There are 12 (twelve) essay questions in total, 3 (three) of which must be answered one from each section by the candidate.
• And the 700–800 word essay on any of the aforementioned topics.

BPSC Interview Test

Candidates who had qualified for the BPSC Mains Exam would be called for the Interview. Candidates are interviewed by a Board appointed by the Commission. The main fields checked by the interviewer are given below.

• The candidate will be interviewed by a board who will have before them a record of the candidate's career and interests filled by the candidate in the Application Form.
• The objective of the interview is to check the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in the state services by a board of competent and unbiased observers.
• In the personality test, apart from their academic study, candidates must be aware of the affairs happening both within and outside their state.
• The interview is more of a purposeful conversation intended to explore the mental qualities and analytical ability of the candidate.