WBPSC WBCS 2025 Exam Pattern for Prelims and Mains Exam
West Bengal Civil Service 2025 ( WBCS )
The West Bengal Public Service Commission will notify the WBCS exam pattern on its official website - psc.wb.gov.in. The Commission will mention the structure of papers for prelims and main exam separately. The candidates need to read and understand the official exam pattern to score better in the exam. The WBCS exam pattern will help the candidates to estimate the time required to solve the paper. The West Bengal Public Service Commission will conduct the WBCS 2024-25 exam based on the old exam pattern.
The Commission notified the new exam pattern for the exam but later the West Bengal Government released a notice mentioning that the WBPSC WBCS exam will be conducted based on the old syllabus and exam pattern. The candidates should prepare all the topics given in the WBCS Syllabus in consonance with the exam pattern. The WBCS syllabus and exam pattern will both serve as the milestone to start the WBCS Preparation.
- WBCS Exam Pattern 2025 for Prelims Exam
- WBCS Exam Pattern 2025 - Main Exam
- WBCS Exam Pattern 2025 - Personality Test
- WBCS Exam Patten 2025 FAQs
WBCS Exam Pattern 2025 for Prelims Exam
The WBCS exam consists of the following stages of the exam. Each stage has an uncommon exam pattern. The WBCS stages of the exam are as follows.
- Prelims
- Mains
- Personality Test
The WBCS prelims exam serves screening purpose only and the marks secured in the WBCS prelims exam is not considered for the final WBCS result. The WBCS prelims exam has only one objective-type question paper. The paper's name is General Studies and it is a mixture of all the topics given in the WBCS syllabus. The details of the WBCS prelims question paper are as follows.
| Paper |
Number of Questions |
Max. Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies |
200 |
200 |
The time allotted to solve the WBCS prelims question paper is two and a half hours. The candidates who qualify in the prelims exam are called for the WBCS main exam. The official notification chalks out the section of the prelims exam comprehensively. The prelims exam will have the following sections.
| Sl. No |
Subject |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
English Composition |
25 |
| 2 |
General Science |
25 |
| 3 |
Current events of National & International Importance |
25 |
| 4 |
History of India |
25 |
| 5 |
Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal |
25 |
| 6 |
Indian Polity and Economy |
25 |
| 7 |
Indian National Movement |
25 |
| 8 |
General Mental Ability |
25 |
| Total |
200 |
|
The time-bound practice of the WBPSC exam pattern will help the candidates to score better in the exam. The WBCS exam pattern is one of the most important components of WBCS preparation because it immensely helps the candidate to score better in the exam. WBCS exam pattern is unique in two senses. First, there is only one paper in the prelims stage. Secondly, the WBCS main exam is different from other state PCS exams because there are four objective-type question papers in the main exam. This prepares for the WBCS main exam more fact-oriented. Only the language and optional subject papers are descriptive. It is expected that the WBPSC exam pattern will remain the same.
The candidates should note that the Commission introduced an aptitude paper in the WBCS prelims exam 2025 by revising the wbcs prelims exam pattern. The Commission also changed the WBCS syllabus for the prelims exam for the said purpose.
WBCS 2025 Prelims New Exam Pattern
As per the new syllabus and exam pattern notice, there will be 2 objective-type papers in the WBCS prelims exam. The candidates can see below the papers
- General Studies I
- General Studies II
The candidates can see below the WBCS 2025 new exam pattern as notified by the West Bengal Public Service Commission:
| WBCS Prelims Exam Pattern | Number of Questions | Total Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies Paper I | 200 | 200 |
| General Studies Paper II (Qualifying only) | 200 | 200 |
| Total | 400 | |
The candidates should note that it is still not clear that the WBCS prelims exam will be conducted based on the new exam pattern or the old one.
Commonly asked questions
The WBCS prelims exam pattern is expected to be changed and there will be two multiple choice objective type question papers in the WBPSC 2025 prelims exam. There is a provision of negative marking in the prelims exam as well. The quantum of negative marking will be mentioned in the question paper.
The WBCS 2025 notification is expected to be released soon by the West Bengal Public Service Commission.
The West Bengal Public Service Commission mentioned through an official notice that the WBCS prelims exam will be conducted based on the new exam pattern. The candidates can see below the WBCS new exam pattern.
Paper | Number of Questions | Max. Marks |
|---|---|---|
General Studies I | 200 | 200 |
General Studies II | 200 | 200 |
Read here the details of the new WBCS Prelims Syllabus.
WBCS Exam Pattern 2025 - Main Exam
The WBCS main exam is conducted separately as per the group of services in the following manner.
- Group ‘A’ & ‘B” services & posts need to appear in all the papers as mentioned below.
- Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ services & posts need to appear in all the compulsory papers that is in Paper-I to VI.
The WBCS main exam is the critical part of the WBCS exam process as the marks secured in the main exam are counted for the final WBCS result. There are six compulsory question papers and two papers of one optional subject. The total number of papers in the WBCS exam is Eight. The WBCS main exam consists of the following question papers.
| SL.No |
Paper Name |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I |
Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali |
200 |
| Paper II |
English |
200 |
| Paper III |
General Studies-I - Indian History with special emphasis on National Movement Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal |
200 |
| Paper IV |
General Studies-II - Science and Scientific & Technological Advancement, Environment, General Knowledge and Current Affairs. |
200 |
| Paper V |
Constitution of India and Indian Economy |
200 |
| Paper VI |
Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning |
200 |
| Paper VII |
Optional Subject – Paper I |
200 |
| Paper VIII |
Optional Subject – Paper II |
200 |
| Total |
1600 |
|
All the compulsory papers in the WBCS main exam are objective-type papers. The optional subject paper I and Paper II will be conventional essay-type question papers. The time allotted for each paper will be for three hours.
The candidates need to select one optional subject from the given list of optional subjects and prepare according to the syllabus of each paper.
WBCS Main Exam - Medium of Answers
The candidates can write the WBCS main answers in either English or Bengali except for the language paper where the medium will be according to the language chosen. The candidates can write the answers in Nepali for the following two subjects
1. Political Science
2. Botany
List of Optional Subjects in WBCS Main Exam
The following is the list of optional subjects with their codes for the WBCS main exam.
| WBCS List of Optional Subjects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bengali-01 | Hindi-02 | Sanskrit 03 |
| English - 04 | Pali - 05 | Arabic - 06 |
| Persian - 07 | French - 08 | Urdu - 09 |
| Santali - 10 | Comparative Literature - 11 | Agriculture - 12 |
| Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science - 13 | Anthropology - 14 | Botany - 15 |
| Chemistry - 16 | Civil - Engineering - 17 | Commerce and Accountancy - 18 |
| Computer Science - 19 | Economics - 20 | Electrical Engineering - 21 |
| Geography - 22 | Geology - 23 | History - 24 |
| Law - 25 | Mathematics - 26 | Management - 27 |
| Mechanical Engineering - 28 | Medical Science - 29 | Philosophy - 30 |
| Physiology - 31 | Physics - 32 | Political Science - 33 |
| Psychology - 34 | Sociology - 35 | Statistics - 36 |
| Zoology - 37 | ||
Commonly asked questions
The WBCS main exam is mix of objective and descriptive type papers. The Commission mentions in the official notification that all the compulsory papers will be objective type and the optional subjects are descriptive type papers.
The candidates need to select one optional subject from the given list of optional subjects and prepare according to the syllabus of each paper.
In the WBPSC WBCS exam, there are a total of eight papers. These papers include:
- Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali
- English
- General Studies - I
- General Studies - II
- The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including the role and functions of the Reserve Bank of India
- Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning
- Optional Subject - 1 subject to be chosen; 2 papers of 200 marks each
- Personality Test
WBCS Exam Pattern 2025 - Personality Test
Each candidate who qualifies in the WBCS main exam is called for the personality test. The object of the test will be to assess the candidate’s personal qualities e.g., alertness of mind, power of clear and logical exposition, intellectual and moral integrity, leadership and also the candidate’s range of interests. Each candidate will be asked questions on matters of general interest.
The marks of the Personality Test are different for each group of services. The marks of the personality test for each group is defined below
| Group & Post |
Maximum Marks |
|---|---|
| Group ‘A’ & ‘B’ |
200 |
| Group ‘C’ |
150 |
| Group ‘D’ |
100 |
Note: No separate Personality Test will be held for different groups viz. Group-‘A’, Group-‘B’, Group-‘C’ and Group-‘D’ in respect of a candidate. Marks will be awarded according to different services against allotted full marks for the Personality Test.
Commonly asked questions
The West Bengal Public Service Commission can schedule the WBCS interviews at the place where they want to. The WBCS interviews are conducted at various venues in Kolkata, West Bengal. Some of the venues where the interviews take place include Women's College, Calcutta, Maharaja Cossimbazar Polytechnic Institution, Adarsh Shiksha Niketan, and many others in Kolkata
WBCS Exam Patten 2025 FAQs
The candidates can see here important questions related to WBCS 2025 exam pattern.
Commonly asked questions
Yes, the WBCS main exam has some papers which are objective paper and other papers are subjective. The out of six compulsory papers, four are objective type multiple choice questions based paper. The other two papers and optional subjects are descriptive type conventional papers. The four objective type MCQs are
- Paper III: General Studies - I
- Paper IV: General Studies - II
- Paper V: The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including role and functions of the Reserve Bank of India.
- Paper VI: Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning.
The candidates can clear the WBCS exam in first attempt if they prepare for the exam in a planned way. The candidates need to prepare for the exam. The candidates should prepare all the topics mentioned in the syllabus to ensure their selection in the exam.
The candidates should have a study plan in place with the standard reference books. The most important part is the execution of the study plan. The candidates should follow their study plan for atleast six months.
Yes, there is negative marking in the WBCS preliminary and main exams.
In the WBCS prelims exam, the quantum of negative marking is one by third. The negative marking makes the exam difficult. For each incorrect answer, the Commission will deduct 1/3 of the marks assigned for correct answer.
In the main exam, the quantum of the negative marking is 10% of the marks assigned to the question.
WBCS Exam
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 3 days ago
The candidates should note that the West Bengal Public Service Commission will invite the WBCS applications in online mode only. The candidates will get around 30 days to fill their applications online.
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered 3 days ago
The West Bengal Public Service Commission is expected to start the soon. The Commission will release the official notification on its website to notify the exam process.
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
The West Bengal Public Service Commission is expected to release the notification for the WBPSC exam soon on its official website - psc.wb.gov.in. The Commission will conduct the WBCS 2025 exam in November/December.
The WBPSC WBCS application dates will be mentioned in the notification. The candidat
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
The candidates should note that the WBCS answer key is released twice. Firstly, the Commission releases the tentative answer key and asks the candidates to send their objections. After considering the valid objections, the Commission releases the final answer key.
The tentative answer key remains val
V
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a month ago
The West Bengal Public Service Commission is expected to release the WBCS 2025 exam dates soon on its official website - psc.wb.gov.in. The Commission is expected to conduct the WBCS prelims exam 2025 in November/December 2025. The Commission is expected to release the WBCS answer key 2025 (tentativ
N
Beginner-Level 5
Upcoming Sarkari Exam Dates
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