Haryana PCS Exam Pattern

The Haryana Public Service Commission, or HPSC, is the chief constitutional body of the Government of Haryana. It is the nodal agency for conducting the Haryana State Civil Services Examinations along with other competitive examinations through which the finest of the candidates are selected for the various civil services and departmental positions in Haryana.

The PCS examination consists of administrative services and stands for Provincial Civil Services Examination. Haryana Provincial Civil Services offers Group A and Group B posts to its candidates under the State Public Service Commission.

Are you curious about the pattern of such a prestigious examination and how to maneuver your way through it as a beginner? Look no further! We’ll guide you through it all. Let’s begin by analyzing the exam pattern of this coveted examination.

The Haryana PCS exam has 3 stages to it.

1. Preliminary exam
2. Mains exam
3. Personal interview

One needs to pass each stage of this exam for qualifying. Every year, lakhs of students appear in the hope to get recruited for government jobs in the state. The selection, however, happens for a few hundred seats that are notified by the HPSC every year. The primary task for every aspirant, then, would be to gather information about the ocean that you want to dive in.

HPSC (Haryana Public Service Commission) Exam Pattern

Preliminary Exam (Qualifying in nature)

This is the primary hurdle that needs to be crossed. The Haryana PCS Preliminary Exam consists of 2 objective type papers having multiple-choice questions. The cumulative marks allotted to these two papers are 200 marks.

Paper-II analyzes you on the basis of your selection of the optional subject out of the 19 subjects offered by HPSC. It is significant to mark your answers cautiously as the Haryana PCS examination has 1/4th negative marking, i.e., for every wrong answer, 0.25 mark will be deducted from the total score. There will be no negative marking for unattempted questions. The exam will be available in 2 languages- English and Hindi.

Haryana PCS Mains Exam

Once you qualify for the Preliminary Examination, you become eligible for writing the Mains Exam. The Haryana PCS Mains Exam consists of 4 descriptive papers where 600 marks are up for grabs.

Paper-IV and V will examine your expertise in 2 out of the list of 23 subjects that Haryana PCS offers you. These 2 papers have the highest weightage in the Mains Exam as each of them consists of 150 marks, i.e., 300 marks collectively, and both have to be completed within the same stipulated time of 3 hours per paper.

Personal Interview

The shortlisted candidates who steer through the first two stages get qualified for the Personal Interview based on the Mains Exam Result. It is conducted in Panchkula, at the HPSC’s premises. The interview consists of 75 marks.

Hence, the final merit list would be prepared out of 675 marks in totality. The marks of the Mains Exam and Interview are counted for preparing the final merit list.

HPSC Optional Subjects for Prelims

Here’s the list of the 19 Optional Subjects offered by HPSC for Preliminary Exam:

• Agriculture
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
• Botany
• Civil Engineering
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Electrical Engineering
• Geography
• Economics
• Mathematics
• Law
• Public Administration
• Mechanical Engineering
• Political Science and International Relations
• Zoology
• Indian History
• Psychology
• Sociology

HPSC Optional Subjects for Mains

Here’s the list of the 23 Optional Subjects offered by HPSC for Mains Examination Paper IV and V:

• Indian History
• Economics
• Geography
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Agriculture
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• English Literature
• Hindi Literature ( in Devanagari Script)
• Public Administration
• Zoology
• Mathematics
• Law
• Physics
• Sanskrit Literature
• Punjabi Literature
• Psychology
• Sociology

There will be following combinations for candidates:

• Political Science and International Relations
• Political Science and International Relations and Public Administration
• Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science

Note that while selecting the Engineering Subjects like Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering; candidates cannot choose more than one of these subjects for their Mains Exam. The same is applicable for the following combinations- Political Science and International Relations; Political Science, International Relations, and Public Administration; and Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Veterinary Science.

For the best preparation strategy for competitive exams candidates can visit the linked article and get detailed study material and preparation tips to excel in the examination.

Aspirants can visit the linked article and get details about the upcoming government exams that comprise current affairs and general awareness as an important topic in the syllabus.