BPSC 71st Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2026 — Complete Guide

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) conducts the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) as one of Bihar's most important state civil services examinations. The BPSC 71st CCE recruits candidates for prestigious posts like Sub Divisional Officer (SDO), Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy. SP), Revenue Officer, and Block Development Officer (BDO) across Bihar's state government departments.

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BPSC 71st CCE 2026 — At a Glance

Parameter	Details
Conducting Body	Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC)
Exam Name	71st Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2026
Vacancy Count	Announced with notification (typically 300–700 posts)
Selection Stages	Prelims → Mains → Interview
Exam Level	State Level (Bihar only)
Official Website	bpsc.bih.nic.in

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BPSC 71st CCE 2026 — Important Dates

Event	Date
Notification Release	September 13, 2025
Application Start Date	September 13, 2025
Application Last Date	October 3, 2025
Prelims Exam Date	Conducted (2025)
Prelims Result	Declared
Mains Exam Start	April 25, 2026
Mains Exam End	April 30, 2026
Interview (PT)	Expected: Late 2026
Final Result	Expected: Early 2027

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Posts Offered in BPSC 71st CCE

Post	Department	Pay Level
Sub Divisional Officer (SDO)	Revenue Department	Level 10 (₹56,100)
Rural Development Officer	Rural Development	Level 9 (₹53,100)
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy. SP)	Bihar Police	Level 9 (₹53,100)
Revenue Officer / Circle Officer	Revenue	Level 7 (₹44,900)
Block Development Officer (BDO)	Rural Development	Level 7 (₹44,900)
District Commandant (Home Guard)	Home Department	Level 7 (₹44,900)
Supply Inspector	Food & Supply	Level 6 (₹35,400)
Excise Sub-Inspector	Excise Department	Level 6 (₹35,400)
District Welfare Officer	SC/OBC Welfare	Level 7 (₹44,900)

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BPSC 71st CCE Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

• Bachelor's Degree from any recognized University in any subject
• Final year students: May apply for Prelims but must have the degree before Mains

Age Limit (as on August 1, 2025)

Category	Minimum	Maximum
General (Male)	20 years	37 years
General (Female)	20 years	40 years (+3 for women)
OBC (Male)	20 years	40 years (+3)
OBC (Female)	20 years	43 years
SC / ST (Male)	20 years	42 years (+5)
SC / ST (Female)	20 years	45 years
PwBD	As per govt. norm	+10 years relaxation

Note: Age relaxation is cumulative for Female + Reserved category. Maximum age for SC Female is 45 years.

Domicile Requirement

• Candidates must be residents of Bihar OR have a valid Bihar domicile certificate
• Non-Bihar residents may be eligible for some posts — refer to the official notification

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BPSC 71st CCE — Exam Pattern (All Stages)

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination (Qualifying)

Parameter	Details
Questions	150 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Total Marks	150
Duration	2 Hours
Negative Marking	1/3rd mark deducted per wrong answer
Nature	Qualifying — marks NOT counted in final merit

Subject Breakup (Prelims GS Paper):

Topic	Approx. Questions
Bihar Specific GK (History, Geography, Economy, Polity of Bihar)	25–30
Indian History (Modern India emphasis)	20–25
Indian Geography	15–20
Indian Polity & Constitution	15–20
Science & Technology	15–18
Current Affairs (National + Bihar, last 1 year)	20–25
Indian Economy	10–15

Stage 2: Main Examination

The Mains is descriptive (written) and consists of 4 papers:

Paper	Subject	Marks	Duration
Paper I	General Hindi	100	3 Hours (Qualifying — 30% required)
Paper II	General Studies 1	300	3 Hours
Paper III	General Studies 2	300	3 Hours
Paper IV	Optional Subject	300	3 Hours
Total (Counted)		900

General Hindi (Paper I) is qualifying only — you need 30 out of 100 to pass. Final merit is based on GS 1 + GS 2 + Optional (900 marks).

Stage 3: Interview (Personality Test)

Parameter	Details
Marks	120
Location	BPSC Office, Patna
Nature	Merit deciding

Final Marks = Mains (900) + Interview (120) = 1,020 Total

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BPSC 71st CCE — Detailed Syllabus

Mains General Studies 1 (Paper II)

Indian History with emphasis on Bihar:

• Ancient Bihar — Magadha Empire, Maurya and Gupta dynasty
• Medieval Bihar — Pala dynasty, bhakti movement in Bihar, Sur Empire
• Modern History — 1857 revolt in Bihar, Champaran Satyagraha, Bihar's role in freedom struggle
• Post-independence Bihar — Bhoodan movement, Bihar's statehood

Indian National Movement:

• Key phases — Moderate, Extremist, Gandhian
• Key leaders from Bihar — Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Jayaprakash Narayan, Babu Jagannath Prasad
• Constitutional development — Government of India Acts (1919, 1935)

Geography (India and Bihar):

• Physical features of Bihar — plains, rivers (Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Son)
• Climate of Bihar, agricultural patterns (rice, wheat, maize)
• Natural resources — minerals, forests
• India's physical geography, major rivers, climate zones

Indian Polity and Bihar Governance:

• Indian Constitution — Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles
• Parliament, State Legislature structure
• Bihar Panchayati Raj system
• Bihar's administrative structure — districts, divisions, sub-divisions

Indian Economy and Bihar:

• Bihar's economy — agriculture dominated, GSDP, poverty
• Planning and development — PMGSY, PMAY, rural development schemes
• Banking in Bihar — regional rural banks, cooperative banks
• MSME sector in Bihar

Mains General Studies 2 (Paper III)

Science and Technology:

• Basic Physics, Chemistry, Biology concepts
• Science in everyday life
• Information Technology — internet, mobile technology, e-governance
• Space technology — ISRO missions, satellites used in governance
• Environment and climate change — impact on Bihar (floods)

Current Affairs (National + Bihar):

• Important national events of the last 1 year
• Bihar-specific news — government schemes, appointments, disasters
• International events of significance to India
• Sports — major Indian achievements

Bihar Specific Topics:

• Bihar government schemes — Mukhyamantri Kanya Utthan Yojana, Bihar Student Credit Card, Jeevika project
• Bihar's disaster management — flood management (Kosi, Gandak)
• Social issues — female literacy, child marriage, caste dynamics in Bihar
• Infrastructure — national highways, Patna airport, Ganga expressway

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Popular Optional Subjects in BPSC CCE

Optional Subject	Why Chosen	Recommended For
Public Administration	Scoring, directly relevant to civil services	All aspirants
Sociology	High scoring potential, Bihar society angle	Social science graduates
Hindi Literature	Native speakers gain advantage	Hindi medium aspirants
Geography	Map-based, factual, predictable	Science/Geography graduates
History	Large syllabus but reliable scoring	History graduates
Political Science	Overlaps with GS, good for Bihar polity	Polity enthusiasts
Mathematics	Very high scoring for prepared students	Math graduates

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BPSC Previous Year Cut-Offs (Prelims)

CCE	Year	General	OBC	SC	ST
70th CCE	2024	90–95 / 150	85–90	78–84	70–76
69th CCE	2023	92–96 / 150	86–91	80–85	72–78
67th CCE	2022	88–93 / 150	82–88	75–82	68–74
66th CCE	2020	85–90 / 150	78–84	72–78	65–71

Note: BPSC does not officially publish Prelims cut-offs — above figures are compiled from toppers' disclosures and coaching institute analyses.

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BPSC Mains Previous Year Cut-Offs (Out of 900)

CCE	Year	General	OBC	SC
68th CCE	2023	618–638 / 900	598–615	572–590
67th CCE	2022	605–628 / 900	585–604	558–578
66th CCE	2021	612–634 / 900	590–610	565–582

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BPSC Officer Salary Structure (7th Pay Commission)

Post	Pay Level	Basic Pay	Gross Monthly (approx.)
SDO / Rural Dev. Officer	Level 10	₹56,100	₹1,00,000 – ₹1,15,000
Dy. SP / BDO	Level 9	₹53,100	₹95,000 – ₹1,08,000
Revenue/Circle Officer	Level 7	₹44,900	₹80,000 – ₹92,000
Supply Inspector	Level 6	₹35,400	₹65,000 – ₹75,000

Additional perks: Government quarter/HRA, official vehicle for field postings, medical facilities, LTC, children's education allowance.

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Preparation Strategy for BPSC 71st CCE Mains 2026

For Mains (April 25–30, 2026)

Bihar-Specific GK (Crucial Differentiator):

• Bihar Ek Parichay by Imtiaz Ahmed — best comprehensive Bihar GK book
• Bihar government's official website for scheme details
• Speedy Bihar GK — quick facts compilation
• Past 1 year Bihar-specific current affairs from local newspapers (Prabhat Khabar, Hindustan)

General Studies 1 (History + Geography + Polity + Economy):

• Modern Indian History: Spectrum (Rajiv Ahir)
• Bihar History: Bihar through the Ages (standard reference)
• Geography: NCERT Classes 11–12 + Bihar geography supplementary notes
• Indian Polity: M. Laxmikanth (Indian Polity) — Chapters on Constitutional frameworks
• Indian Economy: Ramesh Singh — Chapter on poverty, planning, agriculture

General Studies 2 (Science + Current Affairs):

• General Science: Lucent's GK (Science section)
• Current Affairs: Pratiyogita Darpan Bihar Edition + monthly compilation
• Bihar schemes: Bihar government portal

Optional Subject:

• Focus on scoring high in your Optional — toppers typically score 200+/300 in Optional
• Previous year Optional papers are crucial for understanding question patterns

Daily Routine for Mains Preparation

Time	Activity
6:00–7:30 AM	Bihar-specific GK revision
8:00–10:00 AM	General Studies 1 — History or Geography
10:30 AM–12:30 PM	General Studies 2 — Science or Current Affairs
2:00–4:30 PM	Optional Subject — concept reading
5:00–6:30 PM	Answer writing practice (1 GS answer + 1 Optional answer daily)
8:00–9:00 PM	Current Affairs — Bihar news + national news

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BPSC vs. UPPSC — Key Comparison

Parameter	BPSC	UPPSC
State	Bihar	Uttar Pradesh
Prelims Pattern	150 MCQs	150 MCQs (2 papers)
Mains Structure	GS1 + GS2 + Optional (900)	GS1–GS4 + HGS + Optional (1500)
Bihar/UP Focus	Strong Bihar component	Strong UP component
Average Vacancies	300–700	400–600
Cut-Off Trend	Moderate	Moderate-High

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Official Resources & Links

Resource	Link
BPSC Official Website	bpsc.bih.nic.in
Online Application System	onlinebpsc.bihar.gov.in
Admit Card Download	onlinebpsc.bihar.gov.in
Syllabus PDF	BPSC Syllabus
Previous Papers	BPSC Question Papers
Result Portal	BPSC Results

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Last Updated: April 2026 | Source: Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), Government of Bihar

All dates and data are sourced from official BPSC notifications. Verify with bpsc.bih.nic.in for real-time updates.