PCS 2024 - Punjab Civil Services Exam : Application Form, Exam Date, Eligibility, Syllabus and Exam Pattern

PCS Exam 2024 - Punjab Civil Services Exam acronym PCS Exam is a combined competitive examination conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala for recruitment to the following services or posts as given below.

Note: The number of vacancies may be increased or decreased by the government without any prior notice at any stage of the selection process.

PCS Exam 2024 Important Dates

Date of Notification and Start of Online Registration

• January-February 2024

Last Date for Submission of Application Form

• Mid-February 2024 (depending on notification)

Date of Entrance Exam

• May-June 2024 (depending on notification)

Date of Declaration of Result

• 2-3 months after the exam

PCS Exam 2024 Eligibility 

Educational Qualification

• Candidates should possess a degree of bachelor in any discipline from a recognized university or institution.
• The candidate can take a preliminary examination while studying for his degree course.
• However, the candidate shall be required to produce proof of passing the degree course for being eligible to take the final examination during that year.
• The candidates must have passed Punjabi of Matric or its equivalent standard as on the last date of receipt of the Online application form.

Age Limit

• Candidates should not be less than 21 years and more than 37 years of age at the time.

Essential Qualifications

• The candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university or institution.
• Provided that the candidate may be permitted to take Preliminary & Competitive Examination while studying for his degree.
• However, the candidate shall be required to produce proof of passing the degree course for being eligible to take the Main Competitive Examination during that year.
• The Candidates must have passed Punjabi of Matric or its equivalent standard as on the last date of receipt of application.

The Age of the candidate shall be between 21 to 37 years with relaxation for reserved categories as per Govt. instructions mentioned below: -

• Provided that in the case of the Punjab Police Service, a candidate should have attained the minimum age of twenty-one years and should not have attained the age of twenty-eight years. 
• However, in the case of candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes of Punjab the age is relaxed up to 5 years as per the Punjab Government. Instructions including the Punjab Police Service.
• The upper age limit for a Punjab Government/Other State Government/Central Government employee will be relaxed up to 47 years.
• Provided that in the case of Punjab Police Service/Punjab Prison Services, a candidate should have attained the minimum age of 21 years and should not have attained the age of 27 years on the first day of the year, referred to above.
• Provided that in the case of Deputy Superintendent of Police, candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes of Punjab are relaxed in age, up to 5 years as per Punjab Government Instructions.
• The upper age limit for a Punjab Government employee, including that of a court, who has not less than four years of continuous service under the Government, will be relaxable up to 45 years.
• The upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable up to a maximum of five years for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of all States and Backward Classes of Punjab.
• The upper age limit for widows, divorcees, and certain other categories of women of Punjab will be relaxable up to 40 years.
• Age relaxation in the upper age limit is up to 10 years for the disabled persons of Punjab.
• An ex-serviceman of Punjab domicile shall be allowed to deduct the period of his service in the Armed Forces of the Union from his actual age and if the resultant age does not exceed the maximum age limit prescribed for direct appointment to such a vacancy in the Service Rules concerned by more than three years, he shall be deemed to satisfy the condition regarding age limit.

Nationality

The candidate should be a:

• Citizen of India; OR
• Citizen of Nepal; OR
• A subject of Bhutan; OR
• Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India; or
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, and East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, and the United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar) Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia, and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India;
• Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (2), (3), (4), and (5) shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of Punjab in the Department of Home Affairs and Justice.

PCS Exam 2024 Syllabus

PCS Exam syllabus both for Preliminary and Main exams will consist of the following topics/subjects as listed below.

Note: The syllabus given here is only for the general guidance of the candidates as per the PPSC advertisement. 

PCS Exam 2024 Pattern

Punjab Civil Service Exam consists of two stages i.e.,

The pattern of Preliminary Exam

The questions shall be answered by candidates on an Optical Marks Reader (OMR) sheet;

All candidates are required to appear in both papers including Ex-servicemen candidates i.e. Paper I and Paper II of the Preliminary Competitive Examination are compulsory.

Note: Although there is No Negative Marking in the preliminary test yet there may be negative marking for any objections to the answer key found false/frivolous/not supported by authentic evidence.

Important: The Preliminary Competitive Examination is designed only to select suitable candidates for the Main Competitive Examination. Marks obtained in the Preliminary Competitive Examination by the candidates, who may be declared qualified for taking the Main Competitive Examination, shall not be counted for determining their final order of merit.

The pattern of PCS Mains Exam

The main examination will consist of a written examination and an interview test. It comprises 7 papers of conventional essay type and an interview such as given below.

The time allowed for all the compulsory 7 papers separately is 3 hours for each.

Important: No candidate shall be eligible to appear in the viva-voce test unless he obtains 45 percent (40% for SC / ST) marks in the aggregate of all subjects including at least 33% in all the subjects.

Very Imp. Candidates can attempt PCS Exam Four Times Only. Any candidate who appeared in the Preliminary exam once is considered an attempt one. 

PCS Exam 2024 Dates

PCS Exam will be held in the month of May-June tentatively. 

How to apply for PCS Exam 2024?

Aspiring candidates can apply for PCS Only Online by visiting the official website of PPSC i.e., www.ppsc.gov.in/. Candidates are not required to send a hard copy of the Online Application Form to the office of the Punjab Public Services Commission.

Note: Candidates must write their Registration Number, Name, and address in a Block Letter on the reverse of the cheques.

PCS Exam 2024 Fees

PCS Exam Fee for various categories will be as follows.

• General Category: Around Rs. 1000/- to Rs. 1500/-
• Other Backward Classes (OBC): Approximately Rs. 500/- to Rs. 1000/-
• Scheduled Castes (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST): Likely free or minimal fee (around Rs. 50/-)
• Persons with Disabilities (PwD): Similar to SC/ST category or minimal fee

PCS Exam 2024 Centres

PCS Exam is held only in the capital city of Chandigarh.

PCS Exam 2024 Contact Details

Punjab Public Service Commission
Baradari Garden
Patiala-147001
Ph: 0175-5014825, 5014826, 5014831
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ppsc.gov.in/