HPPSC 2020 – Notification, Apply Online, Syllabus, Results

The HPPSC or Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission conducts the combined civil service examination to recruit for various vacancies in the state administrative positions of the state of Himachal Pradesh.

The HP SET exam is popularly conducted by releasing official notification on the website hppsc.hp.gov.in. Candidates who are desirous of applying for the exam should check the official website for timely updates and apply within the deadline to attend the examination.

The article provided below throws detailed insights into various aspects of the HPPSC 2020 exam like important dates, the application process, application fee, admit card details, eligibility conditions, exam pattern, syllabus, cut off, results, vacancies, preparation tips and recommended list of books.

HPPSC 2020 – Important Dates

The HPPSC conducts exams for civil service positions, and the notification for 2020 is yet to be released.

The most important exam dates are given below:

HPPSC Online Application Form 2020

All Candidates have to apply to the HPPSC civil services exam 2020 in the ONLINE mode only. The commission shall accept no other mode of application. All applicants should note the official release date of notification and deadline to apply for the exam.

The following steps guide the students in the ONLINE application process

• Visit the official site and register on the website.
• Create a valid login id and password.
• Enter the tab to apply for HPPSC civil service exam 2020.
• Enter all valid and verifiable details in the application form.
• Enter all compulsory and related information on the form.
• Upload photograph and signature along with the form.
• Submit the form after verifying details entered.
• Receive reference id and acknowledgment.
• Save a copy/ take a print of the submitted application form.

Intrested candidates trying to attempt IAS Exam? Read this article: IAS Exam. 

Application Fees

The application fee can be remitted in two ways, in ONLINE mode via direct net banking facilities/credit card/ debit card usage. In OFFLINE mode, by remitting requisite cash in SBI Branch and later entering challan number into ONLINE Application form.

Fee Details

Fee may vary from candidate to candidate and also based on the category that he belongs to. Here is the indicative list provided below:

• For General category: INR 400
• For SC/ST/OBC: INR 100
• For persons with disabilities: INR 100
• For below poverty line candidates: INR 100
• For ex-servicemen – Nil.

HPPSC Admit Card 2020

Candidates have to visit the official site for updates on the date to download the admit card. Usually, they admit card will be made available around ten days before the commencement of the prelims examination. 

The admit card is a mandatory document to be carried to the exam hall without fail. Those candidates who fail to show the admit card at the time of examination shall not be allowed to take up the examination. The admit card carries all essential details of the candidate and other details like exam venue and timings. 

Candidates are advised to keep a duplicate copy for safety. Also, the admit card must be accompanied by a valid document that gives proof of the ID of the candidate.

Candidates can follow these steps to download the admit card from the official website:

• Login into the official website
• See if the link to download admits card has been activated.
• If yes, then enter the link to be taken to the download section.
• In this window, enter valid registration number, date of birth, and captcha code, if any.
• Upon successful validation, the admit card will be displayed.
• Download the admit card.

HPPSC Eligibility 2020 

Candidates have to fulfill certain criteria to attempt the exam. All candidates should go through the eligibility criteria in detail and see that they qualify the minimum conditions laid down in the official notification. Any candidate failing to qualify minimum conditions prescribed by the commission shall be deemed to be disqualified without further notice. Disqualification of candidates failing to heed to minimum eligibility conditions can take place at any level of the process.

Nationality

• All Indian citizens are eligible to apply for HP SET civil services exam 2020.

Age Limit

• Minimum age criteria: 21 years
• Maximum age criteria: 25 years

Educational Qualification

• Candidates have to possess a minimum bachelor’s degree of three years recognized by the government of India to be able to apply for the examination.
• All Candidates who possess a qualification equivalent to 3 years of bachelor’s degree/ graduation level degree recognized by the government of India are capable of applying to the examination.

Age relaxation

• For SC/ST candidates – 5 years in upper age limit
• For OBC Candidates and persons with disabilities – 5 years in upper age limit
• For ex-servicemen- 5 years in upper age limit

HPPSC Exam Pattern 2020 

The detailed exam pattern of the HPPSC civil services exam 2020 consists of the prelims round, the mains round, and the interview round.

Prelims 

• Exam consists of two papers.
• Both papers are objective type papers based on multiple-choice questions.
• General studies paper is the 1st paper. It will be conducted for 200 marks for a total of 100 questions.
• Aptitude test paper is the 2nd paper and will be conducted for 200 marks for a total of 100 questions.
• Both papers are conducted for two hours each.
• Negative marking is applicable for choosing wrong answers.

Mains

• There are a total of 8 papers in the mains round of the exam.
• Only those candidates who qualify in the prelims round will be allowed to attempt the mains exam.
• Each paper will be carried out for three hours each.
• The list of subjects are:
  • Essay paper
  • General English
  • General Hindi
  • General Studies paper 1
  • General studies paper 2
  • General studies paper 3
  • Optional subject 1 paper 1
  • Optional subject 1 paper 2
• The marks obtained in the mains exam shall be considered for the final tallying of marks.

Interview

• Based on the marks obtained in the mains examination, candidates will be selected for the next round of exam – interview process.
• The total marks calculated by taking the mains paper plus the interview round shall be the grand total marks for preparing the rank list.

HPPSC Syllabus 2020

All candidates are requested to study and understand the complete syllabus before applying for the exam. The complete and detailed list of the syllabus is available in PDF format, and candidates can download the same. The brief syllabus of each exam paper is indicated below:

Prelims 

For General studies paper

• History, geography, and politics
• Art, language, and culture of Himachal Pradesh
• Socio-economic development of Himachal Pradesh
• Panchayat Raj
• Public policymaking
• Poverty alleviation and social sector development.’
• Environment, ecology and biodiversity, etc

For General aptitude paper

• Communication and vocabulary
• Analytical skills
• Logical and analytical reasoning
• Data interpretation
• Data sufficiency questions
• General mental ability
• Problems on charts and graphs, etc

Mains Exam

For Essay paper

• Candidates will be given a choice of topics to select from.
• They are expected to respect the word count specified in the paper.
• Essay can be written in Hindi/English language
• Candidates are required to relate to the central theme in connection with the topic.

For General English paper

• Basic understanding of English language
• Word usage skills
• Reasoning type of questions
• Ability to compare between different parameters
• Passage reading
• Precise writing

For General Hindi paper

• Concise writing in Hindi ( Devanagari script)
• Translation from English to Hindi
• Explanation questions
• Questions in both prose and poetry
• Sentence corrections
• Quotes
• Compositions

For General Studies paper 1

• Current affairs
• General knowledge
• Current events of local, national and international importance
• History of India
• Freedom struggle and Indian national movement
• Gandhian studies

For General studies paper 2

• Geography of India
• Indian cultural trends over the previous years
• International relations and policymaking
• Indian economy
• Environmental studies
• Ecology and conservation of forests, land development, and wildlife
• Fairs in Himachal Pradesh
• Important freedom fighters of Himachal Pradesh

For General studies paper 3

• Constitution of India
• Indian administration
• Indian polity and governance
• Fiscal allocations and budgeting
• Five year plans
• Policies and implementations, etc
• Sports and IT development.

Interview

• A panel of interviewers will question candidates on various topics related to the choice of his subjects.
• Based on subject knowledge and current events, candidates will be screened.
• Communication skills, interpersonal skills, and group discussion skills also matter.
• Ability to manage things at the level of civil service officers shall also be a parameter to assess the candidates’ suitability to the services.

Cut off

• The cut off marks in the prelims examination is twenty times the number of post available to be filled in by the commission.
• Cut off marks for the mains shall also be decided by the commission, and the same shall be notified on the official website after the declaration of results.
• Every year the cut off marks shall be subject to change.
• IT depends on number of factors and shall be finally decided at the discretion of the commission.

HPPSC Results

• Results shall be announced after every round of the examination.
• The prelims result shall be announced first. The marks only for qualifying into the mains round.
• The mains and the interview decide the final ranking.
• The final order of the ranking list shall be prepared based on the preferences quoted by the applicant at the time of making the application. The allocation of posts depends upon these criteria.

Steps to check results on the official site

• Login into the website.
• Check for the link that displays the results of the exam.
• Click on the link.
• In the new window, enter registration details, date of birth, and captcha code, if any.
• Results shall be displayed.
• Check for any discrepancies.
• Download/print the mark sheet.

Compare your results against the answer keys provided by the commission after announcing the results. Candidates can assess their performance easily with the help of answer keys.

HPPSC Vacancies 2020

The number of vacant positions of HPPSC civil service exams varies every year. Some of the vacant positions for which the HPPSC conducts the civil service exams are given below:

• Himachal Pradesh administrative services
• Himachal Pradesh Police services
• District controller
• Food civil supplies and consumer affairs officer
• Tehsildar
• Block development officers
• Other posts

(The total and exact number of vacant positions shall be notified in the official notification)

Preparation tips

• Read the syllabus thoroughly
• Refer to standard sources of textbooks for studies
• Be updated about current affairs
• Refer newspapers and magazines to be updated about current affairs
• Solve previous year exam papers
• Collect comprehensive information and data about Himachal Pradesh state
• Allot equal time for the preparation of various sets of papers.
• Distribute more time to general studies paper as it forms the bulk of the syllabus
• Practice good essay writing techniques
• Time management is important to cover each section and each topic correctly and in detail.

Best recommended list of books for HP SET civil services exam

Here is the indicative list of books that could be referred for HPPSC civil services exam 2020:

• The Wonderland Himachal by Jag Mohan Bhalokhra
• History, culture, and economy of Himachal Pradesh by Mian Govardhan Singh
• The Wonder that was India
• NCERT textbooks from 6th standard to 12th standard
• From Plessey to Partition: History of Modern India
• Indian Art and Culture: Nitin Singhania
• Facets of Indian culture by Spectrum series
• IGNOU Study material on Indian Heritage
• Introduction to Indian constitution by D Basu
• Yojana and Kurukshetra magazines

Also, Read Other State Civil Services 2020 Articles