PPSC 2020 – Apply Online, Admit Card, Syllabus, Exam Date

The PPSC or Punjab Public Service Commission conducts the civil service examination to fill up vacancies at various state-level administrative posts in the administrative section for the year 2020. Candidates who are desirous of applying for the various posts should make an application via the official website well before the deadline by reading through all the eligibility conditions.

Here in this article, we give a detailed overview of the PPSC 2020 notification, including important dates, the online application process, application fee, admit card details, exam pattern, syllabus, cut off, results and vacancies, preparation tips, and the most important and recommended books for reference. The official website of the commission is ppsc.gov.in

PPSC 2020 – Important Dates

The exact dates when the PPSC civil service exam will be conducted in the year 2020 will be out soon. Candidates have to keep track of the dates and apply well before the deadline is reached. Any attempts made to process applications or to pay fees after the deadline shall not be entertained whatsoever by the commission. Here are a few important dates related to the exam.

PPSC 2020 Application Form – Apply Online

Candidates have to submit an online application form to apply to the positions of civil service vacancies in the PPSC exam 2020. Along with the application form, Candidates have to keep certain necessary documents ready to be verified later on. All details entered in the application form shall thus be verifiable by the commission at any stage of the exam. 

Steps to submit an ONLINE application form

• Browse through the homepage of the PPSC official site.
• All candidates need to create a login on the website to register them.
• After registering, login to the website.
• Click on the application form for PPSC civil services exam 2020.
• Enter all candidate details like name, contact details, educational qualification and career details.
• Enter any other information needed in the application form.
• Upload scanned copy of candidate photograph and candidate signature into the application form. 
• Cross check and verify all details twice.
• Submit the application. 
• Obtain acknowledgment for submission and receive a reference id that is unique to each candidate. 
• Save the reference id for all future references.
• Save/download/print the submitted application form.

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

Application Fees

The application fee is not common among all categories. We cite the different fee slabs for various categories. Candidates have to pay both online application charges plus examination fees for the exam.

Fees can be remitted in two ways

• Online Mode – Through net banking/debit/credit card usage.
• Offline Mode- By first paying the requisite fee in cash at any SBI branch and then citing challan number in the ONLINE application form.

PPSC Admit Card 2020

• The admit card for candidates will be made available a few days before the examination on the official website.
• Candidates have to first login to the website.
• Candidates can then click on the link that will allow them to download the admit card.
• Enter all valid student details like registration number, date of birth, and captcha code, if any.
• The admit card shall be displayed after the validation of student details.
• Once the admit card is visible, candidates can download/print the admit card.

Candidates have to compulsorily carry the admit card to the examination hall without fail. Upon not rendering the admit card, the candidate may not be allowed to appear for the examination. 

PPSC Eligibility Criteria

There are various eligibility conditions that a candidate needs to satisfy in order to be eligible to appear in the exam. Not fulfilling the criteria specified by the commission may lead to disqualification of the candidate at any stage of the examination process. 

Nationality 

• Candidates who are citizens of India can apply for the exam.
• Candidates who are citizens of Bhutan and Nepal can also apply for the exam. 

Educational Qualification 

• Candidates should have completed a minimum of 3 years of bachelor’s degree/ graduation to apply for the exam. 
• The degree thus obtained should be from a recognized university of India under the UGC Act.
• Also, any degree that is equivalent to graduation that is recognized by the government of India is permitted by the commission. 

Age Limit

• The general age limit for PPSC civil services exam 2020 is 21 to 37 years.
• For the post of DSP in Punjab police service, however, the minimum age limit is specified as 28 years by the commission. 

Relaxation in Age limit 

• For personnel serving in the state government of Punjab/ central government services, age relaxation is up to 47 years.
• For SC/ST/backward classes of Punjab – 5 years in upper age limit ( Not applicable for DSP post) 
• For widows/divorcees of Punjab state – up to 42 years. (Not applicable for DSP post)
• For persons with disabilities – 10 years in upper age limit ( Not applicable for DSP post) 

Number of attempts 

• Generally, candidates are allowed to attempt the exam for a maximum of 4 times.
• For ex-servicemen, the number of attempts is 3 times. 

Physical standards specification 

All candidates who have applied for the post of DSP have to compulsorily specify the minimum height and chest measurement standards as specified by the commission. The specifications are as follows:

CHEST Measurement: This eligibility is only for men- Unexpanded – 33 inches and Expanded – 34.5 cm

Minimum HEIGHT: The eligibility for men is 7 feet, and for women is 5 feet 3 inches.

PPSC Exam Pattern 2020

The PPSC civil services exam 2020 consists of three rounds – prelims, mains, and the interview. 

Preliminary Round 

• The exam consists of two papers. 
• They are the general studies paper and the civil services aptitude paper.
• Both are objective types of papers.
• Candidates have to attempt both papers compulsorily. 
• The marks obtained in both papers are only for qualifying purposes.
• Marks shall not be counted for final consideration of preparing a rank list of candidates. 

Mains Exam Round 

• There are 9 papers in the main exam.
• All papers are subjective in nature. 
• Total marks of the mains exam – 1000 marks.
• The exam consists of compulsory and optional subjects. 

Total marks for mains is 900 marks 

Interview  

• The interview round is carried out for a total of 100 marks. 
• The interview round assesses the students for his interpersonal skills. 
• The total conceptual understanding of the subject and domain knowledge of the chosen optional are screened during the interview round.
• Candidates are also tested for their ability to think intellectually, their level of grasping, knowledge of core subjects, etc. 

PPSC Syllabus 2020

The brief syllabus for each round of the examination is indicated below. Candidates can download the complete syllabus in PDF format.

Prelims  

For General Studies paper

• General and a basic understanding of science concepts
• Indian history
• Geography of India and the world.
• Environmental studies.
• Indian polity and administration.
• Governance and bureaucracy.
• Economics and financial studies.
• Sports and IT field. 

For CSAT paper

• General and logical reasoning.
• Data interpretation.
• Data analysis.
• Numerical problems.
• Statistics and related problems.
• Problems on heights and measurements, etc

Mains Exam

Paper 1: General English language 

• Vocabulary and grammar
• Verbs, idioms, and tenses
• Phrase corrections
• Sentence completion
• Paragraph writing
• Precise writing

Paper 2: General Punjabi language

• Essay writing
• Letter writing
• Grammatical concepts
• Language quotes and explanations
• Descriptive writing
• Paragraph and precise writing 

Paper 3: General Essay

Candidates will be asked to write essays on selected topics. They will be offered choices for topics. Candidates have to write essays by maintaining the word limit specified. 

Paper 4: General Aptitude 1

• History and geographical studies.
• Language and culture of India.
• Detailed study of the state of Punjab
• Constitution and law-making
• Governance and international relations. 

Paper 5: General Aptitude 2 

• Studies on the environment 
• Science and technology
• Case studies and problem-solving techniques
• Statistics
• Graphs and related problems 

Interview round

• Candidates will be presented questions on various topics related to their level of understanding 
• Personality test and test to assess one’s suitability and understanding for higher managerial roles.

Cut off

• The cut off specified for candidates to enter the mains exam from the prelims is that the candidate needs to score marks thirteen times higher than the total availability of positions in the current vacancy. 
• Cut off marks vary every year, and it is also dependent on the number of vacant positions, which again keeps changing every year. 
• The number of candidates who applied and the number who cleared also help in determining the cut off ranges for the current year. 

PPSC Results 

• Results shall be announced after every round of examination. 
• The prelims round results shall be announced first, followed by the mains and then the interview round.

 Steps to check results are given below

• Visit the official site and login into the website
• Go to the results section
• Enter valid registration id, date of birth, and any other details required.
• Check your results by clicking on submit button
• Take a print copy/download mark sheet. 

Candidates are also advised to check the answer key that will be made available after the results are published. They can cross-check and verify their answers and avoid any confusion in the scores they obtained by the use of answer keys. 

PPSC Vacancy 2020

The PPSC civil service exams 2020 are conducted for recruitment to various posts like:

• Deputy Superintendent of Police or DSP
• Tehsildar
• Block Development and Panchayat officer
• Deputy Superintendent of Jails
• District probation officer
• Other posts

The exact number of vacancies will be notified in the official notification soon. 

Preparation tips for PPSC civil service exam

• The syllabus is vast and comprehensive. Preparation should begin at least 8 to 9 months prior to the exam.
• Choose optional subjects wisely. 
• There are two optional subjects, hence select them based on your degree level of specialization and your aptitude/comfortability in the subject.
• Learning the Punjabi language is a must to clear the exam, be well versed with the language and its different forms.
• Learn and be well informed about the detailed aspects of Punjab state.
• Attempt mock tests and previous year question papers.
• Each topic of the exam is important. Allocate quality time to each one of them.
• Current affairs are a popular topic in PPSC exams. Almost three papers cover the current affairs to a vast extent.
• Assess key, and important topics asked over the years. 
• Make good notes for all the important and key learning areas. 

Most important and recommended books for PPSC Civil service exam

• Lucent General knowledge series
• Arihant Publications for reference on multiple-choice questions ( General knowledge and current affairs)
• Certificate Physical and Human Geography
• Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
• History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
• Efforts towards green India by Arihant Publications
• Indian Polity 4th edition by M Laxmikanth
• Sada Punjab (For total and detailed knowledge about Punjab State). 
• NCERT textbooks

Also, Read Other State Civil Services 2020 Articles