WBPSC 2020 – Exam Date, Admit Card, Syllabus, Result

The WBPSC or the West Bengal Public Service Commission has issued a notification for West Bengal civil service examinations 2020 on its official website.

Interested candidates can refer to the advertisement and start applying for the same. In this article, candidates will receive full information about PSCWB 2020 exam important dates, application form details and the steps to apply, fee details, eligibility conditions, exam pattern, syllabus, vacancies, cut off marks, result availability, some essential preparation tips and finally suggestive books recommended for the exam.

WBPSC 2020 – Exam Dates

Candidates must note the following dates to apply for the examination well before the deadline:

(Candidates should note that for offline mode of fee payment, the challan should be generated well in advance before midnight of 25-11-2019.)

WBPSC 2020 Application form

• The application form can be submitted only in the online mode.
• Candidates who submit more than one application for the examination will be disqualified.
• Candidates must enter their preference of services they are applying for, with care. Once entered, the choice can’t be altered at a later stage.

Please read the below instructions to fill the online application form carefully

• Access the homepage of WBPSC.
• Click on the tab indicating an online application form.
• Register and login on the website.
• Enter all relevant details with correctness. Enter only that information that is supported by proofs or documents.
• Entering all data in the first part completes part 1 of the application.
• Check all the details twice and submit them. A reference id will be created.
• Check part 2 of the application with login details.
• Enter fee details – online/ offline mode of payment, etc.
• Upload all relevant documents pertaining to details entered, plus scanned the latest photograph and scanned signature of the candidate.
• After all, entries are accurate, click on the submit button.
• All data is thus recorded in the application form, and the same would be submitted to the commission.
• Candidates should make a note of the reference if for all future uses.

Application Fees

The application fee for each category varies and the same has been given for quick reference:

• For general category plus other backward classes – INR 210. ( additional service charge of 1% to be paid in case of online submission)
• For SC/ST candidates – No fees.
• Persons with disabilities having more than 40% of disability rate – No fees.

Mode of applying for the exam

Candidates can apply in two modes for the exam- online and offline modes.

• Online mode – Fees can be paid via internet banking/ debit card/ credit card etc.
• Offline mode – Fees to be remitted in any of the recognized SBI branches upon which challan will be issued. Challan number to be entered in the online application.

WBPSC 2020 Admit card

• The admit card for WBPSC shall be available on the official website for download from 27th January 2020 onwards.
• The admit card contains important details related to the candidate like name, date of the exam, time and duration and exam center, and venue.
• It is compulsory for all candidates to carry the admit card to the examination hall.
• The admit card should be accompanied by a valid government-issued photo ID card/ document to the exam hall.

Steps to download admit card

• Log into the official website using correct login details.
• Click on the tab indicating the download of admit card.
• Enter registration number, date of birth, and captcha code, if any.
• Download the admit card.
• Print/save as pdf for future references.

WBPSC Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

• All citizens of India are eligible to take up the examination.
• The exam is open to interstate candidates as well, owing to certain standard conditions.

Education qualifications

• Graduation or equivalent from a recognized university.
• Candidates must have the ability to understand, read, write, and also speak in the Bengali language.
• Candidates whose native language is Nepali are barred from the requirement of knowing the Bengali language.

Age Limit

• Candidates should be above 21 years and below 32 years as on 1st August 2020 to appear for the exam.

Age Relaxation

Age relaxation is not applicable to unreserved category candidates. It is only applicable to reserved category candidates. Below are the details of age relaxation for different categories:

• For SC/ST candidates – 5 years in upper age limit specification.
• For backward classes candidates belonging to non-creamy layer – 3 years in upper age limit specification.

Number of attempts

There is no specific information regarding the number of attempts a candidate can make, but they should strictly stick to the upper age limit specified in the official notification.

WBPSC 2020 Exam Pattern

• The WBPSC civil services exam is a three-tier exam consisting of two written rounds and an interview round.
• The written exams include the preliminary round and the main exam rounds.

Prelims

• The marks obtained in the preliminary exam are not considered for totaling in the final merit list.
• The preliminary round is only qualifying in nature, and it screens candidates to move ahead for the next main exam round.
• The time duration of the exam is 150 minutes.
• Question paper is purely objective type.
• Total number of questions asked: 200.
• Total marks of the prelims exam: 200 marks.

Mains

• Descriptive type of questions.
• Total number of papers: 8.
• Six compulsory papers and 1 optional subject consisting of 2 papers.
• Each paper will carry 200 marks.
• Each paper is conducted for a duration of 3 hours.

Interview/ personality test round

• All candidates who successfully clear the main round of examination will be called in for the next round of interview/personality test.
• Marks obtained in the interview round will be calculated and considered for shortlisting.
• The total marks comprising the main exam and interview round will decide the ranking of the candidate in the final list.

WBPSC Syllabus 

We have provided a summary of the most important and significant parts of the syllabus in this section. For downloading the complete syllabus, kindly refer to this link.

Prelims

The prelims round will contain 200 objective type questions with multiple choice answers. Each question carries 1 mark, and hence, the total marks are 200. The most important topics covered in the prelims paper are listed below for reference:

• General English composition – synonyms, antonyms, and grammar-based questions.
• General science topics – elementary science concepts and applications.
• Current affairs at local, national, and international levels – social, economic, and political news.
• History of India with importance to freedom struggle movement – ancient, medieval, and modern history.
• Geography of India and geographical features of West Bengal in particular – physical, social and economical geography, natural resources, agriculture, etc.
• Indian politics and economical studies – Indian community system, panchayat raj, country’s political functionary, etc
• Indian independence struggle and freedom movement – Indian national movement, important leaders and events, rallies, movements, etc
• Questions on reasoning and general ability plus data interpretation types – logical perception/understanding. Skills in numerical abilities.

(Each section carries approximately 25 marks coverage in the examination paper)

Mains

The syllabus for the main examination has been tabulated below in brief:

Interview

• Questions of general awareness and current events can be expected.
• The panel will test the alertness and grasping capacity of candidates.
• The clarity in thinking and understanding, plus logical aspects of the working of the candidate will be assessed.
• Intellectual capabilities and questions on moral grounds can be asked.
• Leadership qualities and capability to lead high-rise roles.
• Questions on self-interest/ hobbies.
• Questions based on the optional chosen in the main exam.

Cut off

• The Cut off marks for the examination varies every year.
• Cut off marks are decided by the authorities after conducting the exam.
• It is decided based on the number of candidates applied, the number of vacant positions, etc.

Approximate cut off for 2020 is listed below:

• For unreserved categories, cut off marks could be predicted for 2020 as 110 marks.
• For SC, the range could be 98 to 100 marks.
• For ST, the range could be between 75 to 80.
• For OBC, it could be around 105. 

Results

 The results for the exam after completion of each phase shall be updated on the official website. Students can check the site to see if the results are announced. Results will be announced in three stages – for prelims, mains, and after the interview round.

Here are the steps to view your marks and download your mark sheet:

1. On the home page of PSCWB, click on the link that will provide results.
2. Under the name of the exam, select the exam that you have applied for.
3. Enter your correct registration number, date of birth, and captcha code, if any.
4. Fetch your mark sheet to view your marks.
5. Print/ save a pdf copy of the mark sheet for future references.

PSCWB Vacancies 2020

The vacancies for different posts under each group are yet to be announced by the commission. Below we give a brief look at the various posts vacant.

Preparation tips for West Bengal Public Service Exam

• Every topic in the syllabus is very important. Therefore do not leave behind any topic.
• General reading in newspapers and magazines apart from prescribed books is highly recommended.
• Stay updated with the change in the syllabus.
• Refer to previous year question papers to get a better idea of the question paper scheme.
• Mark all key points from study notes as well as from previous year papers.
• Take up online assessments and mock test series to improve your performance levels.
• Self-assessment, through reviewing answers after attempting, is a good practice.
• Before beginning actual preparation, go through in detail, all elementary concepts and basics learned in schools and college levels.
• Minimum 6 hours per day for at least five months is highly recommended.
• Balance and devote equal amounts of time to various sections of the exam.
• Improve your speed and accuracy levels.

Best books for PSCWB

• NCERT Class 11 and 12 History and Geography books
• Must refer to Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning by R.S Agarwal.
• Reference book pertaining to Objective General English by S.P Bakshi
• Current Affairs could be studied from Pratiyogita Darpan and Malayala Manorama Yearbook magazine.
• History could be studied from Bharoter Itihas by Dr. Atul Chandra Roy
• For Indian Polity, refer book by M Laxmikanth
• Book on Indian Economy by author Ramesh Singh
• Refer to Mac Book for General Mental Ability for general aptitude questions.
• Handy book on Phrasal Verbs Dictionary – 2nd Edition by Cambridge Dictionary
• (Standard book )All Competitive Exams Idioms & Phrases collection – 2nd Edition by author Roshan Tolani 

Are you aspiring to attempt UPSC examination? Read this article: UPSC IAS EXAM