Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) – Pattern | 29 Jan 2025

Introduction 

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) conducts the RAS/RTS exam for filling up Group A and Group B vacancies in the state administrative machinery. The RAS Exam is officially referred to as ‘Rajasthan State and Subordinate Services Combined Examination’. This examination encompasses both State Civil Services and Subordinate Services, offering a comprehensive and esteemed pathway to a rewarding career in public service.

RPSC-RAS Exam Pattern  

• The examination is conducted in three stages: 
  • Preliminary Stage  
  • Mains Examination 
  • Interview 
• Each stage follows a distinct pattern aimed at thoroughly assessing the candidates' aptitude, knowledge, and personality. 
• The complete pattern of the examination is outlined below. 

• Selection and Recruitment: 
  • Candidates who qualify in the Prelims and Mains are shortlisted for the Interview. 
  • Those who clear the Interview round are eligible for recruitment to the posts they have applied for. 

Prelims Exam Pattern 

• The RPSC RAS Prelims exam will be a multiple-choice question (MCQ) based exam. 

RPSC RAS Prelims Exam Pattern Details  

• Negative Marking and 5th option: In the RPSC-RAS recruitment exams, candidates are now required to answer every question, as leaving a question unanswered will result in negative marking.  
  • To accommodate this, the Commission has introduced a 5th option for candidates who are uncertain about an answer. 
  • Candidates must mark their chosen answer by filling one of the five circles on the OMR sheet using a blue ballpoint pen. Selecting one option is mandatory for each question. 
  • If a candidate does not know the answer, they must mark the fifth option. Failure to select any option will incur a penalty of 1/3 marks per question. 
  • Furthermore, if a candidate leaves more than 10% of the questions unanswered (without marking any option), they will be disqualified from the examination.  
  • To ensure fairness and minimize tampering with the OMR sheet post-examination, candidates will be allotted an additional 10 minutes to fill in their answers. 
• Qualification Criteria: Candidates will qualify for the RPSC RAS Prelims and proceed to the Mains exam only if they meet the cutoff scores set by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission. 
  • The marks obtained in Prelims are not added in the final score which contains the marks of the Mains (written) exam or interview. 
• Language: The RPSC RAS Prelims question paper is available in both Hindi and English languages. 

Mains Exam Pattern 

• As per the RPSC RAS Mains marks division, papers 1, 2, 3 and 4 are 200 marks each. 
• Candidates who qualify for the RPSC RAS Mains Exam by meeting the specified cut-off will be eligible to appear for the RPSC RAS interview. 
• The written examination will consist of the following four papers which will be descriptive/analytical. A candidate must take all the paper listed below which will also consist of a question paper of brief, medium, long answer and descriptive type questions. The standard of General Hindi and General English will be that of Sr. Secondary level. The time allowed for each paper shall be 3 hours.

• The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be fifteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year through the examination but in the said range all those candidates who secure the same marks as may be fixed by the Commission for any lower range will be admitted to the Main Examination. 
• The Candidates appearing in the main examination shall be required to obtain minimum 10% marks in each paper and 15% marks in aggregate out of the total marks of all papers in the main examination to qualify for appearing in personality and viva voce examination. 
  • Provided:- 
    • That relaxation of 5% in such minimum marks shall be given to the candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Categories. 

Paper I: General Studies - I 

The RPSC RAS mains exam paper 1 exam consists of questions such as history and economy of the country. The Paper 1 is divided into three parts such as Part A, B and C where each part contains 25, 16 and 7 questions respectively.

Paper II: General Studies - II 

The RPSC RAS mains exam paper 2 exam consists of questions such as geography of state and country. The RPSC RAS Mains GS 2 paper will be of 200 marks.

Paper III: General Studies - III 

The RPSC RAS mains exam paper 3 exam consists of questions such as current affairs and Indian political system. The RPSC RAS Mains GS 3 paper will be of 200 marks.

Paper IV: General Hindi and General English

The RPSC RAS mains exam paper 4 exam consists of questions such as current affairs and Indian political system. The RPSC RAS Mains GS 4 paper will be of 200 marks.

Interview  

• RPSC RAS interview is the last stage for candidates appearing in the examination. Only those candidates who qualify for RPSC RAS prelims and mains will be eligible to appear for the interview round.  
• A total of 100 marks were fixed for the interview in this exam of RPSC RAS. 
• The Merit list is prepared on the basis of the aggregate of marks obtained in the mains examination and interview.