West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) Exam – Pattern

• 04 Mar 2025

Introduction 

The West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) is responsible for conducting recruitment to various subordinate services, including posts related to state-specific administration. 

The WBPSC conducted the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) Exam for recruitment to state government, semi-government, judicial, state forest services, and other subordinate services within West Bengal. 

• The examination is divided into four groups—A, B, C, and D—each catering to different services.  

WBCS Exam Pattern Overview 

• The WBCS examination comprises three distinct stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Each stage is designed with a unique pattern to test the candidates' aptitude, knowledge, and personality comprehensively.  
• Below is the detailed structure of the WBCS exam: 

Stage	Key Features	Number of Papers	Marks	Details
Prelims	Objective in Nature	1	200	Assesses general awareness, reasoning ability, and analytical skills
Mains	Descriptive examination for candidates qualifying for the Prelims	8	1600	Evaluates in-depth knowledge across various subjects, including general studies, essay writing, and optional subjects
Interview	Final stage to assess candidates' suitability for public service	-	Group A & B: 200 Marks	Evaluates personality, communication skills, confidence, and understanding of administrative roles
			Group C: 150 Marks
			Group D: 100 Marks

• 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  

Subject	Total Questions	Total Marks	Exam Duration	Negative Marking
General Studies	200	200	2.5 Hours	1/4th marks of the correct answer (0.25 Marks)

• Qualification Criteria: Candidates will qualify the WBCS Prelims and proceed to the Mains exam only if they pass GS paper and meet the cutoff scores set by the WBPSC. 
  • The marks obtained in Prelims are not added in the final score which takes into account the marks of the Main (written) exam and interview. 
• Language: The WBCS Prelims question paper will be available in both Bengali and English languages.

Mains Exam Pattern 

• As per the WBCS Mains marks division, there are six Compulsory papers and one optional subject consisting of two papers (Only for candidates applying for group A and group B). 

Paper Type	Paper Name	Marks	Duration	Format of Paper
Compulsory	1. Paper - I (Language)	200	3 Hours	Descriptive
	2. Paper - II (English)	200	3 Hours	Descriptive
	3. General Studies - I	200	3 Hours	Objective
	4. General Studies - II	200	3 Hours	Objective
	5. The Constitution of India and Indian Economy (Including RBI)	200	3 Hours	Objective
	6. Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning	200	3 Hours	Objective
Optional Subject	1. Paper I	200	3 Hours	Objective
	2. Paper II	200	3 Hours	Objective

• Objective type papers will need to be answered on OMR answer sheets.  
• Candidates who qualify the WBCS Mains Exam by meeting the specified cut-off will be eligible to appear for the interview.  

Interview

• WBCS interview is the last stage for candidates appearing in the examination. Only those candidates who qualify WBCS prelims and mains will be eligible to appear for the interview round.

Note: No separate Personality Test will be held for different groups viz. Group-‘A’, Group-‘B’, Group-‘C’ and Group-‘D’ in respect of a candidate. Marks will be awarded according to different services against allotted full marks for Personality Test.