Public Service Commission (PSC)

WBCS Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2020

Candidates who have applied for the West Bengal Civil Service Exam can check out the WBCS Syllabus on this page.

West Bengal Public Service Commission is the body that is responsible for conducting the WBCS Exam. WBCS Exam is conducted in three stages namely Preliminary (200 Marks), Mains (1600 or 1200 Marks) and Interview (200 Marks).

  1. The WBCS Prelims consists of one paper only i.e., General Studies (200 Marks). There is no Aptitude Test, unlike various other state Public Service Commission Exams.
  2. The WBCS Mains Exam has six compulsory papers and one optional subject consisting of two papers (200 Marks for each paper I to VIII).
    1. General Studies I
    2. General Studies II
    3. The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including role and functions of Reserve Bank of India
    4. Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning
  3. Interview (200 Marks)
  4. Optional Subjects are meant to be taken by candidates opting for Group A and Group B services.
  5. The Mains Exam (Conventional/ Essay) is allowed to be taken only in Bengali/ English language.
  6. There is a deduction of 10% of the total marks secured by the candidate if he/she discloses his/her identity by writing his/her roll number/name.

WBCS Syllabus for Prelims Exam

The WBPCS Prelims Exam takes place at various centers in the districts of West Bengal. Darjeeling as a center is allowed to be chosen only by the Scheduled Tribes of the Darjeeling district and by candidates from three hill-divisions: Darjeeling Sadar, Mirik and Kurseong.

The WBCS Prelims Syllabus comprises of eight subjects/ topics. There are 200 (MCQ). Each topic is assigned 25 marks. The duration of the exam is 2.5 hours. The Prelims is only a screening test, and its marks are not considered for final selection. The commission has clearly stated in its notification that the Prelims Exam tests the level of knowledge as that of a graduate of any faculty from any recognized university.

The eight topics given in WBCS Prelims Syllabus are:

  1. English Composition
    1. Synonyms and Antonyms
    2. Idioms and Phrases
    3. Vocabulary Test
    4. Phrasal Verbs
    5. Homophones
    6. Fill in the qualifying words
  2. General Science
    1. General appreciation
    2. Understanding of science
    3. Matters of everyday observation
    4. Experience as expected from an educated person not having made special studies of scientific disciplines
  3. Current Events of National and International Importance
    1. Significant events affecting India and its relations with the world
  4. History of India
    1. Ancient
    2. Medieval
    3. Modern
  5. Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal
    1. Physical Geography
    2. Social Geography
    3. Economic Geography
  6. Indian Polity and Economy
    1. Indian Constitution
    2. Panchayati Raj
    3. Constitutional Bodies, etc.
  7. Indian National Movement
    1. Nature and character of Nineteenth-Century Resurgence
    2. Growth of Nationalism
    3. Attainment of Independence
  8. General Mental Ability
    1. Logical Reasoning
    2. Common Aptitude