How to apply for State PSC (Public Service Commission) civil services — complete 2026 guide

For BPSC 67th CCE 2024 — the cycle Akash cleared — about 5.5 lakh candidates appeared for 803 posts (1 in 685). UPPSC PCS 2024 had 5.7 lakh applicants for 220 posts (1 in 2,590 — even harder than UPSC CSE, by ratio). The good news is that state PSC syllabi are narrower and more rooted in state geography/history/polity — and the language allowed (Hindi/Marathi/Tamil/Telugu/Kannada in main papers) means a smaller English-handicap.

A State Public Service Commission (State PSC) is a constitutional body created under Article 315(1) of the Constitution. Its main function is to conduct competitive examinations for appointment to state government posts and to advise the Governor on matters concerning state services. Each state has its own PSC; some smaller states share a PSC (Joint Public Service Commission for the North-Eastern states except Assam, Mizoram, etc.).

The exam is most commonly called the State Civil Services Examination or Combined Competitive Examination (CCE). The roles you can be selected to:

• State Civil Service — Deputy Collector / Sub-Divisional Magistrate / Sub-Divisional Officer (Group A entry, promoted later to IAS as State quota).
• State Police Service — Deputy Superintendent of Police / Assistant Commissioner of Police (promoted later to IPS).
• District-level officers — Tahsildar / Naib Tahsildar, Block Development Officer (BDO), Chief Officer (Municipal), District Treasury Officer, Excise Officer.
• State revenue, commercial tax, forests, audit, social welfare — Sales Tax Officer, Range Forest Officer, Audit Officer, District Welfare Officer.

The legal anchor is Article 315 of the Constitution + the State PSC's own Act and Regulations (e.g., U.P. Public Service Commission (Procedure and Conduct of Business) Rules, Bihar PSC Rules, Maharashtra Public Service Commission Rules, etc.). The State Civil Services Examination Rules for each state lay down syllabus, eligibility, age, attempts, exam pattern.

Major state PSCs and their portals:

• UPPSC (Uttar Pradesh): uppsc.up.nic.in
• MPPSC (Madhya Pradesh): mppsc.mp.gov.in
• KPSC (Karnataka): kpsc.kar.nic.in
• MPSC (Maharashtra): mpsc.gov.in
• RPSC (Rajasthan): rpsc.rajasthan.gov.in
• BPSC (Bihar): bpsc.bih.nic.in
• TNPSC (Tamil Nadu): tnpsc.gov.in
• APPSC (Andhra Pradesh): psc.ap.gov.in
• TSPSC (Telangana): tspsc.gov.in
• WBPSC (West Bengal): wbpsc.gov.in
• OPSC (Odisha): opsc.gov.in
• GPSC (Gujarat): gpsc.gujarat.gov.in
• HPSC (Haryana): hpsc.gov.in
• HPPSC (Himachal): hppsc.hp.gov.in
• JKPSC (J&K): jkpsc.nic.in
• CGPSC (Chhattisgarh): psc.cg.gov.in
• JPSC (Jharkhand): jpsc.gov.in

Eligibility — common across most state PSCs:

• Indian citizen.
• Domicile of the relevant state — for SC/ST/OBC reservation. Most state PSCs allow other-state candidates to apply only under the General/Unreserved category (so no caste reservation, no age relaxation, no fee concession). A few states (TNPSC, KPSC, MPSC) restrict even General-category seats to state domicile holders.
• Age — typically 21-32 years for General; 21-37 for OBC (5-yr extra in some states); 21-40 for SC/ST; +10 yrs for PwBD; +3 yrs for ex-servicemen (varies). Each state has its own cut-off (e.g., UPPSC counts age as on 1 July of notification year).
• Education — Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Final-year students can apply in some states (UPPSC yes; BPSC no).
• Number of attempts — varies sharply. UPPSC: 4 (Gen) / 6 (OBC) / unlimited (SC/ST). BPSC: 4 / 5 / unlimited (and removed 5-yr age cap in 2024). RPSC: no limit. TNPSC: no limit. KPSC: no limit.

• State PSCs publish annual or biennial notifications. For UPPSC PCS, typically January-February; BPSC CCE, March; MPPSC, October-November; RPSC RAS, July-August; TNPSC Group I, March; KPSC KAS, October.
• Notification is published in Employment News, the state government Gazette, and on the State PSC portal.
• Read the notification PDF in full — it lists vacancy by service, syllabus, age cut-off date, fee, exam centres, important dates.

• Almost all state PSCs now use a one-time profile (OTR) that you reuse across notifications. Create it before the exam fills up.
• Aadhaar OTP eKYC pulls in your name, DOB, address.
• Set password. Save the OTR / registration number.
• Upload photo (50 KB max, recent, light background) and signature (30 KB, blue/black ink on white).

• Login → “Apply” → choose the open notification.
• Fill in:
  • Educational qualifications (with university and year).
  • Domicile state.
  • Caste / EWS / PwBD / Ex-servicemen status — claim only if you can prove with valid certificate.
  • Service / post preferences in rank order — this is binding for the final allotment. List carefully.
  • Optional subject (for Main) — for states that have optional. Most have moved to GS-only Main.
  • Examination centre — choose 3 in order.

• Documents typically required at application stage:
  • Passport-size photo + signature in prescribed dimensions.
  • Aadhaar (for OTR).
  • 10th + 12th + Bachelor's marksheet.
  • Domicile certificate (issued by SDM / Tahsildar of your district; many states require it to be less than 12 months old at the time of DV).
  • Caste / EWS certificate (in Central Government format with non-creamy-layer clause for OBC).
  • PwBD certificate (UDID number on Form V/VI/VII as per RPwD Act 2016).
  • Ex-servicemen discharge book.
• Fee by category (illustrative, varies by state):
  • UPPSC PCS — Gen ₹125, OBC ₹125, SC/ST ₹65, PwBD ₹25.
  • BPSC CCE — Gen ₹600, OBC ₹600, Bihar SC/ST/Female/PwBD ₹150.
  • MPSC — Gen ₹544, Reserved ₹344.
  • RPSC RAS — Gen ₹400, OBC ₹400, SC/ST/Sahariya ₹350, PwBD ₹350.
  • MPPSC — Gen ₹500, Reserved ₹250 (+₹40 portal charge for non-MP candidates).
  • TNPSC Group I — Gen ₹150 (one-time registration ₹150, per-exam ₹100).
• Modes: net banking, debit/credit card, UPI, sometimes SBI Challan offline.
• Note: Most state PSCs do not refund the fee on attendance (unlike RRB).

• Preview → Submit → application number generated → download PDF for your records.

• Released on the State PSC portal under “Admit Card / Hall Ticket / Pravesh Patra”.
• Carry: printed admit card + one original photo ID + your own pen (most states require black ball-point pen for OMR).

• Prelim — typically 2 papers of 2 hours each. GS Paper 1 (200 marks, 100-150 questions, merit-deciding) + CSAT / Aptitude Paper 2 (200 marks, qualifying — 33% for most states, 40% for some). Negative marking 1/3. Held in May-August depending on state.
• Main — descriptive papers, written by hand in Hindi / English / regional language as per the state's option list. Held in October-December typically. Number of papers:
  • UPPSC PCS Main — 8 papers (General Hindi qualifying, General Essay, GS I-IV, Optional Paper I-II) = 1500 marks.
  • BPSC Main — 6 papers (General Hindi qualifying, GS I, GS II, Essay, Optional Paper I, Optional Paper II) = 900 marks.
  • MPSC Mains — 6 papers (Marathi + English compulsory, GS I-IV) = 1750 marks (after the 2025 reform).
  • RPSC RAS Main — 4 GS papers = 800 marks.
  • TNPSC Group I Main — 3 GS papers + Tamil = 750 marks.
• Interview / Personality Test — 100-275 marks depending on state. Held at the State PSC headquarters (e.g., 15 Bailey Road, Patna; 10 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Lucknow; State PSC Bhavan, Bengaluru).
• Final selection = Main + Interview marks (Prelim is only a screening filter).
• Final result + service allotment list is published on the portal. Posting orders follow from the state government 3-12 months later.

+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| State    | Portal      | Age      | Attempts  | Domicile  | Fee (Gen/ |
| PSC      |             | (Gen)    | (Gen)     | required  | Reserved) |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| UPPSC    | uppsc.up.   | 21-40    | 4         | No (but   | ₹125 /    |
|          | nic.in      |          |           | reserva-  | ₹65       |
|          |             |          |           | tion only |           |
|          |             |          |           | for UP    |           |
|          |             |          |           | residents)|           |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| BPSC     | bpsc.bih.   | 22-37    | 4         | Same as   | ₹600 /    |
|          | nic.in      |          |           | UPPSC     | ₹150      |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| MPPSC    | mppsc.mp.   | 21-40    | No limit  | Same      | ₹500 /    |
|          | gov.in      |          |           |           | ₹250      |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| RPSC RAS | rpsc.       | 21-40    | No limit  | Same      | ₹400 /    |
|          | rajasthan.  |          |           |           | ₹350      |
|          | gov.in      |          |           |           |           |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| MPSC     | mpsc.gov.in | 19-38    | No limit  | Yes       | ₹544 /    |
|          |             |          |           | (Marathi  | ₹344      |
|          |             |          |           | language) |           |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| TNPSC    | tnpsc.gov.  | 21-32    | No limit  | Yes       | ₹150 +    |
| Group I  | in          |          |           | (Tamil    | ₹100      |
|          |             |          |           | required) |           |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| KPSC KAS | kpsc.kar.   | 21-35    | No limit  | Yes       | ₹600 /    |
|          | nic.in      |          |           | (Kannada) | ₹300      |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| APPSC    | psc.ap.     | 21-42    | No limit  | Yes       | ₹250 +    |
| Group I  | gov.in      |          |           |           | ₹120 OTR  |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| Age      | SC/ST +5, OBC NCL +3 (some states), PwBD +10, Ex-servicemen|
| relax-   | as per state rule. Bihar removed 5-yr age cap in 2024.     |
| ation    |                                                            |
+----------+-------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

• Domicile certificate format / age. Most states require a state-government-issued domicile certificate (mool nivas / residence certificate) less than 12 months old at the time of Document Verification. A dated old certificate gets rejected at DV. Get a fresh one from your SDM/Tahsildar before applying.
• Caste certificate not in Central format with NCL clause. OBC certificates issued in state format (without “non-creamy layer” mention) are rejected. The required Annexure varies by state (Annexure-A in UP, Annexure-II in Bihar, etc.).
• EWS certificate — must be on Form-2 under the EWS Reservation Order, 2019, with annual income < ₹8 lakh, no agricultural land > 5 acres, no flat > 1000 sq ft, no plot > 100 sq yards in notified municipal area. Issued by Tahsildar/SDM, valid for 1 financial year only — you'll often need a fresh one for each cycle.
• PwBD certificate not on RPwD Act 2016 Form V/VI/VII with a UDID number.
• OTR profile mismatch — name on Aadhaar differs from name on degree certificate. Update one or get a name-correction affidavit.
• Paper preference / centre full — some state PSCs cap candidates per centre; if centres in your city are full, you may be allotted a far-off city. Apply early.
• Wrong number of attempts claimed. Some states count “appearing in Prelim” as an attempt; some count only Mains. Check the rules.
• Optional paper not allowed — UPPSC has a fixed list of optionals; many states have removed optional altogether (BPSC kept it; UPPSC has 28 optionals; RPSC has none in main).
• Result delayed — state PSCs are notorious for delays (BPSC has had Prelim-to-final cycles of 2-3 years). RTI for status of file movement helps.

Each PSC has a helpline (e.g., UPPSC: 0532-2407500, BPSC: 0612-2215805, MPSC: 022-22791515, RPSC: 0145-2635212, MPPSC: 0755-2578801). Listed under “Contact Us” on the portal. Best for application-stage technical issues. Average response: 5-10 days.

• Most states run a CM Helpline that accepts grievances against any state department:
  • UP — 1076
  • Bihar — 0612-2226000 / Lok Shikayat Niwaran Adhikar (Bihar's RTPS portal)
  • MP — 181
  • Rajasthan — 181 / Sampark portal
  • Maharashtra — 1800-120-8040 (Aaple Sarkar)
  • Karnataka — 1902 (Janaspandana)
  • Tamil Nadu — CM Cell complaints portal at cmcell.tn.gov.in
• Useful when the State PSC itself is non-responsive — the CM Cell can route to PSC Secretary.

• https://pgportal.gov.in → State Government → choose your state → “Public Service Commission”.
• Note: CPGRAMS is a Central platform, but state grievances are routed to the state government's grievance machinery. Useful for posting trail.
• 30-day SLA.

• Each state has its own State Information Commission (SIC) — not the Central CIC. Address listed on sic.<state>.gov.in.
• If your RTI to the State PSC PIO doesn't get a reply in 30 days, file a First Appeal to the FAA of the State PSC, then a Second Appeal to the SIC.

This is where transparency really starts to deliver. Every State PSC is a “public authority” under §2(h) of the RTI Act 2005 — they are bodies “established under the Constitution” (Article 315). Each State PSC has a designated PIO (usually the Secretary or a Deputy Secretary) and an FAA (usually the Chairman or Member-in-charge), listed under the “RTI” tab of the portal.

RTI helps here when:

• Your mark sheet (post-result) is not displayed online — RTI to PIO State PSC for: subject-wise marks, total marks, your rank, and the cutoff. State PSCs comply for individual marks (a per-candidate disclosure under Aditya Bandopadhyay).
• You want a copy of your evaluated answer script for Mains. The Supreme Court in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497 held an evaluated answer script is “information” under §2(f) and must be disclosed. Many State PSCs (BPSC, UPPSC, MPPSC, RPSC) provide answer-script copies on RTI within 30-90 days, on payment of per-page copying fee (₹2-₹10).
• The provisional answer key had a question you challenged with the prescribed fee — and the final key was published without explanation. RTI to PIO State PSC for the subject expert's note on your specific challenge.
• Your service allotment seems off (e.g., your rank should have got DSP but you got Tahsildar). RTI to PIO State PSC for the final allotment list (always public after declaration) + the cutoff for each service.
• Your candidature was rejected at DV for a documentation reason. RTI to PIO State PSC for the DV file noting — which document, which clerk, what objection.
• Your interview marks look unusually low. RTI gets the per-board / per-day distribution (often shows interviewer-wise normalisation issues).

See the dedicated guide: RTI in 12 simple steps — for first-time filers and How to challenge exam result / get revaluation — complete 2026 guide.

RTI does NOT help here when:

• You want to change your category post-application (Gen → OBC, OBC → SC) because your situation changed — RTI cannot fix substantive eligibility.
• You want to dispute the cutoff — RTI gets you the cutoff; it does not lower it for you.
• You filed RTI a week after Mains and ask “tell me my result” before declaration — premature.
• You want model answers before the official answer key is published — denied under §8(1)(d) (commercial confidence / examination integrity).
• You ask for interviewer-wise marks of all candidates without specific cause — broad, fishing requests get rejected as “disproportionate diversion of resources” under §7(9). Ask for your own + the cutoff.
• You want to challenge the medical / character verification rejection — RTI gets you the file; the substantive remedy is a writ to the High Court or appeal to the State Administrative Tribunal.

For sibling guides, see How to apply for UPSC Civil Services — complete 2026 guide and How to apply for SSC CGL — complete 2026 guide.

Q. I'm from Uttar Pradesh — can I appear for BPSC?
Yes — but only as a General candidate (no SC/ST/OBC reservation, no age relaxation, no fee concession). Same for UP candidate appearing in MPSC, RPSC etc. A few state PSCs (TNPSC, KPSC) restrict all seats to state domicile holders for the language reasons. Check the notification.

Q. Can I appear for two State PSC exams in the same year?
Yes — different state PSCs are separate authorities. Many candidates appear for UPPSC + BPSC + UPSC in parallel. Check that exam dates don't clash.

Q. I'm 35 and General — am I out of UPPSC?
UPPSC General upper age limit is 40 (since the 2022 revision). You're still in. For BPSC General, upper limit is 37 (38 for women). For TNPSC Group I, upper limit is 32 (Gen). Always verify on the latest notification PDF.

Q. What's CSAT and is it scored?
CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) is the second paper of Prelim — quantitative, reasoning, comprehension. It is qualifying only in most state PSCs (you need 33% to qualify). Marks are not added to the merit list. UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC all follow this pattern.

Q. I made the cutoff at Prelim but the State PSC has not announced Mains date for 6 months. What now?
Common in BPSC, JPSC, MPPSC. RTI to PIO of the State PSC for the expected Mains date and reason for delay — most respond with a tentative date. CPGRAMS in parallel.

Q. Can I get my Main answer script before the final result?
No. Per CIC and most SIC orders, evaluated answer scripts are released only after the final selection is declared to protect examination integrity. Apply by RTI within 1 year of result (some states allow up to 3 years).

Q. Can a State PSC reject my candidature on “character verification” without telling me why?
No. After the Supreme Court ruling in Joginder Kumar v. State of UP and subsequent cases, character verification rejection must be a reasoned order. RTI to the PSC for the specific intelligence input / police report that led to rejection — though the IB/state intelligence can claim §8(1)(g) (endangering life or physical safety) for source protection.

Q. The PSC said my degree is “not a recognised degree”. Can I challenge?
Yes — first, confirm your university is on the UGC's recognised list (ugc.gov.in) and your degree is listed on DEB (Distance Education Bureau). RTI to PIO PSC for the specific notification under which they reject your degree. If the PSC's denial is unsupported, file a writ in the High Court.

• How to apply for UPSC Civil Services — complete 2026 guide
• How to apply for SSC CGL — complete 2026 guide
• How to challenge exam result / get revaluation — complete 2026 guide
• RTI in 12 simple steps — for first-time filers
• All Indian government helplines — one master directory
• RTI forms + state-wise fee chart

Last reviewed: 26 April 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. State PSC rules change with each notification — verify current values on the relevant State PSC portal or write to admin@bighelpers.in if you spot a stale figure.