The 72nd BPSC Combined Competitive Examination is the 2026 cycle of Bihar’s civil services exam, with 1,187 posts from Sub-divisional Officer and DSP to Revenue Officer. BPSC issued the notification on 5 May 2026, took applications from 7 to 31 May, postponed the 26 July prelims by a notice of 18 July, and listed the exam for 25 October 2026 in its revised calendar of 14 August. On 12 October 2026 BPSC postponed the 25 October prelims as well, for unavoidable reasons, and said the new date will be announced later. This page keeps the facts of the 72nd CCE in one place and is updated as BPSC issues notices; the official notice list further down refreshes automatically. Last checked: 14 October 2026.
72nd BPSC at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam | 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination, Bihar Public Service Commission |
| Notification | 5 May 2026 (original advertisement for 1,230 posts, revised by three corrigenda: 44 Sugarcane Officer posts withdrawn on 6 May, Sub Registrar posts raised from 3 to 6 on 27 May, DSP posts cut from 22 to 20 on 3 September) |
| Applications | 7 May to 31 May 2026, online through the BPSC One Time Registration portal |
| Total vacancies | 1,187 (after the corrigendum of 3 September 2026) |
| Prelims date | Not announced yet. 26 July 2026 in the original calendar, postponed by notice on 18 July; 25 October 2026 in the revised calendar of 14 August, postponed by notice on 12 October. BPSC says the new date will be announced later |
| Admit card | Released about a week before the prelims on bpsc.bihar.gov.in; expected only after the new date is announced |
| Prelims pattern | 150 MCQs, 150 marks, 2 hours; options A to D plus E for Not Attempted; −1/3 for a wrong answer or a blank row |
| Mains and interview | General Hindi (100, qualifying), GS I (300), GS II (300), Essay (300), objective optional (100, qualifying), interview (120); final merit out of 1,020 |
| Official website | bpsc.bihar.gov.in |
Exam date: what has happened so far
BPSC’s annual exam calendar listed the 72nd CCE prelims for 26 July 2026. On 18 July the Commission postponed it for unavoidable reasons and said a new date would follow; its revised calendar of 14 August then listed the prelims for 25 October 2026. News portals began reporting a second postponement on 7 October, and on 12 October BPSC confirmed it: an important notice signed by the Controller of Examinations says the exam due on Sunday, 25 October 2026 is postponed for unavoidable reasons and that the new date will be announced later. As of 14 October 2026 no new date has been given; it will appear in the notice list below as soon as BPSC publishes it. Candidates do not need to apply again in any case. Treat forwarded screenshots with care, since fake date notices circulate before every BPSC exam.
Latest 72nd CCE notices from BPSC
- 12 Oct 2026 Regarding Postponement of Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination. 72nd CCE
- 3 Sep 2026 Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination – Reduction of 2 Vacancies of Deputy Superintendent of Police (BPS). 72nd CCE
- 18 Jul 2026 Regarding Postponement of 72nd CCE (Preliminary) Competitive Examination. 72nd CCE
- 10 Jul 2026 Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination. 72nd CCE
- 27 May 2026 Integrated 72nd Combined Competitive Examination – Revision in Vacancies for the posts of Sub Registrar. 72nd CCE
- 6 May 2026 Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination – Deletion of 44 Vacancies of Sugarcane Officer. 72nd CCE
Other recent BPSC notices
- 14 Oct 2026 OMR Sheets of Candidates appeared in Prosecution Officer (Preliminary) Competitive Examination held on 15th July, 2026 will be available on Candidate's dashboard from 15/10/2026 to 20/10/2026. (Advt. No. 13/2026)
- 14 Oct 2026 District Statistical Officer/Assistant Director Competitive Examination – One Candidate has been found Ineligible. (Advt. No. 38/2025)
- 13 Oct 2026 For the Post of School Teacher under Education Department, Govt. of Bihar, TRE 4.0 - Passed Candidates of D.El.Ed. Training Session 2024-26 Exam. Year 2026 can upload web copy of Marksheet during Online Application. (Advt. No. 15/2026)
- 12 Oct 2026 Prosecution Officer (Preliminary) Competitive Examination – Final Answer Keys. (Advt. No. 13/2026)
- 12 Oct 2026 Regarding Postponement of Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination. 72nd CCE
Vacancies by post
| Post (service or department) | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Revenue Officer and equivalent (Revenue and Land Reforms) | 365 |
| Co-operative Extension Officer (Co-operative) | 130 |
| Sub-divisional Protection Officer, women only (Social Welfare) | 101 |
| Sub-divisional Officer / Senior Deputy Collector, Bihar Administrative Service | 100 |
| State Tax Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Taxes) | 76 |
| Block Panchayati Raj Officer (Panchayati Raj) | 70 |
| Rural Development Officer (Rural Development) | 65 |
| Labour Enforcement Officer (Labour Resources) | 56 |
| City Executive Officer (Urban Development and Housing) | 54 |
| Financial Administrative Officer and equivalent (Finance) | 32 |
| Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bihar Police Service (Home) | 20 |
| Child Development Project Officer (Social Welfare) | 20 |
| Other posts (Election Officer, Supply Inspector and others) | 98 |
| Total | 1,187 |
The weight of Revenue Officer and Co-operative Extension Officer posts means the 72nd CCE has a larger intake than the 70th (about 2,000 posts, an unusual year) or the 71st (about 1,250), but fewer of the prestige posts: 100 SDMs and 20 DSPs.
Eligibility
- Education: a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university for most posts. CDPO candidates must take Home Science, Psychology, Sociology or Labour and Social Welfare as the Mains optional; Financial Administrative Officer needs a degree in Commerce, Economics, Mathematics or Statistics; Sub-divisional Protection Officer (women only) needs Psychology or Law.
- Age on 1 August 2026: minimum 20, 21 or 22 years depending on the post. Maximum 37 for unreserved men, 40 for unreserved women and for BC and EBC candidates, and 42 for SC and ST candidates. Relaxations for Bihar domiciles apply as per the State’s rules; candidates from other States are treated as unreserved.
- Fee: Rs 100 per examination, with a further Rs 200 biometric charge for applicants who did not provide an Aadhaar number, as per the notification.
- Domicile: reservation, including the 35 per cent horizontal quota for women in State services, is available to Bihar residents only.
Selection process
- Prelims: a single General Studies paper of 150 questions in two hours. About ten candidates per vacancy, roughly 12,000, are expected to qualify for the Mains. For the full topic list see the BPSC syllabus and exam pattern.
- Mains: General Hindi (qualifying), General Studies I and II, Essay and the objective optional, spread over several days, usually four to six months after the prelims result.
- Interview: 120 marks, at the Commission’s office in Patna, for a limited number of candidates per post shortlisted on Mains marks.
- Final result: on 1,020 marks, followed by service allotment by rank and preference and document verification.
The scoring rule that changed in 2026
From the 33rd Bihar Judicial Services prelims in June 2026, every BPSC objective paper carries a fifth bubble, E for Not Attempted. A correct answer earns one mark, a wrong answer costs a third of a mark, bubbling E costs nothing, and a row left blank costs a third of a mark. The 72nd CCE prelims will be the first CCE held under this rule. Our guide to BPSC negative marking and Option E works through the maths of when to guess, and every quiz on this site scores the same way.
What to do while the date is uncertain
- Treat the postponement as extra weeks, not a reason to stop: keep a daily revision block and a weekly full-length mock until BPSC announces the new date.
- Finish the 15-test topic-wise practice series in order, then the 100-question 72nd BPSC mock and the Bihar special mock.
- Bring current affairs up to the month before the exam; the February, March and April 2026 notes and the Bihar monthly round-ups are here.
- Revise Bihar GK from the notes section: 1857 and Kunwar Singh, Buddhism and Jainism, the caste survey, Saat Nishchay, Jeevika and Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali all appeared in recent papers in some form.
- Print the admit card as soon as it is released and check the centre; BPSC allots centres across the districts of Bihar and does not entertain change requests.
Frequently asked questions
Not yet. The prelims was due on 25 October 2026 under the revised calendar of 14 August, but BPSC postponed it by a notice of 12 October 2026 and said the new date will be announced later. Check the notice list on this page or bpsc.bihar.gov.in.
1,187 as of 3 September 2026: 1,230 in the original advertisement, minus 44 Sugarcane Officer posts (6 May), plus 3 Sub Registrar posts (27 May), minus 2 DSP posts (3 September).
No. Applications closed on 31 May 2026 and remain valid.
20 to 37 for unreserved men, up to 40 for unreserved women and BC and EBC candidates, and up to 42 for SC and ST candidates, counted on 1 August 2026.
Yes: one-third of a mark for every wrong answer, and also for every row left blank. Bubble E to skip without penalty.
Related reading
- BPSC syllabus and exam pattern 2026
- NCERT books for BPSC
- BPSC essay topics, 68th to 71st Mains
- All free BPSC mock tests and quizzes
Harsha