The BPSC age limit is counted on 1 August of the advertisement year. For the 72nd Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) that date is 1 August 2026: you must be at least 20, 21 or 22 years old, depending on the post, and no older than 37 (unreserved men), 40 (unreserved women, and BC and EBC candidates) or 42 (SC and ST candidates). You also need Indian citizenship and a bachelor’s degree. There is no limit on the number of attempts.
Candidates from any state can apply, but reservation, including the 35 per cent quota for women, is given only to permanent residents of Bihar; everyone else competes as unreserved. Every rule below is taken from the official advertisement for the 72nd CCE, dated 5 May 2026, which is the Commission’s latest. BPSC has not yet issued the 73rd CCE advertisement; this page will be updated when it does.
BPSC eligibility at a glance
| Condition | Rule for the 72nd CCE |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian citizen |
| Education | Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised university; set subjects for three posts (CDPO, Financial Administrative Officer, Sub-Divisional Protection Officer) |
| Degree deadline | Degree or provisional certificate issued on or before the last date of the online application |
| Age counted on | 1 August 2026 |
| Minimum age | 20 (DSP), 21 or 22, depending on the post |
| Maximum age | 37 for unreserved men; 40 for unreserved women, BC and EBC; 42 for SC and ST |
| Attempts | No limit (serving Bihar government employees: five during service) |
| Domicile | Open to all Indian citizens; reservation only for permanent residents of Bihar |
| Physical standards | Medical fitness for every post; a height and chest table for DSP |
| Fee | Rs 100 per examination; Rs 200 more if no Aadhaar number is given |
BPSC age limit by category
The maximum age depends on your category and, for unreserved candidates only, on gender. These are the limits on 1 August 2026:
| Category | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 37 | 40 |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 37 | 40 |
| Backward Class (BC) | 40 | 40 |
| Extremely Backward Class (EBC) | 40 | 40 |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 42 | 42 |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 42 | 42 |
| Persons with benchmark disability | Category limit + 10 | Category limit + 10 |
The advertisement gives EWS candidates no separate limit, so the unreserved limits apply to them. Your age is worked out from the date of birth in your Matriculation (Class 10) or equivalent certificate, not from any later document.
The higher limits for BC, EBC, SC and ST candidates are part of Bihar’s reservation, which only the state’s permanent residents can claim. A candidate from another state is treated as unreserved, so the unreserved limit applies, whatever caste certificate he or she holds at home.
Minimum age by post
The lower limit is set post by post, so on the same date a candidate can be old enough for some posts and too young for others:
| Minimum age on 1 August 2026 | Posts |
|---|---|
| 20 years | Deputy Superintendent of Police (Bihar Police Service) |
| 21 years | Probation Officer, Assistant Planning Officer, Municipal Executive Officer, Rural Development Officer, Revenue Officer, Block Panchayat Raj Officer, Cooperative Extension Officer, Labour Enforcement Officer, Supply Inspector, Block SC and ST Welfare Officer, Child Development Project Officer, Sub-Divisional Protection Officer |
| 22 years | Sub-Divisional Officer (Senior Deputy Collector), Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Sub-Election Officer, Sub-Registrar, Labour Superintendent, Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies, District Audit Officer, Bihar Education Service, District Minority Welfare Officer, Block Minority Welfare Officer, Financial Administrative Officer |
Put as dates of birth: born on or before 1 August 2006, you are old enough for DSP; on or before 1 August 2005, for the 21-year posts as well; on or before 1 August 2004, for every post. A 20-year-old can apply, but only the DSP post is open to them. The pay level of each of these posts is on the BPSC posts and salary page.
Age relaxation
Beyond the category limits, the advertisement allows these relaxations in the maximum age:
| Who | Relaxation in the maximum age |
|---|---|
| Persons with benchmark disability (40 per cent or more) | 10 years over the category limit |
| Bihar government employees | 5 years, but only while they have not used up their five attempts |
| Ex-servicemen | 3 years plus the period served in the armed forces, provided their actual age on the date of application is not over 57 |
| Ex-servicemen and commissioned officers, including ECOs and SSCOs, with at least 5 years of continuous service | Up to 5 years, if released on completing their assignment or due for release within six months, and not for misconduct, inefficiency or disability |
| Full-time NCC cadet instructors recruited after 1 January 1963 | Their full-time NCC service is subtracted from their age; they qualify if the result is not more than 3 years over the limit |
| EWS candidates | None; the unreserved limits apply |
Women get no relaxation beyond the table above: an unreserved woman’s limit is already 40 instead of 37, and in the reserved categories the limit is the same for men and women. The certificate for any relaxation is uploaded with the application and shown in original at the interview.
Number of attempts in BPSC
There is no limit on attempts for the BPSC CCE. The cap was removed by a resolution of Bihar’s Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department (No. 6519, 10 September 2003), so you can take the exam as many times as your age allows.
Serving Bihar government employees are the exception. Under resolution No. 22218 of 12 December 2022, they get five attempts in total at BPSC competitive examinations over their whole service, counted from that date; attempts used earlier are ignored. Their five-year age relaxation applies only while those five attempts are not used up.
Educational qualification
Any bachelor’s degree, or an equivalent qualification, from a recognised university makes you eligible for the CCE posts. The stream and the marks do not matter, except for three posts filled through the same advertisement:
| Post | Extra condition |
|---|---|
| Child Development Project Officer | Any bachelor’s degree, but the Mains optional must be Home Science, Psychology, Sociology, or Labour and Social Welfare |
| Financial Administrative Officer and equivalent | A bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Economics, Mathematics or Statistics |
| Sub-Divisional Protection Officer (women only) | A bachelor’s degree in Psychology or Law, and the same subject as the Mains optional |
These three posts have to be selected in the online form; a candidate who does not select them cannot claim them later. Each is also a separate examination with its own fee.
Can final-year students apply?
The advertisement has no special clause for final-year students. What it does say is that every certificate, including the graduation degree or provisional certificate, must be dated on or before the last date of the online application, and that certificates issued after that date will not be accepted. So a final-year student can apply only if the degree result is out, and the certificate issued, by the closing date. For the 72nd CCE that date was 31 May 2026.
Domicile and reservation
BPSC is open to every Indian citizen, but its reservation is only for Bihar’s permanent residents. A candidate from another state can apply and compete in the unreserved category; the permanent address given in the application is treated as the permanent residence, and a residence certificate is needed to claim any reservation.
| Reservation | Who can claim it |
|---|---|
| SC, ST, EBC, BC and Backward Class women (BCL), as per the state’s rules | Bihar residents with a caste certificate, plus a non-creamy-layer certificate for BC, EBC and BCL |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 10 per cent | Bihar residents with an income and asset certificate in the prescribed form, valid for one year from issue |
| Women: 35 per cent (horizontal) | Only women who are permanent residents of Bihar, in every category (rule of 9 July 2025) |
| Persons with benchmark disability: 4 per cent (horizontal) | Only Bihar residents with 40 per cent or more disability |
| Grandchildren of freedom fighters: 2 per cent (horizontal) | Grandchildren of Bihar’s freedom fighters who drew the central pension, with a certificate from the District Magistrate |
The certificates must come from Bihar’s competent officers: the caste and permanent residence certificates for SC and ST candidates, and a non-creamy-layer certificate from the Circle Officer or Revenue Officer of the home circle for BC and EBC candidates. A married woman’s caste and non-creamy-layer certificates must be in her father’s name and address, not her husband’s. Reservation has to be claimed in the online form; a claim left out there cannot be made at a later stage.
The women’s quota changed in 2025. Until then, women from other states could also benefit from it; since the cabinet decision of 8 July 2025 and the General Administration Department resolution of 9 July 2025, only women domiciled in Bihar can.
Physical and medical standards
Every selected candidate must pass a medical board, which checks general fitness, eyesight and hearing. For the Bihar Police Service (Deputy Superintendent of Police), the advertisement prints a height and chest table in its Appendix A. It applies to men and women aged 21 and above:
| Height without shoes | Chest, breath out | Chest, breath in |
|---|---|---|
| 62½ to under 65 inches (158.8 to 165.1 cm) | 30 in (76.2 cm) | 32 in (81.3 cm) |
| 65 to under 68 inches (165.1 to 172.7 cm) | 31 in (78.7 cm) | 33 in (83.8 cm) |
| 68 to under 70 inches (172.7 to 177.8 cm) | 32 in (81.3 cm) | 34 in (86.4 cm) |
| 70 to under 72 inches (177.8 to 182.9 cm) | 33 in (83.8 cm) | 35½ in (90.2 cm) |
| 72 inches (182.9 cm) and above | 34 in (86.4 cm) | 36½ in (92.7 cm) |
The table starts at 62½ inches, about 159 cm. The medical board may use its discretion for candidates from tribal and semi-tribal communities. For eyesight, the advertisement asks for distant vision of 6/6 in the better eye and 6/12 in the worse eye with glasses, and lists further limits for near vision, myopia and hypermetropia.
Application fee
The fee is Rs 100 for each examination, whatever your category (General Administration Department resolution No. 15668 of 21 August 2025). The 72nd CCE, CDPO, Financial Administrative Officer and Sub-Divisional Protection Officer count as separate examinations, so applying for all four costs Rs 400. Candidates who do not enter an Aadhaar number pay a further Rs 200 per examination as a biometric fee.
Documents to keep ready
- Matriculation (Class 10) certificate, for the date of birth
- Graduation degree or provisional certificate
- Caste certificate (SC, ST, EBC, BC) and non-creamy-layer certificate (BC, EBC, BCL)
- EWS income and asset certificate, if claiming EWS
- Permanent residence certificate, for any reservation
- Disability certificate, if claiming the disability quota or relaxation
- Freedom fighter’s grandchild certificate from the District Magistrate, if claiming that quota
- Release certificate (ex-servicemen) or other proof for an age relaxation
- No-objection certificate, for government employees
Each is uploaded as a PDF with its issue number and date when you apply, and the same originals are checked at the interview.
Minimum qualifying marks
Eligibility only lets you sit the exam. To stay in the race, the advertisement also sets minimum qualifying marks in both the prelims and the Mains: 40 per cent for general candidates, 36.5 per cent for BC, 34 per cent for EBC, and 32 per cent for SC, ST, women and candidates with disabilities. The actual cut-offs are well above these floors; see the BPSC cut-off page for the figures from the 65th to the 71st CCE, and the negative marking rules for how the prelims is scored.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for BPSC?
For the 72nd CCE, age is counted on 1 August 2026. The minimum is 20, 21 or 22 years depending on the post (20 only for DSP). The maximum is 37 for unreserved men, 40 for unreserved women and for BC and EBC candidates, and 42 for SC and ST candidates, with 10 more years for persons with disabilities.
How many attempts are allowed in BPSC?
There is no limit on attempts for the BPSC CCE; the cap was removed in 2003, so you can appear as long as you are within the age limit. Serving Bihar government employees are limited to five attempts during their service, counted from 12 December 2022.
Can final-year students apply for BPSC?
Only if their degree result is declared, and the degree or provisional certificate issued, by the last date of the online application. The advertisement says certificates issued after that date will not be accepted.
Can candidates from other states apply for BPSC?
Yes. Any Indian citizen with a degree can apply, but candidates who are not permanent residents of Bihar compete as unreserved. They get no caste, EWS or disability reservation, and since July 2025 women from other states are also outside the 35 per cent women’s quota.
Related pages
- 71st BPSC Mains result 2026: 3,185 called for interview
- 72nd BPSC 2026: notification, vacancies and exam date status
- BPSC posts and salary: pay level and in-hand pay for every CCE post
- BPSC syllabus and exam pattern: prelims, Mains and interview
- BPSC cut-off: 65th to 71st, by category
- BPSC previous year question papers with answer keys
- Free BPSC mock tests
Sources
Checked 4 November 2026. The age, relaxation, qualification, reservation, physical-standard and fee rules are all from the official advertisement (sections 2 to 6 and Appendix A of the Hindi original).
- BPSC: Advertisement, Integrated 72nd Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination (5 May 2026, Hindi)
- BPSC: Corrigendum of 6 May 2026, 72nd CCE (44 vacancies of Sugarcane Officer deleted)
- BPSC: Corrigendum of 27 May 2026, 72nd CCE (revision in vacancies for Sub-Registrar)
- BPSC: Corrigendum of 3 September 2026, 72nd CCE (2 vacancies of DSP reduced)
- BPSC: Notice postponing the 72nd CCE prelims (12 October 2026)
- All India Radio, 8 July 2025: Bihar limits the 35 per cent women’s quota to its residents
- BPSC online application portal (One Time Registration)