Public Service Commission, West Bengal is a constitutional body for the recruitment of candidates to the various civil services posts across the state. Established in April 1937 on the recommendation of Simon Commission under the Government of India Act, 1935, it comprises of one chairman and four other members.

The various activities of the commission is regulated by following rules:

1. West Bengal Service Rule ( Part-I & II );
2. West Bengal Secretariat Manual ;
3. Delegation of Financial Power Rules, 1970 ;
4. West Bengal Service (General Provident Fund) Rules ;
5. West Bengal Service ( ROPA ) Rules, 1981/1990/1998 ;
6. West Bengal Service ( Medical Attendance ) Rules, 1964 ;
7. All India Service Rules ;
8. West Bengal Service ( Duties, Rights and Obligations ) Rules, 1980 ;
9. West Bengal Service ( Classification, Control & Appeal ) Rules, 1971 ;
10. Death-cum-retirement benefit Rules ;
11. West Bengal Service ( Determination of Seniority ) Rules, 1981 ;
12. West Bengal Public Service Commission Rules of Procedure ;
13. West Bengal Public Service Commission ( Conditions of Service & Miscellaneous Provisions ) Regulations, 1953 ;
14. West Bengal Public Service Commission ( Exemption from Consultation ) Regulations, 1955 ; etc

Functions:

The commission undertakes following functions and activities:

1. Conducts examinations for appointment to the various civil services of the state.
2. Provides advice to the government on
   1. Methods of recruitment to civil services posts
   2. Principles to be followed while making selections of the candidates and, promotions and transfers to civil services and posts.
3. on disciplinary matter concerned with the civil servants
4. claim made by a civil servant with respect to the recovery of expenditure incurred by him/her in defending himself/herself in the court of law against the legal proceeding initiated by the government for not execution of his/her duty.
5. claim made by a civil servant in respect to injuries sustained by him/her while serving the state government.

Beside the above mentioned the commission also conducts the following:

• Departmental Tests in May and November
• Entrance examination for for IMA, Dehradun in February and August.
• Supervision of temporary appointments in Government Departments
• advises the departments for regular appointments through the Commission in place of temporary appointments.

Composition:

The commission functions through one Chairman and four other members. The present composition of the commission is as follows:

No.	Name	Designation	Postpreviously held
1	SriT.K Bose	Chairman	AdditionalChief Secretary and Ex-officio Commissioner of food, Govt. of W.B.
2	Dr. ChittaranjanMaity	Member	Director MedicalEducation, Ex -Officio Secretary, H & FW deptt., Govt. of W.B.
3	Dr. Md. Mansoor Alam	Member	Reader in Persian,Moulana Azad College, Kolkata
4	Sri BiswatoshSarkar	Member	Secretary to theGovt. of W.B. Irrigation & Waterways Department
5	Sri.P. L. Datta	Member	Secretary,P.S.C.W.B
6	Sri.T. Chattopadhyay	Member	DirectorGeneral & Commandant General , Home Guards , Govt. of W.B.

Recruitment:

Direct Recruitments

The commission also makes directs recruitment to the various posts in different departments of the state government. The posts for which direct recruitment are made by the government are:

1. Lecturer
2. Professors
3. Associate Professors
4. Assistant Professors
5. Principals
6. Deputy Superintendents
7. Maintenance Superintendent
8. Assistant Director
9. Deputy Director
10. Joint Director
11. Medical Officer
12. Librarian
13. District Library officer
14. Deputy Transport Commissioner
15. Scientific officer

Eligibility:

Age: Not below 21 years but not more than 32 years on the 1st January of the year of examination for services and posts included in Group ‘A’,’C’ and ‘D’. For the West Bengal Police Service only (i.e. Group ‘B’ Service) age not below 20 years but not more than 32 years on the 1st January of the year of examination.

Educational Qualifications:

1. A degree of a recognized University.
2. Ability to read, write and speak in Bengali (not required for recruitment in the case of candidates from hill areas of the district Darjeeling i.e. for Nepali speaking candidates)

Group – A

1. West Bengal Civil Service (Executive):
   Scale of pay – Rs. 8,000 – 275-13,500
2. West Bengal Commercial Tax Service :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500
3. West Bengal Agricultural Income tax Service:
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500
4. West Bengal Excise Service:
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500
5. Assistant Registrar of Co-operative Societies in the West Bengal Co-operative Service:
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500
6. West Bengal labour Service :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500
7. West Bengal Food and Supplies Service :
   Scale of Pay – Rs.8,000-275-13,500
8. West Bengal Employment Service [Except the post of Employment Officer (Technical)] :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500
9. West Bengal Registration and Stamp Revenue Service :
   Scale pf Pay – Rs.8,000-275-13,500

Group – B

West Bengal Police Service :
Scale of Pay – Rs. 8,000-275-13,500

Group – C

1. Joint Block Development Officer :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 5,500-200-6,300-225-8,325-250-11,325
2. Deputy Assistant Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Business Practices :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 5,500-11,325/-
3. Assistant Canal Revenue Officer (Irrigation) :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,800-175-5,850-200-6,650-225-8,675-250-10,925
4. West Bengal Junior Social Welfare Service:
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 5,500-200-6,300-225-8,325-250-11,325
5. West Bengal Subordinate Land Revenue Service, Grade-I :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,800-175-5,850-200-6,650-225-8,675-250-10,925
6. Assistant Commercial Tax Officer :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,800-175-5,850-200-6,650-225-8,675-250-10,925
7. Chief Controller of Correctional Services:
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,500-150-5,250-175-7,000-200-8,800-225-9,700

Group – D

1. Inspector of Co-operative Societies :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,500-150-5,250-175-7,000-200-8,800-225-9,700
2. Panchayats Development Officer under the Panchayat Department :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,500-150-5,250-175-7,000-200-8,800-225-9,700
3. Rehabilitation Officer under the Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department :
   Scale of Pay – Rs. 4,500-150-5,250-175-7,000-200-8,800-225-9,700

For all the services and posts included in the above four groups with the Pay Scale as above, allowances will also be admissible as per Government orders in force.

1. Preliminary Examination : The Preliminary Examination will consist of only one paper, viz., a paper on “General Studies”. The paper will be of an objective type consisting of 200 multiple-choice questions. The paper will carry 200 marks and will be of 2½ hours duration. The standard of the paper will be of the level of knowledge as expected of a graduate of any faculty of a recognized University.

The paper will include questions covering the following fields of knowledge: 

(i)	English Composition	25 Marks
(ii)	General Science	25 Marks
(iii)	Current events of National & International Importance	25 Marks
(iv)	History of India	25 Marks
(v)	Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal	25 Marks
(vi)	Indian Polity and Economy	25 Marks
(vii)	Indian National Movement	25 Marks
(viii)	General Mental Ability	25 Marks

An outline of the syllabi is given in the syllabus head of the section
The Preliminary Examination is meant to serve as a Screening Test only for the purpose of selection of candidates for the Main Examination. The marks obtained in this examination by the candidates will not be considered for final selection. Only those candidates who will be declared qualified at the Preliminary Examination in a year will be eligible for admission to the W.B.C.S. (Exe.) etc.(Main) Examination of that year.

1. Main Examination : The Main Examination will consist of five Compulsory papers and two optional subjects (one optional subject for candidates applying only for group C and / or D) to be chosen by the candidates from the list of optional subjects given below. There will be two papers on each optional subject. Every paper – Compulsory or Optional – will carry 100 marks and will be of 3 hours’ duration.
   
   Compulsory Papers :
   
   Paper I :Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali Essay, Précis Writing, Composition and Translation from English into Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali (Marks 40+20+20+20).
   
   Paper II : English Essay, Précis Writing, Composition and Translation from Bengali/Hindi/ Urdu/Nepali into English (Marks 40+20+20+20).
   
   Paper III :General Knowledge and Current Affairs [Excluding questions on the Constitution of India and the Five-year Plans (Marks 50+50).
   
   Paper IV :The Constitution of India and the Five-year Plans (Marks 50+50).
   
   Paper V : Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning (Marks 50+50).
2. List of Optional Subjects : (Vide restriction on choice in para 4 below and syllabi in Appendix-II)

   Subject	Subject Code
   Bengali	01
   Hindi	02
   Sanskrit	03
   English	04
   Pali	05
   Arabic	06
   Persian	07
   French	08
   Urdu	09
   Comparative Literature	10
   Agriculture	11
   Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	12
   Anthropology	13
   Botany	14
   Chemistry	15
   Civil Engineering	16
   Commerce and Accountancy	17
   Computer Science	18
   Economics	19
   Electrical Engineering	20
   Geography	21
   Geology	22
   History	23
   Law	24
   Mathematics	25
   Management	26
   Mechanical Engineering	27
   Medical Science	28
   Philosophy	29
   Physiology	30
   Physics	31
   Political Science	32
   Psychology	33
   Sociology	34
   Statistics	35
   Zoology	36

3. Restriction on choice of Optional Subjects: Candidates will be allowed to offer optional subjects mentioned below in the following restricted manner.
   1. Bengali/Hindi/Sanskrit/English/Pali/Arabic/Persian/French/Urdu/Comparative Literature (candidates will have the option to choose, if they so intend, only one of those subjects as anoptional paper).
   2. Commerce and Accountancy or Management.
   3. Sociology or Political Science or Anthropology.
   4. Mathematics or Statistics.
   5. Agriculture or Botany.
   6. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science or Medical Science or Physiology or Zoology.
   7. Civil Engineering or Electrical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science.
   8. Geography or Geology.
   9. Philosophy or Psychology.
4. The standard of Arithmetic part of Compulsory Paper – V – Arithmetic & Test of Reasoning will be similar to that of the Compulsory Mathematics paper at the Madhyamik Examination of the Board of SecondaryEducation, West Bengal . Test of Reasoning will cover Analytical Reasoning – Data Sufficiency; Logical Reasoning – (1) Logical Deduction, (2) Forcefulness of the Arguments, (3) Implication of sentences, (4) Inferring from diagrams; Series – (1) Letter series, (2) Number series; Inferring from Data; analogy tests; Symbol Interpretation; Mathematical puzzles; Odd man out; Perception test; Non-verbal reasoning; Selecting the correct sequence.
   
   The standard of other compulsory papers will be of the level of learning expected of a graduate of any faculty of a recognized University.
   
   The standard of the examination in optional subjects will be approximately that of an Honours Degree Examination as prescribed by the recognized Indian Universities except Law, Medical Science and Engineering subjects. For Law, Medical Science and Engineering subjects those specified for the LLB course theoretical papers for MBBS and BE or equivalent courses respectively of recognized Indian University / Institution.
5. Answers in all the paper – Compulsory and Optional – except the language papers may be written either in English or in Bengali (unless otherwise directed in these rules or in the question papers). Answers in the following compulsory and optional papers may also be written in Nepali :
   
   Compulsory :
   1. General Knowledge & Current Affairs.
   2. The Constitution of India & the Five-Year Plans.
   Optional :
   1. Political Science
   2. Botany
   Note : Candidates should write their answer to all the questions in only one and the same language in any particular paper.
   Candidates may use the Devanagari or Bengali Script in the answer papers on Sanskrit; the Devanagari Script in the answer papers on Hindi or Nepali; and the Bengali, Arabic, Persian and Urdu Scripts respectively in the answer papers on Bengali, Arabic, Persian & Urdu.
6. A summary of the group-wise papers in the Main Examination :
   Group ‘A’ & ‘B’ Services & Posts : All 5 compulsory papers and two optional subjects of two papers each.
   Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ Services & Posts : All 5 compulsory papers and one optional subject of two papers.
   In case of a candidate competing for Group ‘A’ and / or ‘B’ along with Group ‘C’ and / or ‘D’ and offering two optional subjects the particular optional subject in which higher marks have been secured will be taken into account in calculating his / her aggregate in Group ‘C’ and / or ‘D’.
7. Personality Test : A number of candidates selected in order of merit on the results of the Main Examination (Written) for all the services and posts included in Groups A. B, C and D will have to appear for the Personality Test. Each candidate will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the test will be to assess the candidate’s personal qualities, e.g., alertness of mind, power of clear and logical exposition, intellectual and moral integrity, leadership and also the candidates’ range of interests.
   Candidates for Group ‘B’ Service (West Bengal Police Service) will be specially tested at the interviews with regard to their suitability for the service.
   
   Marks for the Personality Test
   1. Group ‘A’, ‘B’ & ‘C’ 200 Marks
   2. Group ‘D’ 100 Marks
8. Deduction of marks : In all the answer papers under examination due credit will be given for proper economy of words combined with clarity, precision and effectiveness of expression and originality of approach.
   A deduction of 10% of full marks may be made from the total marks secured by a candidate in a particular paper if he / she discloses his / her identity by writing his / her name, roll number or by putting and identifying marks inside the answer script of that paper.

	Compulsory Papers	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
1.	Bengali / Hindi / Urdu / NepaliEssay, Précis Writing, Composition and Translation from English into Bengali/ Hindi / Urdu / Nepali	100	100	100	100
2.	English Essay, Précis Writing,Composition and Translation from Bengali / Hindi / Urdu / Nepali into English	100	100	100	100
3.	General Knowledge and CurrentAffairs	100	100	100	100
4.	The Constitution of India and theFive-year-Plans	100	100	100	100
5.	Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning	100	100	100	100
6.	Optional Subjects :	400	400	200	200
7.	Personality Test :	200	200	200	100
	Total Marks :	1100	1100	900	800

Syllabus:

Preliminary Exam Syllabus

Questions On English Composition Will Cover Synonyms, Antonyms, Idioms And Phrases, Vocabulary Test, Phrasal Verbs, The Same Words Bearing More Than One Meaning, Use Of Appropriate And Qualifying Words Etc. Questions On General Science Will Cover General Appreciation And Understanding Of Science, Including Matters Of Everyday Observation And Experience As May Be Expected Of A Well-Educated Person Who Has Not Made A Special Study Of Any Scientific Discipline. In History, Emphasis Will Be On Broad General Understanding Of The Subject In Its Social, Economic And Political Aspects. Questions On The Geography Of India Will Relate To Physical, Social And Economic Geography Of The Country, Including The Main Features Of Indian Agricultural And Natural Resources With Special Reference ToWest Bengal . Questions Of Indian Polity And Economy Will Test The Knowledge Of The Country's Political System, Panchayatee Raj, Community Development And Planning In India, Questions On The Indian National Movement Will Relate To The Nature And Character Of The Nineteenth Century Resurgence, Growth Of Nationalism And Attainment Of Independence. General Mental Ability Will Relate To Logical Perception, Understanding And Natural Conclusion.

Main Exam Syllabus

1. Languages
2. Agriculture
3. Animal Husbandry And Veterinary Science
4. Anthropology
5. Botany
6. Chemistry
7. Civil Engineering
8. Commerce And Accountancy
9. Computer Science
10. Economics
11. Electrical Engineering
12. Geography
13. Geology
14. History
15. Law
16. Mathematics
17. Management
18. Mechanical Engineering
19. Medical Science
20. Philosophy
21. Physiology
22. Physics
23. Political Science
24. Psychology
25. Sociology
26. Statistics
27. Zoology

Contact Details:

West Bengal Public Service Commission
161A, SP Mukherjee Road
Kolkata-700026
Website: www.pscwb.org.in