Punjab PCS is the state's top competitive exam: it fills posts like PCS (Executive), DSP, Tehsildar, ETO and BDPO. This page puts the entire 2025 notification in one place, so you know exactly what the commission expects from prelims to interview.
The latest notification is for the PSCSCCE-2025 (applications closed 31 January 2025). As reported, the prelims was held on 7 December 2025 and the mains in April 2026. A PCS 2026 notification is expected but had not been published when this page was written. We will update this page when it is.
PCS 2025 at a glance: 322 posts
| Post | Posts |
|---|---|
| Punjab Civil Service (Executive Branch) | 46 |
| Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) | 17 |
| Tehsildar | 27 |
| Excise & Taxation Officer (ETO) | 121 |
| Food and Civil Supply Officer | 13 |
| Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) | 49 |
| Assistant Registrar Co-operative Societies | 21 |
| Labour-cum-Conciliation Officer | 3 |
| Employment Generation, Skill Development & Training Officer | 12 |
| Deputy Superintendent Jails Gr-II / District Probation Officer | 13 |
| Total | 322 |
33% of posts are reserved for women of Punjab.
Eligibility
- Education: a bachelor's degree in any discipline. Final-year students may sit the prelims, but must show the passed degree before the mains.
- Punjabi: matriculation with Punjabi as a compulsory or elective subject (or an equivalent Punjabi examination) is required even to sit the prelims.
Age limit (as on 1 January 2025)
- General: 21 to 37 years
- SC and BC of Punjab: up to 42 years
- Punjab and other government employees: up to 45 years
- Widows, divorced women and certain other women: up to 42 years
- Persons with disabilities of Punjab: up to 47 years
- DSP and Deputy Superintendent Jails / DPO: 21 to 28 years (up to 33 for SC and BC of Punjab); the other relaxations do not apply to these posts
Number of attempts
| Category | Attempts |
|---|---|
| General (and General ex-servicemen) | 6 |
| Backward Classes (and BC ex-servicemen) | 9 |
| Scheduled Castes | Unlimited |
Appearing in the prelims counts as an attempt.
Fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General and others | Rs 1,500 |
| SC/ST of all states and BC of Punjab | Rs 750 |
| Ex-servicemen, EWS, PwD and LDESM of Punjab | Rs 500 |
Stage 1: Preliminary exam
| Paper | Questions | Marks per question | Total | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I - General Studies | 100 | 2 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Paper II - CSAT | 80 | 2.5 | 200 | 2 hours |
- No negative marking in the prelims.
- CSAT is qualifying: you need 40%, but its marks are not counted.
- Merit for mains comes only from Paper I. About 12 to 13 times the vacancies in each category go on to the mains.
- Papers are bilingual, in English and Punjabi. Prelims marks do not count in the final merit.
Paper I syllabus (General Studies):
- Everyday science, computers and telecommunication
- Environmental studies and climate change
- Political theory and the international order (UN, World Bank, IMF, WTO, G20, BRICS)
- Indian polity: Constitution, amendments, Panchayati Raj, elections
- History of India and world history (Renaissance to the World Wars)
- Indian economy: planning, reforms since 1991, key challenges
- Geography: population, resources, agriculture, industry, transport
- Current events of national and international importance
- Punjab: geography and waters; people, society and culture; history from the Sufis and Gurus to independent India; economy
Paper II syllabus (CSAT): Punjabi and English comprehension and grammar, interpersonal and communication skills, logical reasoning, basic numeracy and data analysis.
Stage 2: Main exam (descriptive)
| Paper | Marks |
|---|---|
| Punjabi (Gurmukhi), 10+2 standard | 100 |
| English, 10+2 standard | 100 |
| Essay | 150 |
| GS-I: History, Geography and Society | 250 |
| GS-II: Constitution, Polity, Governance and International Relations | 250 |
| GS-III: Economy, Statistics and Security | 250 |
| GS-IV: Science & Technology, Environment, Problem Solving and Decision Making | 250 |
| Written total | 1,350 |
| Interview | 150 |
| Grand total | 1,500 |
- Every paper is descriptive and 3 hours long. You may answer in Punjabi, except the English paper.
- The notification asks for special emphasis on the history, geography, society and economy of Punjab in the General Studies papers.
- To reach the interview you need 45% in aggregate (40% for SC/ST) and at least 25% in every paper. Up to 3 times the vacancies are called.
- To qualify finally you need 45% in aggregate including the interview (40% for SC/ST).
- Ties: higher written marks first, then the higher total in the four GS papers, then the older candidate.
DSP and Jail posts: physical standards
Height: 5 ft 7 in for men and 5 ft 3 in for women. Chest (men): 33 inches, 34.5 expanded.
| Event | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Race (compulsory, 1 attempt) | 1,600 m in 7:30 | 800 m in 4:45 |
| Long jump | 3.60 m | 3.00 m |
| High jump | 1.15 m | 1.00 m |
| Fourth event | 2 m rope climb | Shuttle run, 10 m x 5 in 20 seconds |
Apart from the compulsory race, you must clear any two of the other three events.
How to prepare
- Build Punjab first. Punjab history, geography, culture and economy appear in prelims Paper I and carry special emphasis in all four GS mains papers.
- Prepare prelims and mains together. The prelims syllabus is the base of GS-I to GS-IV; write short answers from the first month.
- Don't take CSAT lightly. 40% is only a qualifier, but missing it ends your attempt however well you did in General Studies.
- Practise writing in Punjabi and English. The language papers and the essay are 350 marks together.
- Read current affairs daily with a Punjab angle - state budget, schemes, water issues and agriculture.
Free practice on House of Aspirants
- PCS syllabus and old papers
- All PSSSB, PPSC and Punjab Police papers
- DPSP & Fundamental Duties
- Five Year Plans
- Sikhism Part 1
- Current affairs
Download the official notification
Read the full guide above first, then keep the original notification for reference.
Download the Punjab PCS 2025 official notification (PDF, 42 pages)