Bihar Staff Selection Commission

The BSSC exam is the main route into clerical, revenue, panchayat and other non-gazetted posts in Bihar government departments. The Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), based in Patna, runs two large combined competitive examinations, one at Inter (10+2) level and one at graduate level, along with separate recruitments for posts such as stenographer, office attendant and field assistant.

This page focuses on the 2025-26 recruitment cycle, the most recent major one. It covers the Second Inter Level Combined Competitive Examination (Advt. No. 02/23(A)) and the Fourth Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination (Advt. No. 05/2025). Applications for both have closed, and the preliminary exam dates had not been announced in the latest coverage we checked, from September 2026. The figures below are compiled from published coverage of the notifications and corrigenda, so confirm each one on the commission's notice board before you act on it.

Official BSSC website: https://bssc.bihar.gov.in/

Table of Contents

BSSC at a Glance

Latest Update: Which Cycle This Page Covers

The Inter Level recruitment under Advt. No. 02/23(A) is the largest BSSC recruitment in this cycle. Applications opened on 15 October 2025 and the deadline was extended more than once, finally to 16 February 2026. The BSSC notice board lists a date-extension notice dated 13 January 2026 and corrigenda for this advertisement dated 29 January 2026 and 13 February 2026.

• Vacancies kept rising: Coverage reports an initial figure of 23,175 posts, later revised to 24,492, then 25,311 and then 26,426 as more departments sent requisitions. Treat 26,426 as the latest reported figure, not a final one.

• Exam calendar passed without an exam: The commission's 2026 calendar, released on 22 February 2026, gave a tentative window of June to July 2026 for the Inter Level prelims and July to August 2026 for the Graduate Level prelims. Neither exam had been held or dated in the September 2026 coverage we checked.

• Graduate Level recruitment: The Fourth Graduate Level notification came on 4 August 2025, and the vacancy count was revised from 1,481 to 1,883. The application window closed on 24 November 2025 after an extension.

Keep this in mind: any page that shows a specific prelims date or an admit card as "out" is likely repeating the tentative calendar. Check the official notice board for the actual notice.

Official BSSC notice board: https://bssc.bihar.gov.in/NoticeBoard.htm

Important Dates

Tentative dates come from the commission's calendar and can change. Track the official notice board and your registered email for any date notice.

BSSC Vacancy Details

The Inter Level vacancy is spread across more than 60 departments, with Lower Division Clerk as the largest post. The category-wise break-up reported for the latest revision is below. The 35 per cent women's reservation is horizontal, so it sits inside these numbers rather than on top of them.

These are not official figures in every row. Post-wise counts differ between sources and change with each corrigendum, so check the latest revised vacancy notice on the official website.

BSSC Eligibility Criteria

Educational qualification

For Inter Level posts, you need an Intermediate (10+2) or equivalent pass from a recognised board by the last date of application. Most posts accept any stream, but some need a subject: Pashu Sahayak asks for Biology, and Filaria Inspector asks for Science. Most posts also expect computer operation and typing knowledge.

For Graduate Level posts, a bachelor's degree from a recognised university is the base requirement. Some posts add conditions, such as Mathematics, Statistics or Economics for statistical posts, Commerce-related subjects for auditor posts, and a computer qualification for Data Entry Operator.

Age limit and relaxation

Age is counted as on 1 August 2025 for both exams. The minimum is 18 years for Inter Level and 21 years for Graduate Level.

Other conditions

Reservation by caste and gender applies only to permanent residents of Bihar. Candidates from other states compete in the unreserved pool. For the full rules, read the detailed BSSC eligibility criteria page.

Application Fee and How to Apply

Recent coverage reports an application fee of Rs. 100 for the Inter Level exam, paid online and non-refundable. For the Graduate Level exam, recent pages also show Rs. 100, while earlier pages showed Rs. 540 and Rs. 135 depending on category. Confirm the fee in the advertisement you applied under.

Both application windows are closed, so the steps below are for reference and for the next cycle.

1. Open the BSSC website and find the link for the relevant advertisement.

2. Register with your name, mobile number and email address, and note your registration number and password.

3. Fill in personal, category and educational details exactly as in your certificates.

4. Upload your photograph, signature and any required certificates.

5. Pay the fee online and submit the form.

6. Save a printed copy of the confirmation page.

Common reasons for trouble at verification: choosing a category that does not match your certificate, a certificate issued after the application deadline, and a name or date of birth that differs between documents.

BSSC Exam Pattern

Preliminary exam

The paper runs for 2 hours 15 minutes, with 4 marks for each correct answer and 1 mark deducted for each wrong answer. Reports describe no separate time limit for each section. The prelims is a screening test, and its marks are not added to the final merit.

Mains exam

The commission has not published a confirmed Mains scheme for the Inter Level exam in the coverage we checked. The scheme reported for BSSC Mains is two papers: a General Awareness or Hindi paper of 100 questions and 400 marks, and a reasoning, mathematics and science paper of 150 questions and 600 marks, each of 2 hours 15 minutes. For the Graduate Level exam, reports describe a qualifying Hindi paper and a 150-question general paper. Treat all Mains details as indicative until the commission issues its notice.

What this means for you

• Time: 150 questions in 135 minutes leaves about 54 seconds per question. Practise moving on quickly from slow questions.

• Guessing: With four options, a blind guess has a small positive expected value, but a wrong answer still costs a mark. Guess only after you can rule out at least one option.

• Balance: Each section carries equal weight, so a weak Mental Ability score cannot be covered by General Studies alone.

Older pages may still show previous-cycle patterns or fees, so follow the official notification. For stage-wise detail, see the BSSC exam pattern page.

BSSC Syllabus Summary

The commission names the prelims sections but does not publish a long topic list for each. The summary below is built from the advertisement coverage and previous question trends, so use it as a working checklist rather than an official list.

The full topic-wise list is on the BSSC syllabus page.

Selection Process

1. Preliminary exam: Objective screening test. Candidates are shortlisted in a fixed multiple of the vacancies for Mains (reported as five times for the Inter Level exam).

2. Mains exam: Written exam that decides merit. Qualifying minimum marks apply by category.

3. Skill test: Typing or computer test for posts that need it. Speed requirements are announced separately.

4. Document verification: Original certificates are matched with your online application.

Salary and Career Growth

Pay for the Inter Level posts follows the Bihar pay matrix. Reported starting basic pay is Rs. 19,900 at Level 2, which covers most clerk-grade posts, Rs. 21,700 at Level 3 for Panchayat Secretary, and Rs. 25,500 at Level 4 for posts such as Filaria Inspector and Assistant Instructor (Typing). Allowances such as dearness allowance and house rent allowance are added on top. This is not an official in-hand figure, and it varies by city and department. Graduate Level pay depends on the post, so check the pay level in the advertisement.

Most of these posts offer departmental promotion, and clerical staff can move up to assistant and section-level roles with experience.

How to Prepare for the BSSC Exam

Because the prelims has three equal sections, a simple split works well: build Mental Ability and Mathematics skills through daily practice, and cover General Studies through steady reading and revision.

• Mental Ability and Mathematics: Practise a fixed set of questions every day and keep a list of formulas and shortcuts.

• General Studies: Read Bihar-specific topics along with national ones, and make short monthly current affairs notes.

• General Science: Revise matriculation-level concepts from school textbooks.

Using mock tests

Start with sectional tests once you finish a topic, then move to full 150-question papers under the 135-minute limit. After every test, note which wrong answers were careless, which were knowledge gaps, and which questions took too long. For timed practice in the current pattern, you can attempt BSSC online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to plan your revision. The commission does not appear to host official mock tests, so the notice board remains the place for real exam instructions.

Cut-off Reference

No official cut-off exists yet for this cycle, because the prelims has not been held. What the notification does give is the minimum qualifying percentage by category, as reported in coverage.

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat any earlier figure as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above the minimum rather than a bare pass. Scoring well above the qualifying line in full-length mocks, such as the BSSC test series on Testkart, is a more reliable signal than any expected figure. See the BSSC cut-off page for how to set a target.