BSSC CGL Eligibility 2026: Age Limit, Qualification and Relaxation

BSSC CGL eligibility depends on three things: the degree you hold, your age on 1 August 2025, and your category and residence. The Bihar Staff Selection Commission sets these rules in Advertisement No. 05/25 for the 4th Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination, which now covers 1,883 posts. Some posts accept any graduate, while others need specific subjects or a computer qualification.

The application window for this cycle closed on 24 November 2025, but eligibility still matters. It is checked again at document verification, and a mismatch at that stage can cancel a selection. This page sets out the post-wise qualification, the age limits and relaxations, the residence and reservation rules, and the most common reasons candidates are found ineligible.

Table of Contents

BSSC CGL Eligibility

Post-wise Educational Qualification

All posts need a bachelor's degree from a university recognised in India. The difference is in the subjects. Check the row for every post you selected in your application, because you are considered only for posts whose qualification you meet.

Points to Note on Subjects

• Any graduate posts: Assistant Section Officer and Planning Assistant are open to graduates from any stream, including B.A., B.Sc, B.Com, B.Tech and professional degrees, as long as the university is recognised.

• Subject-specific posts: For Junior Statistical Assistant, Industrial Extension Officer and both Auditor posts, the required subject must appear in your graduation, as shown in your marksheets. If you are unsure whether a subsidiary or optional paper counts, read the qualification clause in the advertisement and the clarification notices issued by the commission.

• Industrial Extension Officer marks rule: This post, added by the corrigendum of September 2025, needs at least 45% marks in graduation.

• Data Entry Operator: A plain graduation is not enough. You also need PGDCA, or a BCA or B.Sc (IT) degree, or one of the accepted engineering degrees in computer science or IT.

Which Posts Match Your Degree

Use this table as a quick guide to the posts your degree usually fits. Final eligibility always depends on the subjects shown in your marksheets.

If your degree fits more than one post, the order of preference you gave in the application decides which post you are allotted, based on your rank.

Rules on Marks, CGPA and Final-year Students

Percentage and CGPA

Most posts do not ask for a minimum percentage. The Industrial Extension Officer post is the exception at 45%. On 24 September 2025 the commission issued a separate notice on CGPA and grade conversion for Advertisements 05/25 and 06/25. If your university gives grades or CGPA, follow that notice and keep your university's conversion formula ready for document verification.

Result Deadline

You must have completed the required degree by the cut-off date stated in the advertisement. Final-year students whose results came after that date are generally not eligible. If your result was declared close to the deadline, keep the result date proof, such as the marksheet issue date or a university notice, with your documents.

BSSC CGL Age Limit

Age is counted as on 1 August 2025. The minimum age is 21 years for all categories. The maximum age depends on category and gender.

Date of Birth Window

To meet the minimum age, you must have been born on or before 1 August 2004. For the upper limit, an unreserved male candidate must not have been more than 37 years old on 1 August 2025, which works out to a birth date of 2 August 1987 or later. Work out the window for your own category in the same way, and use your Class 10 certificate as the proof of date of birth.

Age Relaxation

The maximum ages in the table above already include the relaxation given to women and reserved categories. Further relaxation applies to the groups below under Bihar government rules.

The relaxation for persons with disabilities is widely reported as 10 years, but the exact combined limit for each sub-category is set in the advertisement. Treat the figures in this table as indicative and confirm them with the official document before relying on them.

Contractual Employee Provision

The corrigendum issued in September 2025 added a clause for candidates working on contract against the same post in a Bihar government department.

• Age relaxation: Equal to the period of contract service, within the overall maximum.

• Weightage: Up to 5 marks for each completed year of satisfactory service, with a cap of 25 marks. Part years are counted proportionately.

• Exclusions: Daily-wage workers, outsourced staff and appointments not made under the rules do not qualify.

• Proof: An experience certificate from the competent authority in the prescribed format, plus the contract agreement.

Nationality, Residence and Reservation

• Nationality: You must be a citizen of India.

• Reservation is only for Bihar residents: SC, ST, EBC, BC, BC women, EWS and the 35% horizontal reservation for women apply only to permanent residents of Bihar.

• Candidates from other states: You can apply, but only in the unreserved category, and the unreserved age limit and fee apply to you.

• Certificates must be valid: Caste, non-creamy layer and EWS certificates must be issued by the competent authority in Bihar and be valid on the dates set in the advertisement.

Category-wise Vacancies (for Context)

The September 2025 corrigendum gave this split for 1,541 posts. The category split of the 342 Assistant Section Officer posts added in November 2025 is in the corrigendum of 21 November 2025, so the totals below will change. Treat them as indicative.

Within these, 530 posts were under women's horizontal reservation and 32 were for dependants of freedom fighters, with separate posts for persons with disabilities.

Other Conditions

• Hindi: Mains Paper 1 is a Hindi language paper, and you need 30% in it for Paper 2 to be evaluated. Comfort with Hindi is effectively part of eligibility.

• Physical and medical fitness: Selected candidates must be fit to perform the duties of the post, as checked under Bihar government rules.

• Character: Appointment is subject to police verification and a clean conduct record.

• Attempts: The advertisement sets no limit on attempts. You can apply in every cycle while you are within the age limit.

Who Is Not Eligible

• Under 21 on 1 August 2025: Even a few days short makes the application invalid.

• Over the age limit for your category: Relaxation cannot be claimed without a valid certificate.

• Degree not completed in time: A pending result on the cut-off date is not accepted.

• Wrong subjects for a subject-specific post: For example, a B.A. graduate without Economics or Mathematics applying for Auditor.

• Reserved category claimed by a non-resident: Candidates from other states are treated as unreserved.

• Plain graduation for Data Entry Operator: Without PGDCA, BCA, B.Sc (IT) or an accepted engineering degree, you are not eligible for this post.

Documents to Prove Eligibility

Application Fee and Status

The application window for Advertisement No. 05/25 closed on 24 November 2025. The fee was revised after the Bihar government decided in August 2025 to charge a flat Rs. 100 for the preliminary stage of state recruitment exams. Confirm the amount you paid from your fee receipt.

Quick Self-check Before Document Verification

Before the exam notice arrives, match the details in your submitted form with your certificates. The checklist below takes about 15 minutes and can save a selection.

1. Name and date of birth: Match them exactly with the Class 10 certificate.

2. Category: Confirm that your caste or EWS certificate was valid on the dates set in the advertisement.

3. Subjects: For each post you chose, check that the required subject appears in your graduation marksheets.

4. Marks or CGPA: Keep the university conversion formula if your marksheet shows grades.

5. Special claims: Keep disability, ex-serviceman or contractual experience certificates in the prescribed format.

Eligibility rules, corrigenda and clarification notices for this cycle are published on the official BSSC notice board. If anything on this page differs from the official advertisement, the advertisement prevails.