Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission

The CGPSC State Service Examination is the main recruitment exam run by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC). Through it, the state fills posts such as Deputy Collector, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Naib Tehsildar, Chief Municipal Officer and several finance, tax and welfare officer posts. Selection runs in three stages: an objective Preliminary exam, a descriptive Main exam and an interview.

The current cycle is the State Service Examination 2025 (Advertisement No. 06/2025). Its Prelims and Mains are over, and the interview stage is pending after a postponement in September 2026. This page covers where that cycle stands, the eligibility rules, the exam pattern, the syllabus areas, salary, cut-off references and a practical preparation plan. Year-specific facts are kept in labelled tables so you can tell them apart from guidance that stays the same every year.

Table of Contents

• CGPSC State Service Exam at a Glance

• CGPSC SSE 2025: Where the Cycle Stands

• CGPSC Important Dates

• CGPSC Vacancy and Posts

• CGPSC Eligibility

• Application Fee and How to Apply

• CGPSC Exam Pattern

• CGPSC Syllabus Summary

• CGPSC Selection Process

• CGPSC Salary and Career Growth

• How to Prepare for CGPSC

• CGPSC Cut-off Reference

• Other Exams Conducted by CGPSC

CGPSC State Service Exam at a Glance

Official website: https://psc.cg.gov.in/

CGPSC SSE 2025: Where the Cycle Stands

CGPSC released the State Service Examination 2025 notification on 26 November 2025 and took online applications from 1 to 30 December 2025. The Preliminary exam was held on 22 February 2026, and the Prelims result on 25 March 2026 shortlisted 3,921 candidates for the Main exam.

The Main exam was first scheduled for 16 to 19 May 2026 and was later held on 6 to 9 June 2026 at centres in Raipur, Bilaspur, Durg, Ambikapur and Jagdalpur. The Mains result, dated 31 August 2026, provisionally shortlisted 608 candidates for interview.

Document verification and interviews were scheduled from 20 September to 1 October 2026, but the Commission postponed them by a notice issued on 16 September 2026, citing unavoidable circumstances. At the time of writing, revised interview dates had not been announced. The Commission also uses a faceless interview format, in which the board is not given candidates' personal details.

• If you are in the SSE 2025 interview list: Watch the official website for the revised schedule and the online post-preference window, and keep your documents ready.

• If you are starting now: The next State Service Exam notification has usually come out in late November or December, with Prelims in February. The SSE 2026 notification had not been released at the time of writing.

CGPSC Important Dates

Dates after the Mains result can change. Track the notices section of the official website and your registered email and mobile number.

CGPSC Vacancy and Posts

The SSE 2025 notification advertised 238 posts. Later reports from the Commission's own announcements describe 265 posts across 20 services, after a corrigendum added posts. Post-wise numbers below are from the original notification as reported and are indicative; the official advertisement and corrigenda are the final word.

CGPSC Eligibility

Educational qualification

You need a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a university recognised by law. Final-year students can usually sit the Prelims, but they must have passed the degree by the date set for the Mains application. Check the exact cut-off date in your cycle's notification.

Age limit

For SSE 2025, age was counted as on 1 January 2025. Candidates had to be at least 21 years old. The general upper limit was 30 years, and 28 years for DSP. Chhattisgarh domicile candidates get a higher upper limit and further category relaxations.

Relaxations are reported differently on different sites, and they usually apply only to Chhattisgarh domicile candidates. Treat this table as a guide and confirm your limit in the notification.

Other conditions

• Nationality: You must be a citizen of India.

• Physical standards: DSP and some uniformed posts have height and chest requirements.

• Language: Knowledge of Hindi and Chhattisgarhi is tested in the exam itself, so plan for it even if you are from another state.

For the full rules, see the CGPSC eligibility guide.

Application Fee and How to Apply

Portal charges and GST are extra. Some reports say Chhattisgarh domicile candidates paid no exam fee, so check the fee clause in your cycle's notification before you pay.

1. Register: Complete one-time registration on the CGPSC online portal linked from the official website.

2. Fill the form: Enter personal, domicile, category and education details carefully; domicile and category decide your age limit and fee.

3. Upload documents: Add your photograph and signature in the format the notification asks for.

4. Pay and submit: Pay online, submit, and save the confirmation page.

5. Use the correction window: Fix errors in the free window rather than the paid one.

CGPSC Exam Pattern

Preliminary exam

Each question carries 2 marks, and one-third of the question's marks is deducted for a wrong answer. Paper II is qualifying: you need a minimum percentage in each paper (33% for unreserved and 23% for reserved and PwBD candidates, as per the exam scheme), but only Paper I marks decide the Mains shortlist.

Main exam

What this means for you

• Guessing is costly: A wrong answer costs about 0.67 marks, so three wrong guesses wipe out one correct answer.

• Do not ignore Paper II: It does not add to merit, but failing its minimum ends your attempt.

• Mains is a writing exam: Seven three-hour papers over four days test speed and stamina as much as knowledge.

Older pages may still show the Mains as 16 to 19 May 2026 or quote different interview marks, so follow the official notification. The full breakdown is in the CGPSC exam pattern guide.

CGPSC Syllabus Summary

In July 2026, the Commission invited suggestions from candidates on revising the Mains syllabus. As reported, the revision applies to future exams and does not change the SSE 2025 cycle. The topic-wise breakdown is in the CGPSC syllabus guide.

CGPSC Selection Process

1. Preliminary exam: A screening stage. Paper I merit decides the Mains shortlist, and Paper II is qualifying.

2. Main exam: Seven descriptive papers worth 1,400 marks. You need minimum qualifying marks in the papers to reach the interview list.

3. Post preference and document verification: Shortlisted candidates submit post preferences online and attend document verification.

4. Interview: A personality test, held in a faceless format. The exam scheme puts it at 150 marks, though some sources quote other figures.

5. Final merit: Mains plus Interview marks. Posts are allotted by rank, category and your preferences.

CGPSC Salary and Career Growth

Allowances such as dearness allowance and house rent allowance are added to basic pay, so in-hand pay is higher. This is not an official in-hand figure, and it varies by post and posting. Deputy Collectors can move up the State Administrative Service, and DSPs can rise through the State Police Service with promotions over time.

How to Prepare for CGPSC

Prelims

• Start with Chhattisgarh GK: It appears in Prelims and runs through several Mains papers, so one set of notes serves both.

• Build Indian GS on standard school books: Cover polity, history, geography and economy before moving to current affairs.

• Clear Paper II early: Take a few timed aptitude tests to see if you are safely above the minimum.

Mains

• Write every week: Practise 30-word, 60-word and 100-word answers from the start.

• Plan for Philosophy and Sociology: GS IV is new ground for most science and commerce graduates.

• Keep data handy: State-level figures make essays and answers on Chhattisgarh stronger.

Mock tests and practice

CGPSC does not publish an official online mock test. Previous year question papers and model answers on the official website are the closest official practice material. For timed practice in the current pattern, you can attempt CGPSC online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to see where your accuracy drops. Pair them with previous year papers to understand the real difficulty level.

CGPSC Cut-off Reference

Cut-offs change every year with difficulty, vacancies and the number of applicants. Treat these figures as a benchmark only, and aim for a clear margin above them. More detail is on the CGPSC cut-off page.

Other Exams Conducted by CGPSC

Besides the State Service Exam, CGPSC holds separate recruitment exams such as the State Engineering Service (Assistant Engineer), Civil Judge, Assistant Professor, and other departmental and technical posts. These have their own notifications, eligibility and patterns, and Testkart covers the CGPSC AE and CGPSC Civil Judge exams on separate exam pages.