CGPSC Eligibility 2026: Age Limit, Qualification and Relaxation

CGPSC eligibility for the State Service Examination rests on four checks: Indian citizenship, a bachelor's degree, your age on the reference date and, for some posts, physical standards. The Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission also links age relaxation, reservation and fee concessions to Chhattisgarh domicile, so the same graduate can have a different upper age limit depending on where they are a resident.

This page explains each rule as applied in the SSE 2025 cycle (Advertisement No. 06/2025), including the age reference date, domicile-based relaxations, the rule for final-year students and the common reasons applications are rejected. Rules can change between cycles, so treat the year-specific figures as a guide and confirm them in the next notification before you apply.

Table of Contents

• CGPSC Eligibility at a Glance

• Nationality and Domicile

• Educational Qualification

• CGPSC Age Limit

• Age Relaxation

• Reservation for Chhattisgarh Candidates

• Physical Standards for Uniformed Posts

• Number of Attempts

• Post-wise Eligibility Notes

• Eligibility Scenarios: Worked Examples

• When Eligibility Is Checked at Each Stage

• Who Is Not Eligible

• Fee and Documents Linked to Eligibility

• How to Check Your Eligibility Step by Step

CGPSC Eligibility at a Glance

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

Nationality and Domicile

You must be a citizen of India. Candidates from any state can apply for the State Service Exam. However, domicile changes what you get:

• Chhattisgarh domicile: You can claim state reservation (SC, ST, OBC and other categories), the higher upper age limit and fee concessions, if you hold valid state certificates.

• Other states: You are treated as unreserved, whatever your category in your home state. The general upper age limit applies, and you pay the general fee.

Keep your domicile (permanent resident) certificate and caste certificate in the format issued by the Chhattisgarh government. Certificates from other states are not accepted for state reservation.

Educational Qualification

Degree required

You need a bachelor's degree in any discipline from a university established by law, or an institution recognised under the UGC Act, or an equivalent qualification. There is no minimum percentage for most posts. Arts, science, commerce, engineering, medical, law and other graduates are all eligible.

Final-year students

If you are in the final year or final semester of your degree, you can usually apply and sit the Prelims. You must pass the degree and hold proof of it by the last date fixed for the Mains application. If your result is delayed beyond that date, your candidature ends at the Mains stage.

Post-specific qualifications

Some posts under the exam may ask for an extra or specific qualification. Read the post-wise table in the advertisement before you mark your preferences, because you cannot be allotted a post you are not qualified for.

CGPSC Age Limit

For SSE 2025, age was counted as on 1 January 2025. Candidates had to be at least 21 years old on that date.

To work out your eligibility, subtract the age limits from the reference date. With a reference date of 1 January 2025 and a 21 to 30 year limit, a candidate from another state should have been born between 2 January 1994 and 1 January 2004. Check the exact date-of-birth window in your notification, because the reference date usually moves each cycle.

Age Relaxation

Age relaxations come from Chhattisgarh government rules and usually apply only to candidates with Chhattisgarh domicile. Different sources report them differently, so treat this table as indicative.

Relaxations under different heads can sometimes be combined, but the notification usually sets an overall ceiling. The figures above are not official, so read the age clause in the official advertisement before you apply.

Reservation for Chhattisgarh Candidates

Posts are reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates who are residents of Chhattisgarh, with further horizontal reservation for groups such as women, persons with disabilities and ex-servicemen, as per state rules. For SSE 2025, the original 238 posts were reported as split roughly as below. This split is indicative and was set before posts were raised to 265.

The large ST share reflects the state's population profile. If you belong to a reserved category from another state, you compete in the unreserved category in this exam.

Physical Standards for Uniformed Posts

Posts such as Deputy Superintendent of Police, and some jail and excise posts, need minimum physical standards. As reported for SSE 2025, minimum heights for police posts were in the range of about 165 to 168 cm for men and about 152.4 to 155 cm for women, with chest measurements for men. Relaxations may apply to some reserved categories. These figures are indicative, so check the post-wise physical standards in the notification.

If you do not meet the standards for a uniformed post, you can still apply for the exam and choose non-uniformed posts in your preferences.

Number of Attempts

No cap on the number of attempts has been reported for the State Service Exam. In practice, the upper age limit is what limits your attempts. A candidate from another state who starts at 22 has a much shorter window than a Chhattisgarh domicile candidate with category relaxation, so plan your timeline around your own age limit.

Post-wise Eligibility Notes

Eligibility Scenarios: Worked Examples

The examples below use the SSE 2025 reference date of 1 January 2025 and the indicative limits on this page. They show how the rules combine; they are not official rulings.

If your case is close to a limit, read the age clause in the advertisement line by line, and keep the certificate that proves each relaxation you claim.

When Eligibility Is Checked at Each Stage

Because the Commission checks claims in detail only after the written exams, a mistake in the form can surface months later. For SSE 2025, document verification was scheduled the day before each candidate's interview, so originals must be ready well in advance.

Who Is Not Eligible

• Under-age or over-age candidates: Below 21 or above your applicable upper limit on the reference date.

• Candidates without a degree in time: Final-year students whose result is not out by the Mains application deadline.

• Wrong category claims: Candidates from other states claiming Chhattisgarh reservation or relaxation.

• Invalid certificates: Caste, domicile or disability certificates not in the prescribed format or issued by the wrong authority.

• Uniformed posts without physical standards: Candidates who do not meet the height, chest or medical rules for those posts.

• Absent in a Mains paper: Missing any Mains paper ends your candidature for that cycle.

Fee and Documents Linked to Eligibility

Portal charges and GST are extra. Some reports say the exam fee was waived for Chhattisgarh domicile candidates, so check the fee clause in the notification.

• Degree and marksheets: Final-year proof at Prelims, and the passed degree by the Mains deadline.

• Date of birth proof: Usually the Class 10 certificate.

• Domicile and caste certificates: Issued by the competent Chhattisgarh authority.

• Disability or ex-servicemen certificates: If you claim these relaxations.

• No-objection certificate: For candidates already in government service, as required.

Eligibility is checked again at document verification before the interview. A wrong claim made at the application stage can cancel your candidature even after you clear the written exams.

How to Check Your Eligibility Step by Step

1. Confirm the reference date: Note the age reference date given in the current notification.

2. Calculate your age: Work out your age on that date from your Class 10 certificate.

3. Apply your relaxation: Add only the relaxations you can prove with valid Chhattisgarh certificates.

4. Check your degree timeline: If you are in the final year, make sure your result will be out before the Mains application closes.

5. Match posts to standards: If you want DSP or another uniformed post, check the age and physical rules for that post.