OPSC OMAS Exam Pattern 2026: Marks, Negative Marking and Stages

The OPSC OMAS exam pattern has three stages: a written test of two objective General Studies papers, certificate verification, and a viva voce. Odisha Public Service Commission uses it to recruit Group A and Group B officers to the Odisha Municipal Administrative Service. In the previous cycle (OMAS-2021, Advertisement No. 06 of 2022-23), the written test carried 400 marks and the viva voce 50, for a merit total of 450.

This page explains the marks, timing and negative marking, what they mean for your attempt strategy, and how final merit is worked out. No new OMAS advertisement has been issued as of October 2026, so the scheme below is from the previous cycle. Check the next notification for any change before you finalise your plan.

Table of Contents

OPSC OMAS exam pattern at a glance

Written test pattern

Both papers are held on the same day in offline mode. In the OMAS-2021 cycle, the written test took place on 19 November 2023 at centres in Balasore, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Sambalpur. Paper I covers general awareness subjects, and Paper II covers comprehension, reasoning, decision making, numeracy and English skills.

Marking scheme and negative marking

• Correct answer: 2 marks.

• Wrong answer: one-fourth of the marks for that question is deducted, which is 0.5 marks.

• Unanswered question: no deduction.

Your net score on a paper works out as:

$\text{Net score} = 2 \times \text{correct} - 0.5 \times \text{wrong}$

Some pages state the penalty as 0.25 marks per question. In the previous cycle the deduction was one-fourth of the question's marks, so with 2 marks per question it is 0.5. Confirm the exact wording in the next advertisement.

What the pattern means for you

• Every paper decides merit: Paper II is not just a qualifying paper here. A strong aptitude score can make up for an average General Studies score.

• A wrong guess costs a quarter of a right answer: If you can eliminate two options out of four, a guess is usually worth taking. A blind guess is not.

• Speed matters: With 100 questions in 120 minutes, you have about 72 seconds per question. Paper II calculations need that time more than Paper I recall questions do.

• The written test does most of the work: 400 of 450 marks come from the papers, so a viva voce rarely changes the result for someone far below the cut-off.

The easiest way to learn your own guessing threshold is to compare your net scores across a few timed tests on Testkart, with and without guessing on uncertain questions.

Certificate verification and viva voce

Candidates shortlisted on their written marks are called for certificate verification and the viva voce, usually on the same schedule. At verification you produce your original certificates, a signed copy of the online application and self-attested photocopies. Missing documents can lead to rejection, even with a strong written score.

The viva voce carries 50 marks. It checks your awareness of Odisha and urban administration, your understanding of the role you have applied for, and your judgement and communication. There is no fixed syllabus for it.

Final merit calculation

Final merit is the sum of the written test and viva voce marks:

$\text{Final score} = \text{Paper I} + \text{Paper II} + \text{Viva voce}$

Worked example: Suppose you attempt 80 questions in Paper I with 64 correct and 16 wrong. Your Paper I score is 128 minus 8, or 120. In Paper II you attempt 90 with 78 correct and 12 wrong, which gives 156 minus 6, or 150. With 32 out of 50 in the viva voce, your final score is 120 plus 150 plus 32, or 302 out of 450. OPSC then prepares a category-wise merit list and recommends candidates against the vacancies, taking post preferences into account.

Time management and exam-day strategy

1. First pass (about 60 minutes): Answer every question you know for sure. In Paper I this covers most factual questions.

2. Second pass (about 40 minutes): Return to questions where you can eliminate options, and take calculated guesses.

3. Final check (about 20 minutes): Check your answer sheet entries and leave blind guesses blank.

4. Protect your stamina: Use the lunch gap to rest, not to revise new material. Paper II needs a clear head.

Practise this routine before the exam. You can take full-length OPSC OMAS mock tests on Testkart in the two-paper format and use the section-wise analysis to see where your time goes. Pair them with previous year papers to understand the real difficulty level.

Older pages may still show a descriptive pattern or different totals, so follow the official notification. Advertisements and notices are listed on the OPSC advertisements page.