WBPSC Clerkship Syllabus 2026: Part I and Part II Topics

The WBPSC Clerkship syllabus covers two written stages: an objective Part I in English, Arithmetic and General Studies, and a conventional Part II that tests drafting, précis and translation in English and one Indian language. The West Bengal Public Service Commission uses it to select Lower Division Assistants, Lower Division Clerks and staff for similar posts under the Clerkship Examination, 2024 (Advertisement No. 12/2024), notified in October 2026.

WBPSC publishes the syllabus as short topic lines rather than a chapter-wise list. The tables on this page start from those official lines and break them into a working checklist, with a suggested order of study for each subject. Use the lists as a planning guide, and keep the official scheme and syllabus as your final reference.

Table of Contents

WBPSC Clerkship Syllabus

Key Points to Know Before You Start

• Part I is negatively marked: Each correct answer earns 1 mark, and 0.25 marks are deducted for each wrong one. Accuracy matters as much as coverage.

• Part II counts for merit: Part II marks are added to Part I marks for the final merit list, so the written paper is not a formality.

• You choose your Group B language: The choice between Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali and Santali is made in the application form. Prepare in the language you selected.

• Do not reveal your identity in Part II: Writing your name or any identifying mark in the answer script leads to a deduction of 10% of that paper's full marks.

• Typing is a separate hurdle: The computer and typing test is qualifying, but failing it removes you from the merit list.

• Check the cycle on any page you read: Older pages may still show topic lists or patterns from earlier Clerkship cycles, so match them against the current advertisement.

Part I Syllabus: English, Arithmetic and General Studies

Part I is a single objective paper of 100 questions. The three subjects are tested at roughly Madhyamik level, but the time limit of 90 minutes for 100 questions means speed and accuracy decide the score.

English (30 Marks)

The official syllabus covers the fundamentals of the English language: vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, synonyms, antonyms and correct usage.

Grammar rules feed both error spotting and fill in the blanks, so they give the best return for the time spent. Build vocabulary through daily reading instead of memorising long lists in the last month.

Arithmetic (30 Marks)

The official topic list is short and school-level: divisibility, fractions, decimals, recurring decimals, simplification, HCF, LCM, partnership, average, ratio and proportion, percentage, simple interest, profit and loss, time and distance, and the area of rectangles and squares.

Percentage is the base for profit and loss and simple interest, and ratio is the base for partnership and average. Learn these two first, and the rest of the list becomes faster to cover. Memorise squares up to 30 and common fraction-to-percentage values to save time in the exam.

General Studies (40 Marks)

The official syllabus covers matters of everyday observation, including everyday science, current events and problems relating to India, along with elementary knowledge of Indian history and Indian geography. Because the wording is broad, the table below turns it into a practical checklist.

General Studies is the largest section in Part I, but it is also the least predictable. Cover the static parts (history, geography, science) once in depth, and then add current affairs in small daily doses. The polity and West Bengal items above are not named separately in the official lines, but they fall under problems relating to India and Indian geography and are sensible to include.

Part II Syllabus: Conventional Written Paper

Part II is a written test of practical office writing. It has two groups of 50 marks each, written together in 60 minutes. The same three tasks appear in both groups, so you prepare one skill set in two languages.

Group A: English (50 Marks)

Group B: Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali or Santali (50 Marks)

WBPSC does not publish a mark split between the three tasks, so give each task a fair share of the 60 minutes. With six tasks in 60 minutes, a useful starting split is about 9 minutes per task, which leaves about 6 minutes to check spelling and figures.

What a Good Part II Answer Looks Like

• Clear structure: A report with a heading and short paragraphs is easier to mark than one long block of text.

• Accurate facts from the question: Use every point supplied and do not add details that are not in the material.

• Correct language: Spelling and grammar mistakes cost marks in both groups, so leave time to proofread.

• Right length: A précis that is too long or a translation that skips lines loses marks even if the language is good.

Computer and Typing Test: Is There a Syllabus?

There is no written syllabus for this stage. It is a practical test of elementary computer operation and typing speed, taken only by candidates who qualify in Part I and Part II. The required speed is 20 words per minute in English or 10 words per minute in Bengali, depending on the option chosen in the application.

To prepare, practise basic operations such as opening a file, typing and saving a document, and simple text editing. Type for 15 to 20 minutes daily and test your speed every week, so that you are comfortably above the required speed well before the test.

Where Part I and Part II Overlap

Because of this overlap, there is no need to wait for the Part I result before starting Part II preparation. One short writing task a week from the beginning keeps both stages moving.

Common Syllabus Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating Arithmetic as easy: The topics are simple, but 30 questions inside a shared 90-minute paper need fast, clean calculation. Time every practice set.

• Reading General Studies without revising it: Facts from history, geography and science fade quickly. Make one-page notes per topic and revise them weekly.

• Leaving Part II until after Part I: The gap between the two stages can be short, and writing skills take weeks to build.

• Ignoring your Group B language: Many candidates prepare only English for Part II. Group B carries the same 50 marks, so give it equal practice.

• Guessing blindly in Part I: With a 0.25 penalty, four wrong answers wipe out one correct answer. Skip questions you cannot narrow down.

How to Cover the WBPSC Clerkship Syllabus

The plan below assumes about 12 to 16 weeks before Part I. Adjust it if you have more or less time.

1. Weeks 1 to 4, foundation: Cover the percentage and ratio families in Arithmetic, all grammar topics in English, and Indian history and geography in General Studies. Start reading the news for 30 minutes a day, and begin typing practice.

2. Weeks 5 to 8, full coverage: Finish the remaining Arithmetic topics, everyday science and polity basics. Start topic-wise tests and 20-minute sectional tests. Write one report, one précis and one translation each week in both languages.

3. Weeks 9 to 12, speed and accuracy: Take full-length mocks in the 100-question, 90-minute format once or twice a week. Analyse every mock on the same day and keep an error log of wrong and skipped questions.

4. Final weeks, revision: Revise from short notes and the error log, take a full mock every two or three days, and revise the last six months of current affairs. Keep up Part II writing and typing practice.

check the official scheme and syllabus on the WBPSC website.