• July 15: Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has further postponed the last date for online application due to some changes in the recruitment exam process. The last date for online application forms and depositing the fee has been extended till 30 July and 6 August 2020 respectively.
• July 15: The number of attempts allowed for the ex-serviceman category and PWD category has been revised and is as follows: General Ex-servicemen- 6, Backward Classes Ex-servicemen- 9, Scheduled Castes Ex-servicemen- unlimited, Persons with Disability category: same as non-PwD candidates across other categories i.e. General/ Backward Classes/Scheduled Castes.
• July 1: Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has extended the last date to submit the application form for Punjab State Civil Service Examination 2020 to  July 15, 2020 from the earlier date of June 30, 2020. The last date to submit application fee through challan is now extended up to July 22, 2020.

Punjab Civil Services or PCS is the combined Government Exam that is conducted by Punjab Civil Service Commission to select eligible candidates for filling the various administrative posts in Punjab Government. Some of the posts offered through Punjab Civil Services are: Executive, Deputy Superintendent, Excise & Taxation Officer.

This year, Punjab PCS has released the notification for 77 vacancies that include Deputy Superintendent Of Police, Tehsildar, Block Development & Panchayat Officer, and Dy. Superintendent Jails/ Dist. Probation Officer and other Posts.

The Punjab Civil Services examination is conducted in three stages:

• PPSC Preliminary Exam
• PPSC Main Exam
• Interview

PPSC Preliminary Exam Pattern

The preliminary examination consists of two papers which contain multiple choice questions. Based on the marks obtained in this examination, candidates are declared qualified for Main Examination.

There is no negative marking in the Preliminary examination for Punjab PPSC.

PPSC Main Exam Pattern

The Main examination consists of 7 papers-

Interview Test

Only Candidates who have qualified the written examination and fulfill the eligibility criteria will be called for an interview. The marks obtained in the interview together with the marks obtained in the written exam will be considered for the final merit list.

No candidate shall be eligible to appear in the interview unless he/she obtains 45% marks in the aggregate of all the papers. For the candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, this requirement is 40%. Additionally, candidates should score at least 25% marks in each paper.

The Syllabus for Punjab PCS examination is provided in the official notification each year. The detailed syllabus for Prelims is present here, while that for Mains examination is present on this page.

1. Nationality

A candidate must be:

• Citizen of India; or
• Citizen of Nepal; or
• Subject of Bhutan; or
• Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the Ist January. 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India; or
• A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and United Republic of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar) Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India;
  Provided that a candidate other than the candidates possessing Indian nationality shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Competent Authority as notified Punjab Civil Services General and Common Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994.

2. Educational Qualifications

• The candidates should possess a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognized university or board.
• The aspirant should have appeared for Punjabi as a compulsory or elective subject in their Matriculation examination or given any other equivalent examination in the Punjabi language, which may be specified by the Government from time to time.

3. Age Limit

• To apply for Punjab Civil Services Exam 2020, the age of the candidates must be between 21 to 37, as on 1^st Jan 2020
• However, for the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police and Deputy Superintendent Jails/ District Probation Officers, the candidates’ age should be between 21 and 28.
• Age relaxation is applicable as per State Government rules, as tabulated below:

4. Number of Attempts

The number of attempts allowed for different categories is tabulated below:

An attempt in an examination includes an attempt made by the candidate in the preliminary examination.

5. Physical Standards

Candidates who qualify for the Punjab Police Service have to qualify the physical test specified by the Government. Candidates are required to fulfil the below physical standards:

Additionally, candidates have to qualify a physical test for the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police & Deputy Superintendent of Jails/District Probation Office (Jails). The candidates need to qualify any 2 from Serial no. 2, 3, 4 in the below table

PPSC Results 2020 will be published on the official website by the Punjab Public Service Commission after each stage (Prelims, Mains and Interview) has been conducted. The results will include the candidates’ actual scores in the individual subjects. The steps to check the PPSC result have been given below:

Step 1: Candidates should visit the official website of Punjab Public Service Commission- ppsc.gov.in.

Step 2: On the home page, applicants will see the Announcements link at the bottom of the page.

Step 3: Click on the “PPSC Results Link” to open the list of PPSC Result 2020 (Preliminary, Mains, and Interview).

Step 4: Check the results with Registration number & name. In the results list, the category wise cut off will also be given. Candidates can download the list for future use.

PPSC Cutoff

There will be separate cut-offs for each stage. The final PPSC cut off 2020 will be determined by taking the marks of mains and interview into consideration. There are various factors that are considered while preparing the cut off of PPSC. Some of them are:

• Total vacancies
• The difficulty level of exam
• Number of candidates who appeared for the exam

Aspiring candidates can apply for PCS Only Online by visiting the official website of PPSC i.e. www.ppsc.gov.in/. Candidates are not required to send a hard copy of the Online Application Form to the office of Punjab Public Services Commission.

The steps to apply for PCS are provided below:

1. Find the notification of “PUNJAB STATE CIVIL SERVICES COMBINED COMPETITIVE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION” on the official PPSC website.
2. Register yourself with a valid mobile number and email ID as it will be used for future communications.
3. Enter all the relevant information.
4. Upload the required documents.
5. Pay the application fee and submit the application form.

PCS Application Fee 2020

The application fee differs as per the category and is mentioned in the table below.

Steps To Download PPSC Exam Admit Card 2020

The admit card shall serve as the entry ticket into the PPSC Examination center for all stages. The step-by-step instructions for downloading the admit card is given below:

• Visit the PPSC official website- ppsc.gov.in
• Go to “Admit Card” section
• Enter your Registration No and Password
• Submit the required details to view the admit card
• Save and take printout of the admit card for future use

Details given on PPSC admit card 2020
The details mentioned on your PPSC exam admit card are as follows:

• Candidate’s Name
• Date of Birth
• Exam Venue and Address
• Exam Timing
• Date of examinations

In case there is any discrepancy in the details mentioned on the PPSC exam Admit Card, the candidate should instantly contact the concerned authorities for its solution. The contact for the exam conducting authority is provided below.

Postal Address: Punjab Public Service Commission,Baradari Gardens,Patiala – 147001

Website: www.ppsc.gov.in

Documents Required For PPSC Exam 2020 in the examination hall

Along with the PPSC admit card, the candidates require to take an identity proof issued by government authority while appearing for the exam. Candidates can carry any one of the below IDs for verification purposes:

• Original Photograph
• Voter Card
• Pan Card
• Employee ID
• College ID
• PAN Card
• Passport
• Driving License
• Any other ID proof issued by a Gazetted Officer
• Bank Pass Book with the photograph

Both the Preliminary and Main examinations of Punjab PCS are conducted only in Patiala.

Q: Can candidates with the domicile of Punjab only apply for the Punjab PCS examination?

No, this is not a compulsion. Any candidate who fulfills the nationality and other eligibility requirements can appear for the exam.

Q: In what language can a candidate attempt the Punjab PCS exam?

The question papers other than language papers will be set in English. However, when any candidate opts for attempting any paper(s) in Punjabi medium, the question papers shall be printed in Punjabi accordingly.

Q: How should I prepare for Punjab PCS examination along with UPSC CSE?

The UPSC CSE has a vast syllabus which covers the topics of every other exam. The key difference between the two exams is that the Punjab PCS exam will contain questions that focus more on Punjab like the history, geography, politics, economy,etc. of Punjab along with a mandatory Punjabi language examination. This means that candidates will need to additionally put effort towards gaining knowledge of the Punjab state.