West Bengal Civil Service (Executive) Examination is conducted by the West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) for the recruitment of aspirants for various posts under four categories – Group A, B, C and D for the West Bengal Provincial Civil Services. Graduates from any discipline can apply for any of these posts.
The officers recruited through the WBCS exam are as follows:
Group A
- West Bengal Civil Service (Executive)
- Assistant Commissioner of Revenue in the integrated West Bengal Revenue Service
- West Bengal Co-operative Service
- West Bengal Labour Service
- West Bengal Food and Supplies Service
- West Bengal Employment Service
Group B
West Bengal Police Service
Group C
- Superintendent, District Correctional Home / Deputy Superintendent, Central Correctional Home
- Joint Block Development Officer
- Deputy Assistant Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Business Practices
- West Bengal Junior Social Welfare Service
- West Bengal Subordinate Land Revenue Service, Grade-I
- Assistant Commercial Tax Officer
- Joint Registrar (West Bengal State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission under the Consumer Affairs Department, Government of West Bengal
- Assistant Canal Revenue Officer (Irrigation)
- Chief Controller of Correctional Services
Group D
- Inspector of Co-operative Societies
- Panchayat Development Officer under the Panchayat and Rural Development Department
- Rehabilitation Officer under the Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Department
he WBCS syllabus 2021 is released by the Commission in the official WBCS notification 2021. The WBCS notification also contains the marking scheme of the exam and the WBCS exam pattern.
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WBCS Exam Highlights
| Features | Details |
| Exam Name | West Bengal Civil Services (WBCS) |
| Conducted by | West Bengal Public Service Commission (WBPSC) |
| Exam Mode | Online |
| Stages of Exam | · WBCS Prelims Exam
· WBCS Main Exam · WBCS Personality Test |
| Geographical Scope of exam | State-level (West Bengal Only) |
| Exam frequency | Once a Year |
| Common Eligibility | Graduation Degree in any discipline |
| Language of question paper | English and Bengali |
| Official website | https://www.pscwbonline.gov.in/apps/home/ |
Aspirants can download the WBPCS Syllabus 2021 Pdf from the official website.
WBPCS Exam Pattern 2021
WBPSC Exam conducted in 3 stages namely Preliminary, Mains and Interview.
- The WBCS Prelims consists of one paper only i.e., General Studies.There is no Aptitude Test, unlike various other state Public Service Commission Exams.
- The WBCS Mains Exam has six compulsory papersand one optional subject consisting of two papers.
- Optional Subjects are meant to be taken by candidates opting for Group A and Group B services.
- Out of 6 compulsory papers, 4 papers are of MCQ Type:
- General Studies I
- General Studies II
- The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including role and functions of Reserve Bank of India
- Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning
- The Mains Exam (Conventional/ Essay) is allowed to be taken only in Bengali/ English language.
- There is a deduction of 10% of the total marks secured by the candidate if he/she discloses his/her identity by writing his/her roll number/name.
- The final selection of the candidates is based on their performance in the main exam and personality test. The preliminary exam is qualifying in nature.
| Tier | Name of the exam | Type of the exam | Number of question papers | Marks |
| I | Preliminary Exam | Objective | 1. General Studies | 200 |
| II | Mains | Objective + Conventional | 1. Paper-I (Conventional Type)
2. Paper-II (Conventional) 3. Paper-III (Objective) 4. Paper-IV (Objective) 5. Paper-V (Objective) 6. Paper-VI (Objective) 7. Paper-VII & VIII (Optional Subject chosen by the candidate) |
200 for Paper-I to Paper VI
200 each for Paper-VII and Paper VIII |
| III | Personality Test | Interview | – | 200 |
WBCS Syllabus 2021
The WBCS exam is a premier and state-wide competitive exam and hence the competition in the WBCS exam is very high. The candidates should read and understand the WBCS Syllabus analytically because syllabus topics and the previous year question paper can guide the candidates in the most suitable way.
WBCS 2021: Prelims
- It will consist of only one paper, viz., a paper on “General Studies”.
- The paper will be of an objective type consisting of 200 multiple-choice questions.
- The paper will carry 200 marks and will be of 2 hours 30 minutes duration.
- The standard of the paper will be of the level of knowledge as expected of a graduate of any faculty of a recognized university.
- The marks obtained from this exam will not be added to the final result. It is only a screening test to admit students to the mains examination.
- There shall be negative marking 1/3rd for each wrong answer.
- The paper will include questions covering the following fields of knowledge:
| Topics | Marks | Duration |
| 1. English Composition | 25 marks | 2 Hours |
| 2. General Science | 25 marks | |
| 3. Current events of National & International Importance | 25 marks | |
| 4. History of India | 25 marks | |
| 5. Geography of India (special reference to West Bengal) | 25 marks | |
| 6. Indian Polity and Economy | 25 marks | |
| 7. Indian National Movement | 25 marks | |
| 8. General Mental Ability | 25 marks |
WBCS 2021: Prelims Syllabus
The WBCS prelims examination has only one paper. The syllabus for the prelims exam is as follows:
English Composition
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Idioms and Phrases
- Vocabulary Test
- Phrasal Verbs
- Homophones
- Fill in the Blanks
General Science
- General Appreciation
- Understanding of Science
- Matters of Everyday Observation
- General Experience
Current Events of National & International Importance
- Awards & Honours, Latest Appointments & Discoveries
- Significant Events Affecting India and Its Relations
Geography of India with Special Reference to West Bengal
- Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of the Country
- Indian Agriculture and Natural Resources with Special Reference to West Bengal
Indian Polity and Economy
- Knowledge of the Country’s Political System, Panchayati Raj
- Community Development
- Planning in India
Indian National Movement
- Nature and Character of the Nineteenth Century Resurgence
- Growth of Nationalism
- Attainment of Independence
General Mental Ability
- Logical Perception & Understanding
- Common Aptitude
- Natural Conclusion
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WBCS 2021: Mains
- The Main examination shall consist of six compulsory papers and one optional subject consisting of two papers (Only for a candidate applying for group A and/or B) to be chosen by the candidates from the list of optional subjects.
- There will be two papers of the optional subjects of 200 marks each.
- Each paper, Compulsory or optional, will carry 200 marks and will be of 3 hours duration.
- Out of six compulsory papers four papers i.e. (i) General studies-I, (ii) General studies-II, (iii) The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including role and functions of Reserve Bank of India and (iv) Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning will be of MCQ type to be answered in OMR answer sheets and remaining two compulsory papers i.e., Paper-I and Paper-II will be of conventional type written examination.
Compulsory Papers for WBPSC 2021:
| Paper | Subject | Type | Duration |
| Paper I | Bengali/ Hindi/ Urdu/ Nepali/ Santali | Essay Type | 3 hours |
| Paper-II | English | Essay Type | |
| Paper III | General Studies I | Objective | |
| Paper IV | General Studies II | Objective | |
| Paper V | Indian Constitution & Indian Economy | Objective | |
| Paper VI | Arithmetic & Test of Reasoning | Objective |
Optional Papers:
- Paper I- 200 marks
- Paper-II- 200 Marks
One optional subject will have to be chosen at the time of application. Candidates will have to answer two papers based on the chosen optional subject. Each paper will be of 200 marks. The list provided by WBPSC for optional subjects is given below. Please check the official website to know more about the syllabus of these subjects.
List of Optional Subjects
| Subjects | Code |
| Bengali | 1 |
| Hindi | 2 |
| Sanskrit | 3 |
| English | 4 |
| Pali | 5 |
| Arabic | 6 |
| Persian | 7 |
| French | 8 |
| Urdu | 9 |
| Santali | 10 |
| Comparative Literature | 11 |
| Agriculture | 12 |
| Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | 13 |
| Anthropology | 14 |
| Botany | 15 |
| Chemistry | 16 |
| Civil Engineering | 17 |
| Commerce and Accountancy | 18 |
| Computer Science | 19 |
| Economics | 20 |
| Electrical Engineering | 21 |
| Geography | 22 |
| Geology | 23 |
| History | 24 |
| Law | 25 |
| Mathematics | 26 |
| Management | 27 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 28 |
| Medical Science | 29 |
| Philosophy | 30 |
| Physiology | 31 |
| Physics | 32 |
| Political Science | 33 |
| Psychology | 34 |
| Sociology | 35 |
| Statistics | 36 |
| Zoology | 37 |
Note- Group ‘A’ & ‘B’: All 6 compulsory papers and one optional subject consisting of two papers.
Group ‘C’ & ‘D’: All 6 compulsory papers.
Syllabus for Mains Exam:
- Paper I:
Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali – Letter writing (within 150 words) / Drafting of Report (within 200 words), Précis Writing, Composition and Translation from English to Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali.
- Paper II:
English – Letter writing (within 150 words) / Drafting of Report (within 200 words), Précis Writing, Composition and Translation from Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali to English.
- Paper III:
General Studies-I:
- Indian History with special emphasis on National Movement.
- Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal.
- Paper IV:General Studies-II Science and Scientific & Technological advancement, Environment, General Knowledge, and Current Affairs.
- Paper V:The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including the role and functions of the Reserve Bank of India.
- Paper VI:Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning. The Compulsory Mathematics paper will be of the standard of Madhyamik Examination of the Board of Secondary Education, West Bengal.
- Paper VII/VIII:Paper VII & Paper VIII are Optional Paper.
WBCS Personality Test Exam Pattern 2021
For the personality test, applicants will be chosen depending on their performance in the Main Exam. The rationale behind the Personality Test is to assess the aspirant’s general awareness, characteristics, traits, and suitability for the job. Candidates will receive marks as per the following scheme for the personality test:
WBCS Interview
Candidates who qualify the WBCS Mains Exam are called for the ‘Interview’ Round. Candidates are interviewed by a Board appointed by the WBCS. The mains fields checked by the interviewer given below:
- The candidate will be interviewed by a board who will have a record of the candidate’s career and interests filled by the candidate in the Application Form.
- The objective of the interview is to test the personal suitability of the candidate for the career in the state services by a board of competent and unbiased observers.
- Apart from their academic study, candidates must be aware of the latest current affairs happening both within and outside their state.
- The purpose of the interview is to explore the mental and analytical ability of the candidate.
WBPSC WBCS Exam 2021 – Reference Books
One of the best ways to prepare for the WBCS Exam 2021 is to be thorough with the syllabus. There are books suggested by experts that can help you with your preparations. The best WBCS Books are mentioned below: –
- WBCS General Studies Manual – For Preliminary and Main Examinations (Nitin Singhania)
- WBCS Prelims 15 Years Question Papers with New Syllabus in English (Maity and Sarkar)
- 10000+ Objective MCQs with Explanatory Notes for General Studies (Disha Experts)
- WBCS Guidebook Achievers Special Sankha in Bengali (Editorial Team)
- Indian Polity – For Civil Services and Other State Examinations (M Laxmikanth)