WBCS Exam Pattern: Big News! Old Syllabus Retained for WBCS Exam, Confirms State Government

WBCS Exam Pattern: In a piece of highly significant news for aspirants preparing for the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) examination, the state government has decided to keep the old syllabus and format, putting a hold on the proposed changes. The new syllabus, which was suggested for 2025, has been cancelled, and the examination will now proceed with the traditional structure. This decision was officially announced through a gazette notification published by the Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department of the Government of West Bengal on June 17th. The news has brought a wave of relief to thousands of students, as they can now continue their preperations based on the familiar pattern.

Detailed Examination Format

As a result of this new announcement, the old structure of the WBCS exam remains intact. Let’s take a look at the detailed outline of the existing format:

Preliminary Examination

• The Preliminary exam will continue to be a single paper of 200 marks.
• The paper will consist of 200 multiple-choice questions, with each question carrying 1 mark.
• Questions will be set from eight topics under General Studies, with each topic carrying 25 marks.
• The previously proposed CSAT paper will not be introduced.

Mains Examination

• The Mains exam will consist of two compulsory papers and four subjective papers.
• The compulsory papers include one in Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santhali and one in English, each for 200 marks.
• The four subjective papers are:
  • Paper III: History and Geography
  • Paper IV: Science, Technology, Current Affairs, and General Knowledge
  • Paper V: Polity and Economy
  • Paper VI: Mathematics and Reasoning
• No changes have been made to this format.

Optional Papers

As before, candidates can choose their optional subject from a list of 38 subjects. This rule also remains unchanged.

Interview/Viva Voce

• Group A and B: 200 marks
• Group C: 150 marks
• Group D: 100 marks
• The interview marks also remain unchanged.

According to this decision, the WBCS examinations for both 2024 and 2025 will be conducted in the old MCQ pattern. This provides aspirants with two additional years to prepare according to the old syllabus, which will enhance their chances of success. Candidates should now leverage this opportunity to intensify their preparation based on the established syllabus.