| Conducting body | Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Deputy Collector (State Administrative Service), Deputy Superintendent of Police (State Police Service), State Tax Assistant Commissioner and State Tax Inspector, Naib Tehsildar, Chief Municipal Officer (Class B and Class C), Other posts listed in the advertisement, such as District Registrar, Sub Registrar, Excise Sub Inspector, Child Development Project Officer and Assistant Jail Superintendent |
| Qualification | A degree from a university set up by a central or state Act, or an institution deemed a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, or an equivalent qualification. Candidates waiting for the result of their qualifying exam may sit the prelims on the conditions given in the advertisement. |
| Age limit | 21–30 years on 1 January 2025 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Preliminary exam: two objective papers (General Studies and Aptitude Test) → Main exam: seven descriptive papers of 200 marks each (1,400 marks) → Interview (100 marks) |
| Latest notification | State Service Examination 2025, Advertisement 06/2025 dated 26 November 2025 (posts revised by corrigenda of 3 and 12 December 2025) · 265 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About CGPSC SSE
The State Service Exam is CGPSC's combined exam for state officer posts, from Deputy Collector and DSP down to Naib Tehsildar and Excise Sub Inspector. The 2025 cycle was advertised on 26 November 2025 (Advertisement 06/2025). Selection has three stages: an objective prelims, a descriptive mains and an interview.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–30 years, counted on 1 January 2025.
Age relaxation
- Local residents of Chhattisgarh: the upper limit is 35, and a further 5-year relaxation for local residents applies under the circular of 18 January 2024.
- Deputy Superintendent of Police has its own limit of 21 to 28 years.
- Category relaxations (SC, ST, OBC, women, PwBD and others) are for local residents only, and all relaxations together cannot take the upper limit past 45.
- PwBD candidates get 5 years on the upper limit.
Qualification
A degree from a university set up by a central or state Act, or an institution deemed a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, or an equivalent qualification. Candidates waiting for the result of their qualifying exam may sit the prelims on the conditions given in the advertisement.
Other conditions
- Candidates from other states can apply, but reservation and age relaxation are given only to local residents of Chhattisgarh.
- Physical standards apply for Deputy Superintendent of Police.
- Each prelims and mains paper has a minimum qualifying mark: 33% for unreserved candidates and 23% for reserved categories.
Selection process
- Preliminary exam: two objective papers (General Studies and Aptitude Test)
- Main exam: seven descriptive papers of 200 marks each (1,400 marks)
- Interview (100 marks)
Exam pattern
Preliminary exam
Mode: Objective, four options per question · Duration: 2 hours per paper · Negative marking: One-third of the marks for a question is cut for each wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: General Studies (India 50 questions, Chhattisgarh 50 questions) | 100 | 200 |
| Paper 2: Aptitude Test (qualifying only) | 100 | 200 |
Main exam
Mode: Descriptive, answers in Hindi or English (not mixed), except the language paper · Duration: 3 hours per paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper 1: Language (Hindi, English, Chhattisgarhi) | 200 |
| Paper 2: Essay (national and international issues; Chhattisgarh issues) | 200 |
| Papers 3 to 7: General Studies I to V | 1000 |
Interview
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview / personality test | 100 |
CGPSC SSE syllabus
Prelims Paper 1, Part 1: General Studies
- History of India and the Indian national movement
- Physical, social and economic geography of India
- Constitution of India and polity
- Indian economy
- General science and technology
- Indian philosophy, art, literature and culture
- Current affairs and sports
- Environment
Prelims Paper 1, Part 2: General knowledge of Chhattisgarh
- History of Chhattisgarh and its part in the freedom movement
- Geography, climate, census, archaeological and tourist centres
- Literature, music, dance, art and culture, idioms, janaula (riddles) and hana (proverbs)
- Tribes, special traditions and festivals
- Economy, forests and agriculture
- Administrative structure, local government and Panchayati Raj
- Industry, energy, water and mineral resources
- Current affairs of Chhattisgarh
Prelims Paper 2: Aptitude Test
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class 10 level)
- Hindi language (Class 10 level) and Chhattisgarhi language, asked only in those languages
Mains General Studies papers
- GS I: history of India, Constitution and public administration, history of Chhattisgarh
- GS II: general science, reasoning and aptitude, applied science
- GS III: economy of India and Chhattisgarh, geography of India, geography of Chhattisgarh
- GS IV: philosophy, sociology, social profile of Chhattisgarh
- GS V: welfare and development programmes and laws, sports, events and organisations, educational institutions and human development
What they ask
Prelims Paper 1 splits evenly: 50 questions on India and 50 on Chhattisgarh, each worth 2 marks, with one-third of a question's marks cut for a wrong answer. Chhattisgarh questions go deep into tribes, festivals, folk sayings (hana and janaula) and state current affairs. Paper 2 tests reasoning, basic maths and data reading at Class 10 level, and its Hindi and Chhattisgarhi questions come without translation. Paper 2 only needs the minimum mark, and the mains list is made from Paper 1 marks.
How to prepare
- Give the Chhattisgarh half of Paper 1 as much time as the India half, since it carries 50 of the 100 questions.
- Practise Chhattisgarhi reading early. Paper 2 asks those questions only in Chhattisgarhi, and you still need 33% (23% if reserved) in the paper.
- Attempt only questions you can narrow to one option, because every wrong answer costs one-third of its marks.
- Download the mains syllabus from the advertisement and start short-answer writing for GS papers, which have 30-word and longer answers in fixed sections.
- Revise state GK in short daily topic-wise quizzes on the free Improvam app.
Practise CGPSC SSE syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
How to apply
- Read the advertisement on psc.cg.gov.in and check your age against 1 January 2025 and the post-wise limits.
- Apply online through the link on the CGPSC website and pay the fee online.
- Choose post preferences carefully, as posts are allotted by rank and preference after the interview.
CGPSC SSE FAQs
You must be 21 on 1 January 2025. The general upper limit is 30; local residents of Chhattisgarh have an upper limit of 35 plus a 5-year relaxation. DSP has a separate 21 to 28 range. All relaxations together stop at 45.
Sources
- CGPSC State Service Exam 2025 advertisement (06/2025) ↗ (official, checked )
- CGPSC SSE 2025 corrigendum dated 3 December 2025 ↗ (official, checked )
- CGPSC SSE 2025 corrigendum dated 12 December 2025 (total 265 posts) ↗ (official, checked )
- CGPSC advertisements page ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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