| Conducting body | Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | HCS (Executive Branch), Group A, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO), District Food and Supplies Controller (DFSC), Assistant Registrar Cooperative Societies (ARCS), District Food and Supplies Officer (DFSO), Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer (AETO), Traffic Manager, 'A' Class Tehsildar (Apprentice), 'A' Class Naib Tehsildar (Apprentice) |
| Qualification | A Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Commerce degree, or an equivalent degree from a recognised university, as required by the HCS (Executive Branch) Rules, 2008. |
| Age limit | 18–42 years on 1 January 2026 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Preliminary exam: two objective papers (General Studies and CSAT) → Main written exam: six descriptive papers → Personality test / viva-voce (75 marks) |
| Latest notification | HCS (Ex. Br.) and Other Allied Services, Advt. No. 22/2026 (30 January 2026) · 102 vacancies |
Last checked . Sources
About HPSC HCS
HPSC runs this exam to fill HCS (Executive Branch) posts, which are Group A, along with Group B allied posts such as DSP, Excise and Taxation Officer and Tehsildar. Advertisement 22/2026, dated 30 January 2026, lists 102 posts across ten services. Selection has three stages: an objective prelims, six descriptive mains papers and a personality test.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 18–42 years, counted on 1 January 2026.
Age relaxation
- SC: 5 years
- OBC: 5 years
- PwBD: 5 years
- DSP has its own age range: 18 to 27 years on 1 January 2026.
- The 5 years for SC and Backward Classes applies to candidates of Haryana, and only where posts are reserved for that category.
- A corrigendum of 5 February 2026 lets employees of the Haryana government, the High Court or its subordinate courts with at least four years of substantive or officiating service (not ad hoc) on 1 January 2026 apply up to age 45, within a limit of three chances.
- With any combination of relaxations, the upper age cannot go past 52 years, except for ex-servicemen.
Qualification
A Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Commerce degree, or an equivalent degree from a recognised university, as required by the HCS (Executive Branch) Rules, 2008.
Other conditions
- Reserved-category candidates from other states compete against general posts.
- DSP applicants must meet the physical standards of the Haryana Police Service Rules, 2002 listed in the advertisement, including a minimum height of 170.19 cm for men and 157.50 cm for women.
Selection process
- Preliminary exam: two objective papers (General Studies and CSAT)
- Main written exam: six descriptive papers
- Personality test / viva-voce (75 marks)
Exam pattern
Preliminary exam
Mode: Objective multiple choice, bilingual (English and Hindi) · Duration: 2 hours per paper · Negative marking: 0.25 mark per wrong answer; 0.25 is also cut if you darken none of the five circles for a question
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: General Studies (decides the prelims result) | 100 |
| Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test (qualifying, 33%) | 100 |
Main written exam
Mode: Descriptive (conventional), answers in Hindi or English · Duration: 3 hours per paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Paper I: English including English essay | 100 |
| Paper II: Hindi including Hindi essay | 100 |
| Paper III: General Studies I | 100 |
| Paper IV: General Studies II | 100 |
| Paper V: General Studies III | 100 |
| Paper VI: General Studies IV | 100 |
Personality test / viva-voce
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview board | 75 |
HPSC HCS syllabus
Prelims Paper I: General Studies
- General science at the level of everyday observation
- Current events of national and international importance
- History of India and the Indian National Movement
- Indian and world geography, with emphasis on India
- Indian culture, polity and economy, including Panchayati Raj
- General mental ability
- Haryana: economy and people, social, economic and cultural institutions, and language
Prelims Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal and communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy and data interpretation at Class 10 level
Main exam (papers named in the 2026 advertisement)
- English and English essay
- Hindi and Hindi essay (Devanagari script)
- General Studies I to IV (detailed syllabus on the HPSC website)
What they ask
Prelims Paper I decides who reaches the mains, while Paper II (CSAT) only needs 33 percent. Both prelims papers are objective, two hours long and printed in English and Hindi, with a quarter mark cut for each wrong answer. Paper I covers general science, history and the national movement, geography, polity, economy, current events, mental ability and a separate Haryana unit. The mains has six descriptive papers of 100 marks each, and you need 33 percent in both the English and Hindi papers and 45 percent overall to be called for the interview. The final merit list is out of 675 marks: mains plus interview.
How to prepare
- Treat Haryana as its own subject. The prelims syllabus names the state's economy, people, institutions and language as a separate unit.
- Practise CSAT under a timer. It is only qualifying, but scoring under 33 percent there cancels a good Paper I.
- Darken the E circle for any question you skip. The advertisement cuts 0.25 both for a wrong answer and for a question left with no circle filled.
- Start Hindi and English answer writing early. Each is a 100-mark mains paper with a 33 percent floor, and the Hindi paper is written in Devanagari.
- Revise static GS topics with daily topic-wise practice quizzes on the free Improvam app.
Practise HPSC HCS syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.
HPSC HCS FAQs
18 to 42 years on 1 January 2026 for every post except DSP, where the range is 18 to 27. SC and Backward Class candidates of Haryana get 5 more years where posts are reserved for them.
Sources
- HPSC Advt. No. 22/2026, HCS (Ex. Br.) and Other Allied Services ↗ (official, checked )
- HPSC corrigendum to Advt. No. 22/2026 (5 February 2026) ↗ (official, checked )
- Haryana Government Gazette, 9 February 2021: HCS preliminary exam syllabus ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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