| Conducting body | Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Non-uniformed state service posts listed in the advertisement, Uniformed posts in the Home (Police), Commercial Tax (Excise), Jail and Transport departments |
| Qualification | A graduate degree from a university set up by a central or state Act, or an institution recognised under the UGC Act, or an equivalent qualification. Final-year students may sit the prelims but must have passed the degree before they apply for the mains. |
| Age limit | 21–40 years on 1 January 2026 (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | State Service Preliminary Exam (objective, OMR sheet) → State Service Main Exam (written, descriptive) → Interview |
| Latest notification | State Service Examination 2026 advertisement (dated 31 December 2025) |
Last checked . Sources
About MPPSC SSE
The State Service Exam is how MPPSC recruits officers for the Madhya Pradesh state services. The 2026 cycle was advertised on 31 December 2025 and covers both non-uniformed posts and uniformed posts in departments such as Police, Excise, Jail and Transport. Selection runs in three stages: an objective prelims, a written mains and an interview.
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–40 years, counted on 1 January 2026.
Age relaxation
- Uniformed posts have a lower upper limit: 21 to 33 years on 1 January 2026.
- Category-wise relaxation is listed in Appendix 1 of the 2026 advertisement.
Qualification
A graduate degree from a university set up by a central or state Act, or an institution recognised under the UGC Act, or an equivalent qualification. Final-year students may sit the prelims but must have passed the degree before they apply for the mains.
Other conditions
- Candidates from outside Madhya Pradesh can apply; their exam centre is fixed by the commission.
- Physical standards apply to uniformed posts, as set out in the advertisement.
Selection process
- State Service Preliminary Exam (objective, OMR sheet)
- State Service Main Exam (written, descriptive)
- Interview
Exam pattern
Preliminary exam
Mode: Offline, OMR sheet · Duration: 2 hours per paper · Negative marking: Applies from the 2026 prelims (2026 advertisement); the deduction per wrong answer is not stated there
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: General Studies | 100 | 200 |
| Paper 2: General Aptitude Test (qualifying only) | 100 | 200 |
MPPSC SSE syllabus
Prelims Paper 1: General Studies
- History of India: ancient knowledge traditions, ancient and medieval India, cultural heritage, 19th and 20th century reform movements, the freedom struggle and integration after independence
- History, culture and literature of Madhya Pradesh: dynasties, the state's role in the freedom movement, art, tribes and dialects, festivals, writers, tourist and World Heritage sites
- Geography of India: physical features, climate, natural resources, crops and food security, energy, disasters and population
- Geography of Madhya Pradesh: forests, rivers, climate, minerals, crops and irrigation, energy, industries and population
- Constitution of India and Madhya Pradesh: Constituent Assembly, Union executive and Parliament, judiciary, amendments, rights and directive principles, constitutional bodies, the state government, panchayati raj and urban bodies
- Economy of India and Madhya Pradesh: the state's place in the national economy, human resources, SDGs, agriculture and MSMEs, One District One Product, IPR, financial institutions and foreign trade
- Science, environment and health: basics of science, Indian scientific institutions, space and satellites, human body, nutrition, genetic and communicable diseases, health policy, ecology and pollution
- International, national and Madhya Pradesh current events
- Information and communication technology: computer basics, electronics, robotics, AI, cyber security, e-governance, internet and social media
- Tribes of Madhya Pradesh: their spread and constitutional safeguards, major and particularly vulnerable tribes, welfare schemes, culture, role in the freedom movement, and the state's folk culture and folk literature
Prelims Paper 2: General Aptitude Test (qualifying)
- Comprehension
- Lifestyle and stress
- Communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class 10 level)
- Hindi comprehension (Class 10 level, set only in Hindi)
What they ask
Each prelims paper has 100 questions of 2 marks, and you get 2 hours for each. The 2026 advertisement adds negative marking to the prelims, which the 2024 exam plan did not have. Three of the ten General Studies units deal only with Madhya Pradesh: its history and culture, its geography and its tribes. The Constitution and economy units also carry MP portions. Paper 2 counts only as a qualifying paper and its marks stay out of the prelims merit, while your final rank comes from the descriptive mains and the interview.
How to prepare
- Stop blind guessing in your mock tests. The 2026 advertisement brings negative marking into the prelims, so practise leaving questions you cannot narrow down to two options.
- Give MP-specific units real time: MP history, MP geography and MP tribes and folk culture are three separate units, and MP events are named in the current affairs unit.
- Do not ignore Paper 2. It is only qualifying, but the 2024 exam plan asks for at least 40 per cent in each prelims paper (30 per cent for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwD candidates), and its Hindi comprehension questions are set only in Hindi.
- Start mains answer writing early, since prelims marks are not carried into the final merit list.
- Revise static GS with short daily topic-wise quizzes on the free Improvam app.
MPPSC SSE is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.
Open in the Improvam appMPPSC SSE FAQs
You must be at least 21 on 1 January 2026. The upper limit is 40 for non-uniformed posts and 33 for uniformed posts, before any relaxation listed in the advertisement.
Sources
- MPPSC State Service Exam 2026 advertisement ↗ (official, checked )
- MPPSC exam plan and syllabus, State Service Exam (effective from 2024) ↗ (official, checked )
- MPPSC 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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