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NAGALAND · CIVIL SERVICES

Nagaland Civil Services, Nagaland Police Service and Allied Services Examination: syllabus and eligibility

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NPSC NCS key facts
Conducting bodyNagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC). Official website ↗
PostsExtra Assistant Commissioner (Class I, Junior Grade), Deputy Superintendent of Police, BDO/RDO/APO (Rural Development), District Commandant (Home Guards, Civil Defence and SDRF), Inspector of Excise, Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Secretariat Assistant, Inspector of Industries / Economic Investigator, Assistant Auditor, Sub-Inspector of Police, Assistant Jailor
QualificationA bachelor's degree in any discipline, including Divinity, from a recognised university. You must already hold the degree when you apply.
Age limit21–32 years on 1 January 2025 (general category)
DomicileSee the notification
Selection stagesPreliminary examination: one General Studies paper of 100 multiple-choice questions → Main examination: six written papers of 200 marks each, 1,200 marks in all → Post preference is taken after the Main written result → Interview/viva-voce, with documents submitted right after the Main result and originals checked at the interview
Latest notificationAdvertisement No. NPSC-2/NCS-2025 (NO.NPSC/EXAM-5/2025), 28 October 2025 · 96 vacancies

Last checked . Sources

About NPSC NCS

This is NPSC's main exam for administrative posts in the Nagaland government. The 2025 advertisement had 96 posts across 21 items, from Extra Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Superintendent of Police and BDO at Pay Level 13 to Secretariat Assistant (Level 10) and Sub-Inspector, Assistant Auditor and Assistant Jailor posts at Level 8. Every item asks for the same qualification, a bachelor's degree, so one set of papers serves all of them and you choose your posts after the Main result.

Eligibility

Age limit

General category: 21–32 years, counted on 1 January 2025.

Age relaxation

  • SC: 5 years
  • ST: 5 years
  • SC and ST candidates get 5 more years on the upper limit.
  • Serving government employees get relaxation equal to their years of service, up to 5 years.

Qualification

A bachelor's degree in any discipline, including Divinity, from a recognised university. You must already hold the degree when you apply.

Other conditions

  • Most posts in the 2025 advertisement were reserved for Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland or for particular backward tribes, and only a few were unreserved. Check the item-wise reservation before you apply.
  • Uniformed posts such as Deputy Superintendent of Police and Sub-Inspector follow the physical standards in Police Headquarters notification No. PHQ(B-1)/Combined Recruitment/2015 of 18 September 2018.
  • The HSLC or matriculation admit card is the only document accepted as proof of age.

Selection process

  1. Preliminary examination: one General Studies paper of 100 multiple-choice questions
  2. Main examination: six written papers of 200 marks each, 1,200 marks in all
  3. Post preference is taken after the Main written result
  4. Interview/viva-voce, with documents submitted right after the Main result and originals checked at the interview

Exam pattern

Preliminary examination

Mode: Objective, multiple choice · Duration: 2 hours · Negative marking: 33% of the question's marks (0.66 marks) cut for each wrong answer

SUBJECTQUESTIONSMARKS
General Studies100200

Main examination

Mode: Written · Duration: 3 hours for each paper

SUBJECTMARKS
Paper I: General Studies 1 (Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world and society)200
Paper II: General Studies 2 (governance, Constitution, polity, social justice, international relations)200
Paper III: General Studies 3 (economic development, technology, biodiversity, environment, security, disaster management)200
Paper IV: General Studies 4 (ethics, integrity and aptitude)200
Paper V: General Studies - Nagaland200
Paper VI: English comprehension and essay200

Interview/viva-voce

SUBJECT
Personality test

NPSC NCS syllabus

Preliminary: General Studies

  • General science as an educated person meets it in daily life
  • History of India: social, economic, political and cultural heritage
  • Nagaland: political, economic, social and cultural heritage of its people
  • Geography of India, including agriculture and natural resources
  • Indian polity and economy: executive, judiciary, local bodies, rural development and planning
  • Indian national movement from the 19th-century resurgence to independence
  • General mental ability: classified data, logical reasoning, analogies, basic arithmetic and basic computer concepts
  • Current events, science and technology, and environment
  • Basic numeracy and data interpretation at Class 10 level

Main: General Studies 1 to 4

  • GS 1: art, literature and architecture of India, modern Indian history and the freedom struggle, world history from the 18th century, Indian society, world physical geography
  • GS 2: Constitution, Union and states, Parliament and legislatures, executive and judiciary, constitutional and statutory bodies, welfare schemes, governance, international relations
  • GS 3: Indian economy and budgeting, agriculture and food processing, land reforms, infrastructure, science and technology, environment, disaster management, internal security
  • GS 4: ethics and human interface, attitude, emotional intelligence, civil service values, probity in governance, case studies

Main: General Studies - Nagaland

  • History from the 19th century to statehood: Anglo-Naga wars, the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873, Christianity, the Naga Club and the Naga nationalist movement
  • Art and culture: festivals, historical places, customary law, the Morung, clan, khel and village council systems
  • Economy: agriculture, land tenure, industry, infrastructure, start-up policy and schemes
  • Geography, environment, biodiversity and community conservation
  • Polity and governance: the state legislature, Article 371A, ULBs, village councils, VDBs and district administration
  • Society: women, children, gender issues and drug abuse
  • Nagaland current affairs

Main: Paper VI General English

  • English comprehension and grammar (objective type)
  • Two essays of 50 marks each, up to 1,200 words per essay

What they ask

The prelims is one General Studies paper of 100 multiple-choice questions at 2 marks each, set on the UPSC pattern, and 0.66 marks go for every wrong answer. Alongside Indian history, geography, polity, science and mental ability, it has a section on Nagaland's politics, economy and culture. The numeracy and data interpretation questions stay at Class 10 level. The Main has six 200-mark papers of three hours each: four General Studies papers laid out like the UPSC GS papers, a full paper on Nagaland, and a General English paper that mixes objective grammar with two 50-mark essays.

How to prepare

  • Treat Paper V as its own subject. It asks about Naga history from the 19th century to statehood, customary law, the Morung and village council systems and Article 371A, and standard UPSC books do not cover these.
  • In the prelims a wrong answer costs a third of the 2 marks, so mark only the questions you can bring down to one clear option.
  • Practise full essays for Paper VI. Two essays carry 50 marks each with a limit of 1,200 words per essay, on top of the objective grammar section.
  • Read the old NCS papers in the NPSC question bank to see how the Nagaland questions are framed before you start answer writing.
  • For daily prelims revision of polity, history and science facts, take a topic-wise practice quiz on the free Improvam app.
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Practise NPSC NCS syllabus topics a few minutes a day with short quizzes in the Improvam app.

How to apply

  1. Apply online on the NPSC website (npsc.nagaland.gov.in) or through a NagalandOne Common Service Centre. For the 2025 exam, one-time registration was not compulsory.
  2. Pay the Rs 300 exam fee, the Rs 25 convenience fee and the payment gateway charges.
  3. Fill the form carefully. Mark sheets are not asked for at the prelims stage, but wrong details lead to rejection later.
  4. Government employees need a No Objection Certificate signed by the Head of Department.

Documents checklist

  • HSLC/matriculation admit card (the only accepted age proof)
  • Mark sheets and pass certificates from HSLC onwards up to the degree
  • Indigenous Inhabitant, ST or BT certificate signed by an officer not below Additional Deputy Commissioner, where it applies
  • Disability certificate in Form C, D or E for PwBD candidates
  • No Objection Certificate for government employees

Tick off your NPSC NCS documents with the checklist tool

Previous papers and answer keys

NPSC NCS FAQs

For the 2025 exam, 21 to 32 years on 1 January 2025. SC and ST candidates get 5 more years, and serving government employees get relaxation equal to their years of service, up to 5 years.

Sources

Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.

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