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SIKKIM · CIVIL SERVICES

Sikkim State Civil Service (Direct Recruitment) Examination: Under Secretary: syllabus and eligibility

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SPSC Under Secretary key facts
Conducting bodySikkim Public Service Commission (SPSC). Official website ↗
PostsUnder Secretary (Junior Grade), Sikkim State Civil Service, Level 15 of the Pay Matrix
QualificationA graduate degree from a recognised university.
Age limit21–40 years on 31 January 2026 (general category)
DomicileRequired
Selection stagesPreliminary exam: two objective papers of 200 marks each, used only to shortlist about 20 candidates per vacancy → Main written exam: a qualifying English paper and three General Studies papers of 300 marks each → Document scrutiny and a 100-mark personality test (interview) for about five candidates per vacancy → Final merit list from the three General Studies papers and the interview
Latest notificationAdvertisement No. 17/SPSC/EXAM/2025: Under Secretary, Sikkim State Civil Service · 25 vacancies

Last checked . Sources

About SPSC Under Secretary

This is Sikkim's state civil service exam. SPSC uses it to recruit Under Secretaries in the junior grade of the Sikkim State Civil Service, at Level 15 of the pay matrix. Advertisement No. 17/SPSC/EXAM/2025 asked for 25 posts, and any posts left unfilled from the earlier 22-post round are to be added to them. SPSC's older notices show that past rounds, run as the Sikkim Services (Combined Recruitment) Examination, also covered Accounts Officer posts.

Eligibility

Age limit

General category: 21–40 years, counted on 31 January 2026.

Age relaxation

  • The 2026 examination rules say the prescribed age limit cannot be relaxed in any case.
  • SPSC accepts your date of birth only from your birth certificate or secondary school leaving certificate.

Qualification

A graduate degree from a recognised university.

Other conditions

  • You need a Sikkim Subject Certificate or a Certificate of Identification issued by the competent authority, and a valid local employment card from the Government of Sikkim.
  • Both the preliminary and main exams are held in English only.
  • Serving government, PSU or autonomous body employees need a No Objection Certificate from their employer.
  • One post each is reserved for candidates with hearing disability and with locomotor disability (which here includes cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy).

Selection process

  1. Preliminary exam: two objective papers of 200 marks each, used only to shortlist about 20 candidates per vacancy
  2. Main written exam: a qualifying English paper and three General Studies papers of 300 marks each
  3. Document scrutiny and a 100-mark personality test (interview) for about five candidates per vacancy
  4. Final merit list from the three General Studies papers and the interview

Exam pattern

Preliminary exam (screening only)

Mode: Objective, multiple choice with four options · Duration: 2 hours per paper · Negative marking: One-third of the question's marks is cut for each wrong answer. Marking more than one option counts as wrong; a blank question costs nothing.

SUBJECTMARKS
Paper I: General Studies200
Paper II: Comprehension, Reasoning, Aptitude and Mental Ability200

Main written exam

Mode: MCQ and subjective · Duration: 2 hours for English, 3 hours for each General Studies paper

SUBJECTMARKS
Paper I: English (qualifying)100
Paper II: General Studies I300
Paper III: General Studies II300
Paper IV: General Studies III300

Personality test (interview)

SUBJECTMARKS
Interview, with no minimum qualifying marks100

SPSC Under Secretary syllabus

Prelims Paper I: General Studies (200 marks)

  • Current events of national and international importance
  • History of India and the Indian national movement
  • Indian and world geography, physical and economic
  • Indian polity and governance: Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues
  • Economic and social development: sustainability, inclusion, demographics, poverty and social sector schemes
  • Environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change
  • General science: physics, chemistry and biology

Prelims Paper II: Comprehension, Reasoning, Aptitude and Mental Ability (200 marks)

  • Comprehension
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • Decision making and problem solving
  • General mental ability
  • Basic numeracy and data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency)

Mains Paper I: English (100 marks, qualifying)

  • Comprehension
  • Précis writing
  • Usage and vocabulary
  • Short essay

Mains Paper II: General Studies I (300 marks)

  • Sikkim: history, topography, flora and fauna, ethnic communities and languages, arts and heritage sites, tourism, organic farming policy, welfare schemes and current affairs (60 marks, MCQ only)
  • History of India and the world, from early medieval India and the freedom movement to post-1947 India, the world wars, the Cold War and decolonisation (120 marks)
  • Indian society and social issues: caste, tribes, kinship, population, poverty, education, women and child welfare, urbanisation, health (120 marks)

Mains Paper III: General Studies II (300 marks)

  • Ethics and integrity: ethics in public administration, probity, codes of conduct, citizen's charters, corruption (60 marks)
  • Science and technology: life science, physics and chemistry basics, computers and IT, agriculture and biotechnology, space and defence research (120 marks)
  • Geography of India and the world, natural hazards, remote sensing and international environmental bodies (120 marks)

Mains Paper IV: General Studies III (300 marks)

  • Environment, biodiversity and disaster management (60 marks)
  • Indian Constitution, polity and international relations (120 marks)
  • Indian economy, fiscal management and international economics, including GST, the RBI, the Finance Commission and gross state domestic product (120 marks)

What they ask

The preliminary exam is two 200-mark objective papers, and each wrong answer costs a third of that question's marks. It only screens you: about 20 candidates per vacancy go through to the main exam, and prelims marks are not added to your final score. The main exam mixes MCQs with written answers across three 300-mark General Studies papers, and 60 marks of General Studies I are set on Sikkim alone. That block covers the state's ethnic communities, heritage sites, tourism and organic farming policy, among other topics. The English paper only has to be cleared, and about five candidates per post are then called for the 100-mark interview.

How to prepare

  • Build a separate Sikkim file for the 60-mark block in General Studies I. The syllabus names the state's history, ethnic communities and languages, heritage sites, tourism, organic farming policy and welfare schemes.
  • In the prelims, leave a question blank rather than guess. A wrong answer costs a third of its marks, and ticking two options counts as wrong.
  • Do not treat prelims Paper II as a formality. SPSC draws the mains list on the combined score of both papers, so reasoning and data interpretation marks count as much as general studies.
  • Practise timed answer writing for the 120-mark blocks. Every mains block except the Sikkim one has both MCQs and subjective questions.
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How to apply

  1. Complete the one-time registration on SPSC's upgraded recruitment portal (RPA 3.0) at spscrecruitment.sikkim.gov.in. If you were registered on the old portal, use the same email ID so your earlier records link up.
  2. Apply online against the advertisement before the last date. SPSC rejects applications sent any other way.
  3. Pay the ₹500 application fee online by net banking or a debit or credit card. It is not refunded.
  4. Download the e-admit card after SPSC posts a notice for it, and bring it to the centre with a photo ID such as Aadhaar, a voter card or a driving licence.

Documents checklist

  • Sikkim Subject Certificate or Certificate of Identification
  • Valid local employment card
  • No Objection Certificate from your head of department, if you are already employed
  • Marital status certificate for women candidates; married women also attach the husband's COI or Sikkim Subject Certificate

Tick off your SPSC Under Secretary documents with the checklist tool

SPSC Under Secretary FAQs

For Advertisement No. 17/SPSC/EXAM/2025 you had to be between 21 and 40 years old on 31 January 2026. The examination rules say this limit cannot be relaxed.

Sources

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

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