Once, the eligibility criteria is known to the candidates, they need to know the exam pattern so that they can prepare for the exam in the same way. If the candidates know the exam pattern, then they will be able to figure out what they need to study and how much they need to study. The exam pattern of the OPSC contains Prelims exam, Mains exam and Personality Test & Interview. The candidates who qualify all the stages of the test are declared qualified for selection.
Prelims Exam
The candidates have to appear for the Preims exam which is the first step in the selection process. The Prelims exam has two papers both of which are in MCQ forms. The Prelims exam of OPSC has a total duration of 4 hours; 2 hours for each paper.
| Type of Exam | Subjects | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Objective | General Studies Paper I | 200 | 2 Hours |
| General Studies Paper II | 200 | 2 Hours |
NOTE: The General Studies Paper-II is qualifying in nature. The candidates must score 33% in this paper to be declared qualified. If the candidates do not qualify Paper II, then his Paper I will not be evaluated.
Mains Exam
If the candidates qualify in the Prelims exam of OPSC then they will be called for the Mains exam. The Commission fixes a cut off for the Prelims exam and those, who are placed above the cut off, are called for the Mains exam. Mains exam is descriptive in nature and the candidates have to appear for a total 9 papers. Total marks in the Mains exam is 2600. The pattern of the Mains exam is as follows:
| Exam Type | Paper | Subject | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional (Written/Descriptive Type) | Paper I | Odia Language | 300 | 3 Hours |
| Paper II | English | 300 | 3 Hours | |
| Paper III | English Essay | 300 | 3 Hours | |
| Paper IV | General Studies I | 300 | 3 Hours | |
| Paper V | General Studies II | 300 | 3 Hours | |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject I | 300 | 3 Hours | |
| Paper VII | 300 | 3 Hours | ||
| Paper VIII | Optional Subject II | 300 | 3 Hours | |
| Paper IX | 300 | 3 Hours |
The candidates will have to choose two subjects as an optional paper. Total marks in the optional paper is 1200. Here is a list of the optional subjects that can be chosen by the candidates:
- Agriculture
- Anthropology
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Agricultural Engineering
- Botany
- Civil Engineering
- Chemistry
- Commerce & Accountancy
- Economics
- Education
- Electrical Engineering
- Forestry
- Fisheries Science
- Geology
- Geography
- Home Science
- History
- Indian Language & Literature (Any one of these: Oriya, Urdu, Sanskrit, English, Hindi and Persian)
- Law
- Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Public Administration
- Physics
- Political Science & International Relations
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
Personality Test and Interview
The candidates who qualify both the exams i.e. Prelims and Mains, are called for the Interview. This is the last stage of the selection process. The interview will be conducted by the OPSC for which it forms a board. The board asks questions based on various areas from the candidates.
The interview is aimed at assessing the personality of the candidates and to check if the candidates is fit for public service. The board also judges the mental strength of the candidates and check if they can handle the adverse situation well or not. Interview is of 250 marks.