Bihar Police Constable Special Branch Syllabus, Exam Pattern

Two papers, both objective and OMR based. Bihar Police Headquarters letter 6100 of 28 November 2025 makes the two together the Main Written Examination, and that is what the final merit list is built on.

• Marking: 1 mark per correct answer, 0.25 deducted per wrong answer, in both papers. The Board's Constable (Operator) paper of the same year has no deduction, so don't mix up the two.
• Qualifying bar: under 30 per cent and you're out before the physical test. The 30 per cent has to be scored separately in each paper. A strong Paper II won't rescue a weak Paper I.
• OMR: two copies. The Board keeps one and you take the other home.
• Shortlist: three times the vacancies, category-wise, go to the Physical Standard Test. Everyone tied on the category cut-off mark is called. The Board can lower the ratio if there aren't enough eligible candidates.

The advertisement doesn't give a topic list. It gives the parts of each paper and their marks, which tells you more about where to spend time.

• Reasoning and general studies are the two biggest parts, a quarter of the total each.
• Language is another quarter. The English part names translation, so Hindi to English and back is tested directly.
• General Knowledge of Bihar is its own 20 marks, separate from national general studies. Bihar's history, geography, polity, economy and current affairs need their own reading.

Nationality: Indian citizens only.

Education: a pass in Intermediate (10+2) or equivalent. No compulsory subjects and no minimum percentage. The Board's Constable (Operator) post, by contrast, needs Intermediate Science with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics at 50 per cent.

Physical standards

Men need at least 5 cm of chest expansion. Women need a minimum weight of 48 kg. No relaxation in any of these.

Age

Worked out from the date of birth on your matriculation certificate.

Bihar Government employees sitting the exam to move to a higher pay scale get five more years on the upper limit, under Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department resolution 2374 of 16 July 2007.

Anyone debarred for misconduct by the Bihar Public Service Commission, by CSBC or by another selection commission can't apply.

Reservation

Vertical reservation follows the Bihar Reservation of Vacancies in Posts and Services Act, 1991, as amended by Act 17 of 2002:

EWS sits alongside these, and the advertisement prints its own category-wise table of posts.

Women get 35 per cent horizontal reservation, set by General Administration Department resolutions of January and February 2016. Since resolution 12575 of 9 July 2025, which CSBC circulated on 2 September 2025, only women who are original residents of Bihar get it. Older material still describes it as open to all women.

Dependants of freedom fighters have their own horizontal quota. The certificate must be signed by the District Officer and name you as grandson, granddaughter or daughter's child; a successor certificate isn't accepted. Transgender candidates are placed within the BC column, need the identity certificate in Form 3 or Form 4 under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020, and are measured against the women's standards.

1. Written exam, two papers. This alone decides merit.
2. Physical Standard Test (PST): height, chest and weight are measured. Qualifying only, no marks.
3. Document verification, usually on the PST day.

Then a medical and a character check before appointment. Applications are scrutinised first, and only valid ones go to the written exam.

The PST

It's a measurement, not an efficiency test. No race, no high jump, no shot put. You must attend and pass, there's no relaxation, and there are no marks for it. Fail the standards in the eligibility clause and you're out. Because it carries no marks, it can remove you but never move you up.

Document verification

Bring every original certificate and a self-attested photocopy of each, in person, at the stated time. There's no second chance and no extension. If something is missing, the Board decides your eligibility and reservation claim on what you brought. You're expected to hold every qualification and reservation document, from the competent authority and within the cut-off date, when you fill the form.

Merit list and tie-break

The list is made category-wise on the combined marks of both papers. Ties are broken in this order:

1. Date of birth: the older candidate ranks higher.
2. Higher educational qualification.
3. Higher marks in the qualifying exam.
4. English alphabetical order of the name on the Class 10 certificate.

Supplementary lists

If selected candidates don't join and the Director General of Police asks for replacements, the Board issues supplementary recommendation lists from the same merit list. These run for six months from the date the merit list is published. In past cycles CSBC has also asked candidates below the merit line to apply for a waiting list.

Medical and character verification

Done by the appointing authority under the Bihar Police Manual, 1978: the medical on Form 103 and the character and antecedent check on Form 101. Rule 658(iv) requires you to be free of any disease, deformity or weakness that makes you unfit for duty. The checks cover vision, colour blindness, hearing, stammering, flat foot and knock knee. Stammering or lisping disqualifies you. An adverse report, or hiding facts, ends the candidature.

The advertisement gives the level and band only. Allowances, and so your take-home pay, follow Bihar Government rules for the post and place of posting.

Because it's a close cadre, the post stays in the Special Branch under its own rules. It's a separate entry route with its own exam and merit list, not a specialisation you apply for after joining the police.

Documents to have before you apply

All certificates must be valid as on the last date of the online application. One obtained later doesn't count.

• Photo ID: Aadhaar, driving licence, voter ID or similar.
• Matriculation certificate and mark sheet, for date of birth.
• Intermediate pass certificate and mark sheet.
• SC and ST: caste certificate and permanent residence certificate.
• BC and EBC: caste certificate, permanent residence certificate and Non-Creamy Layer certificate. If the NCL certificate is more than a year old, attach a declaration in Form xviiiB.
• EWS: certificate in Annexure-I of the state notification, plus permanent residence certificate.
• Freedom fighter dependants: District Officer's certificate naming you as grandson, granddaughter or daughter's child. Successor certificates aren't accepted.

After applications close

CSBC publishes a list of invalid applications with the reason for each, and opens correction windows for problems with photograph, signature or gender. It also posts cancellation notices for impersonation and unfair means, rebuttals of fake news, and a standing warning about phone calls asking for money in return for a guaranteed selection. Trust the Board's site over anything forwarded to you.

The written exam is held at centres across Bihar. The advertisement doesn't name them. CSBC publishes a centre list by roll number in the weeks before the exam, alongside the admit card, on csbc.bihar.gov.in.

Two papers mean two sittings. In past cycles the Board has issued separate centre lists for the first and second sitting of the same day, so check the one for your sitting. It also issues corrections to centre names and codes and changes of venue, naming the old and new centre.

The PST and document verification are at venues given on the PST admit card. For Advertisement 01/2026 the PST and document verification notice came out on 29 August 2026. Take the e-admit card, and for the PST every original certificate with a self-attested photocopy.

The written exam date, the PST date and the final result date aren't in the advertisement. CSBC announces each by notice on csbc.bihar.gov.in and changes them by notice too. Supplementary recommendation lists can be issued for six months after the merit list is published.

Admit cards are online only, through links on csbc.bihar.gov.in, with a separate card for each stage. For Advertisement 01/2026 the written exam admit card notice came out on 20 May 2026, and the PST admit card followed the written result.

In past cycles the Board has put a specimen OMR sheet out with the admit card notice. If your card doesn't appear, check the list of invalid applications (8 May 2026 for this advertisement), which gives the reason.

CSBC publishes three things on csbc.bihar.gov.in: the written result shortlisting candidates for the PST, the final selection list, and any supplementary lists in the six months after it. For Advertisement 01/2026 the written result came out on 18 August 2026, with a cancellation notice for impersonation and unfair means the same day.

After the final list, the Board posts notices on document submission, confirmation of provisionally selected candidates, joining dates, and the allotment of districts and units.

The only fixed mark is the qualifying minimum: 30 per cent in each paper separately. The cut-off for the PST shortlist isn't announced in advance. It's wherever the list of three times the vacancies, category-wise, runs out, after the 0.25 deduction for wrong answers. With 83 posts that's about 250 candidates for the whole state.

The actual marks for a cycle are in the written result and final selection list on csbc.bihar.gov.in, normally a few months after the exam.

Make sure your material is for this post. CSBC runs several constable recruitments at once, and the papers differ.

• Shore up your weaker paper first. You need 30 per cent in each, so the weaker paper decides whether you go forward. After that, push the combined total.
• Don't guess blind. Four wrong answers cancel a right one.
• Practise reasoning hardest. It's 50 marks and responds to practice better than general knowledge does.
• Don't skip language. English and Hindi are 50 marks between them, and translation is tested.
• Read Bihar separately. Bihar GK is 20 marks that national books won't cover.
• Measure yourself before applying. There's no relaxation at the PST and nothing to appeal.
• Sort the certificates early. The NCL certificate with its Form xviiiB declaration, the EWS certificate and the freedom fighter certificate are the ones that most often cause trouble.

When checking any practice set, make sure it's two papers of 100 questions with the 0.25 deduction and the part-wise marks above. A single 100-question paper was written for a different CSBC recruitment.

No sample papers or previous year papers are available for this exam as of now. CSBC doesn't publish question papers for its constable recruitments.

In past cycles it has released a specimen OMR sheet with the admit card notice, usually a few weeks before the exam, on csbc.bihar.gov.in. You also keep your own copy of the OMR sheet after the exam.

• csbc.bihar.gov.in: advertisements, application links, admit cards, results and every notice
• Advertisement 01/2026, Special Branch Constable (PDF)
• GAD resolution 12575 of 9 July 2025 on women's reservation for original residents of Bihar (PDF)

Who conducts this recruitment?

The Central Selection Board of Constable (CSBC), Bihar, at 05 Harding Road, Patna.

How many vacancies are there?

83 under Advertisement 01/2026, at pay level 3. Of these, 29 are for women who are original residents of Bihar and 2 for dependants of freedom fighters.

What is the exam pattern?

Two papers of 100 questions, 100 marks and 90 minutes each, 200 marks in all.

Is there negative marking?

Yes, 0.25 per wrong answer in both papers.

What is the minimum qualifying mark?

30 per cent in each paper separately.

What qualification do I need?

A pass in Intermediate (10+2) or equivalent, any stream, no minimum percentage.

What is the age limit?

18 to 25 for UR, 27 for BC and EBC men, 28 for BC and EBC women, 30 for SC and ST.

Is there a running test?

No. The second stage only measures height, chest and weight, and carries no marks.

What is the fee?

₹100 for everyone, plus bank charges.

How is a tie broken?

Older candidate first, then higher qualification, then marks in the qualifying exam, then alphabetical order of the name on the Class 10 certificate.

Is there a waiting list?

Supplementary lists can be issued for six months after the merit list if selected candidates don't join.

Where do I find the exam date?

Only on the CSBC website. It isn't in the advertisement and can change by notice.