BSSC CGL Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility
181 topics across 6 subjects. Every question carries a written explanation.
The Graduate Level Combined Competitive Exam is how the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) fills state government posts that need a degree: Assistant Section Officer, Planning Assistant, Auditor and a few others. The current round is the 4th CGL, Advertisement 05/25, published on 4 August 2025.
It started with 1,481 posts. Two corrigenda added 60 Industry Extension Officer posts and 342 more Assistant Section Officer posts, so the round now stands at 1,883. Online applications closed on 24 November 2025. No prelim date had been announced on the notice board by mid-October 2026.
Last checked against the official notification on .
BSSC CGL Details
Exam Pattern
The prelim is held only if more than 40,000 people apply, The advertisement says it may run in more than one sitting, with scores normalised.
| Stage | What it is |
|---|---|
| Prelim | 150 objective questions, 4 marks each, minus 1 for a wrong answer. 2 hours 15 minutes. Hindi or English. |
| Mains paper 1 | Hindi, qualifying. You need 30 per cent or more, or paper 2 is not marked. |
| Mains paper 2 | General Studies, General Science and Maths, and Mental Ability. |
The prelim is open book. You may bring one textbook for each of the three sections, and only NCERT, BSEB, ICSE or other board textbooks are allowed. No guides, notes or photocopies. Write your name and roll number in each book.
Minimum marks to qualify:
| Category | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Unreserved | 40 per cent |
| BC | 36.5 per cent |
| EBC | 34 per cent |
| SC, ST, women, candidates with disability | 32 per cent |
Syllabus
General Studies. Current events: science, awards, Indian languages, books, scripts, capitals, currencies, sport. India and its neighbours: history, culture, geography, economy, the freedom movement, agriculture and natural resources, the Constitution, panchayati raj, five-year plans, and Bihar's role in the national movement. Questions on Bihar get special weight.
General Science and Maths (Matric level). Physics, chemistry, biology and geography. Number system, whole numbers, decimals and fractions, percentage, ratio and proportion, average, interest, profit and loss.
Mental Ability. Analogies, similarities and differences, spatial visualisation, problem solving, analysis, visual memory, observation, relationship concepts, number series, coding and decoding.
Eligibility Criteria
A bachelor's degree from a recognised university, with a subject condition for some posts:
| Post | Pay level | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Assistant Section Officer (General Administration) | Level 7 | Any graduate |
| Planning Assistant (Planning and Development) | Level 7 | Any graduate |
| Junior Statistical Assistant (Labour Resources) | Level 7 | Graduate in Maths, Economics, Commerce or Statistics |
| Industry Extension Officer (Industries) | Level 7 | Graduate with at least 45 per cent in Commerce, Economics, Maths or Statistics |
| Data Entry Operator Grade C (Finance) | Level 6 | Graduate plus PGDCA or BCA/B.Sc. (IT); B.Tech/B.E. in CSE or IT also accepted |
| Auditor (Audit Directorate, Finance) | Level 5 | Graduate with Commerce, Economics, Statistics or Maths as one subject |
| Auditor (Cooperative Societies) | Level 5 | Graduate with Maths, or a Commerce graduate |
Age is counted on 1 August 2025. Minimum 21. Candidates who were within the limit on 1 August 2022 also qualify.
| Category | Upper age limit |
|---|---|
| Unreserved men | 37 |
| BC and EBC (men and women) | 40 |
| Unreserved women | 40 |
| SC and ST (men and women) | 42 |
| Candidates with disability | 10 years over their category limit |
Reservation, and the 35 per cent quota for women, go only to people whose permanent home is in Bihar. Others apply as unreserved.
Selection Process
Prelim, then mains, then document check. The prelim only shortlists: five candidates per vacancy, category by category, go to the mains, and the commission puts out a separate notice for the mains application. Ties go to the older candidate, then alphabetical order.
Contract staff already working in a Bihar government post can get up to 25 extra marks (5 a year) for the same post. This came in through the September 2025 corrigendum and does not cover daily wage or outsourced workers.
Salary
Pay matrix levels under the Bihar 7th pay revision: Level 7 for Assistant Section Officer, Planning Assistant, Junior Statistical Assistant and Industry Extension Officer; Level 6 for Data Entry Operator; Level 5 for both Auditor posts. Allowances are paid on top as per state rules.
How to Apply
Online only, through the link on the BSSC notice board. The fee is ₹100 for everyone. The advertisement first set ₹540 and ₹135, then applications were paused and the fee was cut to ₹100 by the state resolution of 21 August 2025.
Have your Matric certificate, degree marksheets, caste, non-creamy layer or EWS certificate and Bihar domicile proof ready before you start. Details cannot be changed after you submit, except in the edit windows the commission opens.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Advertisement 05/25 published | 4 Aug 2025 |
| Applications paused for fee revision | 18 Aug 2025 |
| Applications reopened | 25 Aug 2025 |
| Fee last date (extended) | 21 Nov 2025 |
| Application last date (extended) | 24 Nov 2025 |
| Edit window | 31 Oct to 24 Nov 2025 |
| Prelim | Not announced as of Oct 2026 |
Cut Off
BSSC publishes cut-offs as the rank of the last selected candidate, not as marks. For the 3rd CGL (Advertisement 01/22), Assistant Section Officer had 1,360 posts and these closing ranks:
| Category | Last rank selected |
|---|---|
| Unreserved | 355 |
| Unreserved women | 2,389 |
| EWS | 902 |
| BC | 528 |
| EBC | 936 |
| SC | 2,945 |
| ST | 3,155 |
The full post-wise list for that round is in the cut-off rank PDF.
Preparation Tips
The open-book rule changes how you prepare. Pick your three textbooks early, ideally the BSEB or NCERT Class 9 and 10 books for science, maths and social science, and learn where things are in them. You will not have time to search a book for every question.
Bihar general knowledge carries weight in both stages. The Hindi paper in the mains only needs 30 per cent, but failing it voids your whole mains score.
Official Links
Frequently Asked Questions
How many posts are in the 4th BSSC CGL?
1,883 after the November 2025 corrigendum, 1,406 of them Assistant Section Officer.
What is the fee?
₹100 for every candidate.
Can I take books into the prelim?
Yes, one board textbook per section, three in all. Guides and notes are not allowed.
Is there negative marking?
Yes, 1 mark off for each wrong answer against 4 for a right one.
When is the exam?
No date was out by mid-October 2026. Watch the BSSC notice board.
Computer Awareness (21)
- Computer Fundamentals
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- MS Powerpoint
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- Computer Internet
- Computer System Architecture
- Computer Operating System
- Important File Extensions
- Important Abbreviations
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- History of Computers
- Computer Hardware and Software
- Input /Output Devices
- Memory Management
- Computer Languages
- Number System
- Logic Gates
- Computer Network
- Database Management System
- Computer Security
Current Affairs (15)
- National Affairs
- International Affairs
- Sports Current Affairs
- Awards and Honours
- Appointments and Resignations
- Government Schemes and Policies
- Economy and Banking News
- Science and Technology News
- Defence News
- Summits and Conferences
- Agreements and MoUs
- Books and Authors in News
- Obituaries
- Important Days in News
- State News
English Language (33)
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Double Synonyms
- Homonyms
- One Word Substitution
- Reading Comprehension
- Cloze Test
- Theme Detection
- Deriving Conclusions from Passages
- Sentence Completion
- Passage Completion
- Fill in the Blanks
- Spotting Errors
- Sentence Improvement
- Passage Correction
- Choose the Correct - Incorrect Sentence
- Reconstruction of Sentence
- Sentences Rearrangement
- Reconstruction of Paragraphs
- Rearrangement of Jumbled Parts
- Word Formation
- Idioms and Phrases
- Active-Passive voice
- Direct-Indirect Speech
- Transformation of Sentences
- Spelling Test
- Phrasal Verbs
- Parts of Speech
- Tenses
- Articles and Determiners
- Prepositions
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Figures of Speech and Poetic Devices
General Awareness / General Knowledge (GK) (23)
- Indian Politics
- Indian History
- Indian Economy
- Important Acts of the Parliament of India
- Honours and Awards
- Indian Geography
- Indian Culture
- World Geography
- Famous Places in India
- Famous Personalities
- Books and Authors
- Sports
- Days and Years
- Inventions
- Highest, Longest, Biggest, Largest, Deepest, Smallest of the World
- General Science
- World Currency
- Country Languages
- Technology
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- Scientific Names of Plants and Animals
Quantitative Aptitude (50)
- Number System
- H.C.F. & L.C.M.
- Decimal Fractions
- Simplification
- Square Roots & Cube Roots
- Average
- Problems on Numbers
- Problems on Ages
- Surds & Indices
- Percentage
- Operations on Numbers
- Profit & Loss
- Ratio & Proportion
- Partnership
- Chain Rule
- Time & Work
- Pipes & Cistern
- Time & Distance
- Problems on Trains
- Boats & Streams
- Alligation or Mixture
- Simple Interest
- Compound Interest
- Logarithms
- Area
- Volume & Surface Areas
- Mensuration
- Races & Games of Skill
- Calendar
- Clocks
- Stocks & Shares
- Permutations & Combinations
- Probability
- True Discount
- Banker’s Discount
- Heights & Distances
- Odd Man Out & Series
- Algebra
- Divisibility Rules & Remainder Theorem
- Factorials & Power Cycles
- Progressions (A.P., G.P., H.P.)
- Work & Wages
- Set Theory / Venn Diagrams
- Geometry (Lines, Angles, Triangles, Polygons)
- Coordinate Geometry
- Data Interpretation
- Trigonometry
- Statistics (Mean, Median, Mode)
- Arithmetic Operations
- Quadratic Equations
Reasoning (39)
- Analogy
- Number Series
- Classification
- Series Completion
- Coding-Decoding
- Input Output
- Inequality
- Blood Relation
- Puzzle Test
- Sequential Output Tracing
- Direction Sense Test
- Linear Seating Arrangement
- Circular Seating Arrangement
- Logical Venn Diagrams
- Alphabet Test
- Number, Ranking and Time Sequence Test
- Mathematical Operations
- Logical Sequence of Words
- Arithmetical Reasoning
- Inserting The Missing Character
- Data Sufficiency
- Decision Making
- Assertion and Reason
- Situation Reaction Test
- Verification of Truth of the Statement
- Letter and Symbol Series
- Logic
- Statement - Arguments
- Statement - Assumptions
- Statement - Courses of Action
- Syllogisms
- Statement - Conclusions
- Deriving Conclusions From Passages
- Theme Detection
- Question - Statements
- Miscellaneous Logical Puzzles
- Mirror and Water Images
- Paper Folding and Cutting
- Completion of Incomplete Pattern
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