HPPSC HPAS Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Eligibility

Preliminary

• Objective, four options. One third of a question's marks is deducted for a wrong answer, and marking two answers counts as wrong. Blanks cost nothing.
• Paper-II is qualifying at 33 per cent. The shortlist is drawn on Paper-I General Studies alone, so the 400 is really 200.
• Zero or negative marks in Paper-I means you haven't qualified, whatever your Paper-II score.
• You must sit both papers or you're disqualified.
• About 20 times the vacancies go through to the Main exam. Prelims marks don't count in the final merit.
• Where the Hindi and English versions differ, English is final.
• If you write and encode your Roll No., Application No. and booklet series wrongly on the OMR sheet, it's rejected unread.

Main

All papers are three hours. The standard is degree level, except English and Hindi at 10+2. To pass the written stage you need 40 per cent in each of English and Hindi and 45 per cent in the aggregate of the rest. The optional paper can be answered in English or Hindi. Good, economical writing earns credit in every paper.

Personality Test

Up to three times the vacancies are called, plus anyone tied on the last mark. The board has your career record and judges mental calibre, social traits and interest in current affairs, including knowledge of Himachal's customs, manners and dialects. The advertisement gives the interview no marks figure; it only says that Main and interview marks together decide the final rank.

Entry to every exam hall closes 30 minutes before the start.

The Preliminary syllabus is in the advertisement. The detailed Main syllabus and past papers are on HPPSC's Syllabi and Previous Year Question Papers page.

Preliminary Paper-I, General Studies

1. History, Geography, Political, Art and Culture and Socio-Economic Development of Himachal Pradesh.
2. Current events of national and international importance.
3. History of India and the Indian National Movement.
4. Indian and World Geography: physical, social and economic.
5. Indian Polity and Governance: Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues.
6. Economic and Social Development: sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives.
7. Environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change, not needing subject specialisation.
8. General Science.

Preliminary Paper-II, Aptitude Test

Comprehension; interpersonal and communication skills; logical reasoning and analytical ability; decision making and problem solving; general mental ability; basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class X level); English comprehension (Class X level).

The 31 optional subjects

Forestry and Horticulture are on few other state lists, and both reflect Himachal's economy.

Citizenship and qualification

An Indian citizen with a bachelor's degree or equivalent from a recognised university. You can apply while awaiting a result, or if you'll sit the qualifying exam before this one starts, but you must show proof of passing within two months of this exam's start. MBBS graduates still doing internship are admitted provisionally and must show completion at the interview. Proving the qualification is your job, and there's no extra chance at the interview.

Age: 21 to 35 on 1 January 2026

So which relaxations apply changes every cycle with the roster.

Himachal government employees (including the High Court, subordinate courts and state PSUs, corporations and banks) with a degree have higher ceilings on 1 January of the year:

Your date of birth is taken only from the Matriculation certificate and can never be changed later, at this or any HPPSC exam. Government employees must tell their head of office they've applied and give an undertaking; if the employer withholds permission, the candidature can be cancelled.

Reservation

Reservation is only for bonafide residents of Himachal Pradesh, and every reserved candidate uploads a Bonafide Himachali Certificate. Categories are SC, ST, OBC and EWS of HP, Wards of Freedom Fighters of HP, Ex-Servicemen of HP, Wards of Ex-Servicemen, and Persons with Disabilities of HP.

Without the original category certificate on interview day, you won't be allowed before the board.

• Ward of Ex-Servicemen: a dependent certificate and an affidavit that no family member has been employed against an ex-servicemen post. A daughter must also undertake that she's unmarried and dependent; a married daughter is admitted provisionally.
• Wards of Freedom Fighters already regularly appointed against an identical post in the same scale lose the reservation.

1. Preliminary: two objective papers, screening only.
2. A separate online application, with a separate fee, for the Main exam. The window is notified after the Prelims result.
3. Main exam: eight papers, 900 of 1100 marks counted.
4. Personality Test, with document verification the same day.

Details of each stage are under Exam Pattern.

Rejection

Incomplete applications, or ones without the fee or with a wrongly sized photo and signature, are rejected outright. Everyone else sits the Prelims on their own claims. After scrutiny, ineligible candidates are provisionally rejected. No letters are sent: it shows against your user ID, with an SMS and email. You then have 10 days, including Sundays and holidays, to represent by email or in person, and the Commission's decision is final.

Documents and allotment

Originals are checked at the Personality Test. A false claim means rejection and possible penal action. Posts are allotted by your final rank and the preferences you gave.

Ties

1. Highest Personality Test marks.
2. Highest aggregate in the compulsory papers, excluding English and Hindi.
3. Highest Essay marks.
4. The elder candidate.

The live photograph you capture while applying is used to verify you at the exam hall door. Using anyone else's photo, or false information, can mean cancellation and a ban from future HPPSC exams.

Three of the 22 posts are backlog. The only open unreserved HPAS post is one.

Apply online only on hppsc.hp.gov.in: Apply Online, then One Time Registration, then New Registration if you haven't registered, then apply from the dashboard.

The fee is a uniform ₹600 for every category, which is unusual: most commissions charge reserved categories less. Pay online (card, UPI or other digital mode). It's never refunded, and the application counts as submitted only once the fee is credited.

Upload

1. Matriculation certificate, as age proof.
2. Degree certificates with all mark sheets, or a consolidated one.
3. Category certificates (SC, ST, OBC, EWS, Ex-Servicemen, Ward of Ex-Servicemen, Wards of Freedom Fighters, PwD) on the Himachal government proforma, per the Personnel letters of 5 August 2019 and 11 June 2019.
4. Bonafide Himachali Certificate, if reserved.
5. For EWS, an Income and Asset Certificate or a BPL certificate countersigned by the B.D.O., with a non-SC, ST or OBC certificate.
6. For ex-servicemen, the discharge certificate or service book with P.P.O. number, rank and NOC.

You certify that your uploads are legible, and can't object later if a poor scan gets you rejected. You also capture a live photograph. Give a working email and mobile number; Aadhaar is optional.

Changes

• After submission, only the category can be changed, under Rule 5(iv) of the H.P.P.S.C. (Procedure and Transaction of Business) Rules, 2023.
• Write to the Commission before the closing date to fix a wrong category. If you find it later and used no relaxed standard, write within 15 days of the Prelims, before the result.
• Pick your optional subject now. You can change it up to the last date for the fee, not after.

The Ex-Servicemen rules for HPAS and HPPS were notified on 25 February 2020. The 1972 Demobilized Armed Forces Personnel Rules, amended in 2007, cover the other posts.

HPPSC also advertises single departmental posts under their own numbers, such as Deputy Director, Sainik Welfare (No. 60/9-2026), on its advertisement listing. Check the number before relying on any rule.

Fourteen stations: Bilaspur, Chamba, Hamirpur, Kangra, Dharamshala, Palampur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Nahan, Solan, Una, Sundernagar and Rampur Bushahr.

• If many apply, the Prelims may be held at sub-division level too, at the Commission's discretion.
• A centre chosen by fewer than 100 candidates is closed and you're sent to your second choice. Pick that one seriously.
• Only one application is accepted. You can't apply twice for different centres.

Entry closes 30 minutes before the start.

Deadlines inside the cycle

• Last fee date: last chance to change your optional.
• 15 days after the Prelims: late category correction, if the result isn't out.
• 05 days after the answer key (not counting the day it's published): objections.
• 10 days from a rejection: representation.
• Two months after the exam starts: proof of passing your degree, if it was pending.

Dates are announced on HPPSC's Advertisement and Notifications pages and against your user ID. No letters are sent.

No admit cards are posted. Download the e-admit card from hppsc.hp.gov.in with your OTR user ID and password.

Paste a passport-size photo on it, self-attested or attested by a Gazetted Officer. Without that you won't be allowed into the Preliminary under any circumstances.

The Prelims answer key goes up on your user ID straight after the test. Objections: within 5 days, online only, at ₹100 per question, non-refundable. Two subject experts review each one, with a third if they disagree. A scrapped question earns no credit and the pass mark is reduced in proportion. The final key and question paper go up after the result, and can't be challenged.

Of 1500 written marks across both stages, only 900 reach the merit list. Results are posted on hppsc.hp.gov.in and against your user ID.

HPPSC publishes no cut-off marks in advance. The fixed bars are in the advertisement: 33 per cent in Prelims Paper-II, above zero in Paper-I, 40 per cent in each of Mains English and Hindi, and 45 per cent aggregate in the rest. The Prelims and interview cut-offs float with the field.

With 22 posts, the 1:20 and 1:3 ratios mean roughly 440 reach the Mains and up to 66 the interview, so one revised requisition moves both lines. Results and the final answer key go up on hppsc.hp.gov.in after each stage.

1. Choose your optional before the Prelims. It's 200 of the 900 counted marks, and you can't change it after the fee deadline.
2. Clear Paper-II and move on. It's Class X level and only needs 33 per cent.
3. Put the work into GS Paper-I, and especially Himachal Pradesh: it's the first syllabus head, the desirable qualification, and part of the interview.
4. Attempt selectively. One third off for a wrong answer.
5. Fill the OMR header carefully. A wrong roll number gets the sheet thrown out.
6. Treat Mains English and Hindi as a gate. 40 per cent each, and they add nothing to your rank.
7. Prepare the Essay well. It's only 100 marks but it's the third tie-breaker, and in a field this small ties happen.
8. Check your OBC or EWS certificate dates cover both application deadlines.
9. Use the past papers on HPPSC's syllabi page.

HPPSC publishes previous years' question papers, with the detailed Main syllabus, on its Syllabi and Previous Year Question Papers page. The final answer key and question paper for each Prelims go up on hppsc.hp.gov.in after the result.

• Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission: One Time Registration, notifications and results
• Advertisement No. 59/8-2026, 26 August 2026
• Advertisement listing: watch here for the next cycle
• Syllabi and Previous Year Question Papers

Who conducts HPPSC HPAS?

The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, Shimla.

How many posts are there?

22 in 2026: Block Development Officer 10, Tehsildar 6, HPAS 4, District Controller 1 and District Treasury Officer 1.

Do both Preliminary papers count?

No. Paper-II only needs 33 per cent; the shortlist is drawn on General Studies alone. But you must sit both.

Do I have to apply again for the Mains?

Yes, with a separate fee.

What counts towards the ranking?

900 of the 1100 Mains marks, plus the interview. English and Hindi only need 40 per cent each.

How many marks is the Personality Test?

The advertisement doesn't say.

What is the fee?

₹600 for every category, never refunded.

Do I need to be from Himachal Pradesh?

Not to apply. Reservation is only for bonafide residents.