Patna High Court Stenographer Syllabus, Exam Pattern

The written test has three parts, all on computer. There is no negative marking in the objective part.

You have to clear all three parts. The interview is out of 10, with 3 needed to qualify. The questions in Part B are in English only.

English language and grammar: vocabulary, grammar, spot the error, fill in the blanks, synonyms and antonyms, spellings, idioms and phrases, one-word substitution, sentence improvement, active and passive voice, sentence shuffling.

Computer awareness: history and fundamentals of computers, terminology and abbreviations, hardware and software basics, keyboard shortcuts, operating system basics, MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, internet terms, networking, security tools and viruses.

• Education: Intermediate (12th) from a recognised board, a certificate in English shorthand and English typing, and a diploma or certificate of at least six months in computer application.
• Speed: 80 words a minute in English shorthand and 40 in English typing.
• Age: at least 18 on 1 January 2025. Upper limit 37 for unreserved and EWS men, 40 for unreserved and EWS women and for BC and EBC, 42 for SC and ST, 47 for locomotor-disabled candidates. Serving Central or Bihar government employees get five more years.
• Nationality: Indian citizen, or the other categories the advertisement lists (certain Tibetan refugees and persons of Indian origin).

Caste-based age relaxation and reservation go only to permanent residents of Bihar, who must show a domicile certificate along with the caste or non-creamy-layer certificate. Candidates with two years in the Territorial Army or an NCC 'B' certificate get preference when marks tie.

Written test, then interview. The court shortlists three times the vacancies, category by category, for the interview, and keeps everyone tied with the last shortlisted candidate. If applications are very high it can also hold a screening test first.

The final merit counts written test plus interview marks, 260 in all. Ties go to the higher written score, then the older candidate. Document verification happens before the interview, so keep the domicile, category and non-creamy-layer certificates ready. A candidate who can't produce them is moved to the unreserved category from the first stage. The panel is valid for one year and can be extended by another.

Pay Level 4 of the 7th pay matrix, ₹25,500 to ₹81,100, plus the usual allowances under the Patna High Court service rules. Appointment is on probation for one year.

Applications were online only, through the link on the court's website. The fee in 2025 was ₹1,100 for unreserved, BC, EBC and EWS candidates and ₹550 for SC, ST and OH candidates of Bihar. It is not refunded. Photograph and signature go up as JPG, certificates as PDF up to 3 MB. Only the last complete application counts if you submit more than one.

Employees of central or state government and PSUs need their employer's no-objection certificate at the interview.

Test centres were in Patna only in 2025, though the court said it could move candidates to another city if applications ran high. Centres once allotted are not changed.

2025 cycle:

The court also ran stenographer drives in 2022 and 2023. Watch the Recruitments page for the next one.

Admit cards are issued from the court's website, with an SMS and email alert, about a week before the test. Nothing is posted. Bring a photo ID and two recent photographs. Phones and smart watches are not allowed in the exam premises.

Of 6,032 candidates who sat the 2025 written test, 210 were shortlisted for interview. The final panel has 196 names against 114 posts. Scores are shown on login for a limited period, and the court does not answer RTI requests about scores during the drive. Category-wise cut-offs come out with the final result.

2025 cut-offs: unreserved 226.8125 in the written test (out of 250), and 238.5687 in the final merit (written test plus interview, out of 260). In the final result SC filled only 9 seats and no candidate qualified under ST or OH, so three unreserved posts are carried forward. Cut-offs for the other categories are in the notices linked below.

Typing and shorthand speed decide this exam. The accuracy bars of 85% and 90% are high, so practise on a computer, not on paper. For Part B, the syllabus above is basic English and office computer skills.

• Patna High Court
• Recruitments page, for notices, admit cards and results
• 2025 advertisement (PDF)
• 2025 final result notice (PDF)
• 2025 written test result and cut-offs (PDF)

Who conducts the Patna High Court Stenographer exam?

The High Court of Judicature at Patna, through its Recruitment and Appointment cell.

How many posts were there in 2025?

111 were advertised and three more were added, so 114.

Is there negative marking?

No, not in the objective part. The typing and shorthand parts are scored by accuracy.

Is a new notification out?

Not as of 16 October 2026. Check the Recruitments page of the court's website.