# Punjab Civil Service (PCS) Prelims (Punjab PCS) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for Punjab Civil Service (PCS) Prelims, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS

## Exam pattern
- Category: STATE_LEVEL · state: PB
- Questions: 200 · Total marks: 400 · Marks per question: 2
- Duration: 240 minutes
- Negative marking: −0.25 per wrong answer
- Languages offered: EN, PA

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Age: 21–37 years (before category relaxation: OBC +3, SC/ST +5)
- Education: Bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognized university
- Approximate annual vacancies: 322
- Note: Punjabi language mandatory: must have passed Matriculation with Punjabi as compulsory/elective subject or equivalent. Indian nationality required.
- Official portal: https://ppsc.gov.in (Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC))

## Key dates
- 2026-07-28 — Admit card release for Prelims
- 2026-07-30 — Register C/A-II application deadline
- 2026-07-30 — Mains Result announcement (expected)
- 2026-08-11 — Punjab PCS Preliminary Examination (exam day)
- 2026-08-15 — Mains Result & Interview Schedule announcement
- 2026-08-21 — Expected Mains result announcement for 2025 cycle
- 2026-08-29 — Interview/Personality Test (expected window) (exam day)
- 2026-09-19 — Interview/Personality Test for 2025 cycle

## Syllabus outline
### General Studies (Paper I) (weight 1.2)
International Affairs · National Current Affairs · Punjab Current Affairs · Current Events · Banking and Monetary System · Fiscal Policy · Nature of Indian Economy · Planning and NITI Aayog · Punjab Economy · Indian Economy · Climate Change · Disaster Management · Ecosystem and Biodiversity · Pollution and Conservation · Environmental Studies · Everyday Science · Economic Geography · Physical Features of India · Geography of Punjab · World Geography · Indian and Punjab Geography · History of India · Ancient India · Indian Culture · Gandhian Era and Independence · Medieval India · Modern India · Punjab Agriculture · Ancient and Medieval Punjab · Anglo-Sikh Wars and British Punjab · Punjabi Culture and Literature · Freedom Struggle in Punjab · Partition and Reorganisation · Sikh Gurus · Sikh Misls and Maharaja Ranjit Singh · Indian Polity · Constitutional and Statutory Bodies · Constitution of India · Fundamental Rights, Duties and DPSP · Judiciary · Local Self Government · State Government · Political Theory and International Order · Union Government · Punjab — History, Society and Culture · Acids, Bases and Salts · Human Body and Life Processes · Versatile Nature of Carbon · Disease and Public Health · Life on Earth and Evolution · States of Matter and Atom · Metals and Corrosion

### Civil Services Aptitude Test (Paper II) (weight 1)
Reading Comprehension · Data Interpretation · Pie Charts and Line Graphs · Data Sufficiency · Tables and Bar Charts · Decision Making and Problem Solving · Interpersonal and Communication Skills · Punjabi and English Language · English Grammar and Usage · Punjabi Grammar · Coding-Decoding · Series and Analogy · Statement-Argument · Syllogism · Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability · General Mental Ability · Blood Relations · Direction Sense · Order and Ranking · Numbers and Magnitudes · Percentages and Ratio · Numerical Relations · Basic Numeracy · English Comprehension · Punjabi Comprehension

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected Cutoff (Indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 210-240 marks (52.5-60%) |
| EWS | 200-230 marks (50-57.5%) |
| OBC | 190-220 marks (47.5-55%) |
| SC | 170-200 marks (42.5-50%) |
| ST | 160-190 marks (40-47.5%) |
| PwD | 150-180 marks (37.5-45%) |

**Guidance Notes:**

- **Category differential**: General cutoffs typically run 8-12% higher than SC/ST categories, with OBC falling 3-5% below General. EWS cutoffs usually track 2-3% below General quota.

- **Year-on-year variation**: Cutoffs fluctuate based on paper difficulty (±15-20 marks swing possible), vacancy count, and candidate pool strength. Highly competitive years push General cutoffs toward 235-240 marks; moderate years settle around 210-220 marks.

- **Safe qualification zone**: Scoring 220+ (General), 200+ (OBC), 185+ (SC/ST) typically ensures comfortable mains entry across most exam cycles. These ranges reflect prelims qualification thresholds, not final selection cutoffs.

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/PB_PCS/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

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