Bihar · Government Exams

BSSC Graduate Level

The Bihar Staff Selection Commission’s graduate-level combined examination fills the state’s clerical and supervisory graduate posts in one recruitment — the assistant branch officers of the secretariat above all, with planning assistants, statistical assistants, auditors of the finance and cooperative departments, data entry operators and industry extension officers. One preliminary of 150 questions at four marks each, with one mark off per wrong answer, admits five candidates per post; a mains of a qualifying Hindi paper and a 600-mark general knowledge paper ranks them; there is no interview.

The 4th round is the current one and it is waiting. Advertised on 4 August 2025 for 1,481 posts, enlarged by corrigenda of September and November to 1,883 — 1,406 of them assistant branch officers — and priced at a flat ₹100 after the state cut every commission fee that August, it took applications, after three extensions, to 24 November 2025. No preliminary date, admit card or result has followed in the ten months since, and the commission’s notice board shows it tendering, in July and August 2026, for an agency to conduct computer-based tests. The 3rd round, by contrast, went from advertisement in April 2022 to a final result in December 2023, with one preliminary shift cancelled and re-held on the way.

BSSC Graduate Level · checked 19 September 2026

BSSC Graduate Level at a glance, from the official notices

The dates, vacancies and rules below are read on the conducting body’s own site and rewritten as each notice appears. The guide beneath carries the full pattern, syllabus, cut-offs and free mock tests.

19September 2026

Checked 19 September 2026

BSSC Graduate Level: the facts that matter now

  1. 01

    No preliminary date, admit card or result as at 11 September 2026; the commission is procuring a computer-based test agency

    Status

  2. 02

    Bihar Staff Selection Commission

    Conducted by

  3. 03

    Advt 05/25, 4 August 2025 — 1,883 posts after corrigenda; applications closed 24 November 2025

    4th round

  4. 04

    150 questions, 600 marks, 2 hours 15 minutes; one mark off per wrong answer; five per post; one textbook per section allowed

    Prelims

Notification

BSSC Graduate Level notification and key dates

Checked 11 September 2026. No graduate-level window is open and no examination is scheduled. The 4th round closed on 24 November 2025 and the commission’s notice board, current to 27 August 2026, carries no entry on it since the corrigendum of 21 November 2025 that added 342 assistant branch officer posts; no 5th round has been advertised. The commission’s tender of 29 July 2026 for an agency to conduct computer-based tests had its bid deadline extended from 28 August to 25 September, with a technical demonstration on 7 October, and a separate tender for result processing ran through the summer. Its other rounds stand likewise: the office attendant round of 5,131 posts and the stenographer round of 531, both closed in November 2025, and the laboratory assistant, statistical officer and sports trainer rounds of 2025, all await examinations; the field assistant round examined on 10 August 2025 qualified 1,005 for a mains not yet dated; and the science and technology department’s office attendant round finished on 1 August 2026 with 238 selected after a mains on 26 May.

The 4th round, from the advertisement and corrigenda.
EventDateDetail
Advertisement 05/254 August 20251,481 posts in six cadres
Start held back18 August 2025Pending revision of the fee
Fee corrigendum25 August 2025₹100 for every candidate; applications from 25 August to 26 September
Posts added27 September 202560 industry extension officers; preference marks for contractual employees
Extensions24 September and 14 October 2025Fee to 21 November; form to 24 November; edits from 31 October
Posts added21 November 2025342 assistant branch officers — 1,883 in all
PreliminaryNot scheduledNo notice since 21 November 2025
Posts in the 4th round.
PostDepartmentLevelPosts
Assistant Branch OfficerGeneral administration71,406
Auditor, cooperative societiesCooperative5198
AuditorAudit directorate, finance5125
Planning AssistantPlanning and development788
Industry Extension OfficerIndustries760
Junior Statistical AssistantLabour resources75
Data Entry Operator, grade CFinance61
All posts——1,883

Overview

What BSSC Graduate Level is, and who it suits

The 4th round’s posts, as amended, are 1,406 assistant branch officers of the general administration department at level 7, 88 planning assistants and 5 junior statistical assistants at level 7, 60 industry extension officers at level 7 added on 27 September, one data entry operator of grade C at level 6, and 125 auditors of the audit directorate and 198 of the cooperative department at level 5 — 1,883 in all: 959 unreserved, 251 SC, 24 ST, 221 EBC, 216 BC, 31 BC women and 181 EWS, with 618 under the 35 per cent horizontal reservation for women and 37 for freedom fighters’ descendants. Graduation is the qualification, with subject conditions for the statistical, data entry and auditor posts, and reservation is for Bihar’s permanent residents; candidates from other states are unreserved.

The application window moved four times. The advertisement set 18 August to 17 September 2025; the start was held back on 18 August pending a fee revision; the corrigendum of 25 August, giving effect to the general administration department’s resolution of 21 August, cut the fee to ₹100 for every candidate from the advertised ₹540 and ₹135 and opened applications the same day to 26 September; extensions of 24 September and 14 October took the fee to 21 November and the form to 24 November, with an edit window from 31 October. The commission’s notice board carries nothing on the round since — no examination date, admit card, key or result — while its tender of 29 July 2026 for an end-to-end computer-based testing agency runs to a bid deadline of 25 September and a technical demonstration on 7 October.

What the scheme provides

  • A preliminary if applications exceed 40,000 — in shifts if needed, with the results equalised across them; five candidates per post in each category go to the mains, ties by age and then name.
  • One paper of three parts — general studies; general science and mathematics at matric level; and mental ability — comprehension, logic, reasoning. 150 questions, four marks each, one off per wrong answer, two hours fifteen minutes, in Hindi and English with English prevailing. The advertisement does not fix the split between the parts.
  • A textbook on the desk — a candidate may bring one NCERT, Bihar board or ICSE textbook for each section.
  • Qualifying marks by category — 40 per cent unreserved, 36.5 BC, 34 EBC, 32 SC, ST, women and PwD, under the 2007 resolution.

The 3rd round as the template

Advertised on 6 April 2022 for 2,187 posts, later 2,248, its preliminary ran on 23 and 24 December 2022 in three shifts; the first shift of 23 December was cancelled by notice of 26 December and re-held on 5 March 2023; the result of 30 May 2023 qualified 11,240; the mains advertisement of 6 June set a fee of ₹675 or ₹180 and a paper on 23 July 2023 at eighteen Patna centres; verification followed in September; and the final result of 23 December 2023 recommended 2,240, with eight disability-quota posts returned. The mains was two papers — Hindi of 100 questions and 400 marks qualifying at 30 per cent, and general knowledge of 150 questions and 600 marks in three parts of fifty — each with one mark off per wrong answer and two hours fifteen minutes. The published cut-offs are ranks: 355 for the unreserved on the 1,360 assistant branch officer posts.

Eligibility

Who can apply for BSSC Graduate Level

From the 4th round’s advertisement. Age on 1 August 2025.
RequirementRule
QualificationGraduation from a recognised university for assistant branch officer and planning assistant; mathematics, economics, commerce or statistics for junior statistical assistant; graduation with PGDCA, BCA or BSc IT, or BTech in computer science or IT, for data entry operator; commerce, economics, statistics or mathematics for auditor; mathematics or commerce for cooperative auditor; commerce, economics, mathematics or statistics with 45 per cent for industry extension officer.
Age21 minimum; 37 for unreserved men; 40 for unreserved women and for BC and EBC men and women; 42 for SC and ST; ten more for PwD. Candidates within the limit on 1 August 2022 also eligible under the 2006 letter.
Government servantsFive attempts; ex-servicemen relaxations as the advertisement lists.
ReservationCaste, the 35 per cent women’s quota, EWS and disability for permanent residents of Bihar; other states’ candidates unreserved.
Fee₹100 for every candidate, by the corrigendum of 25 August 2025; the advertised ₹540 and ₹135 no longer apply.
Qualifying marks40 per cent unreserved; 36.5 BC; 34 EBC; 32 SC, ST, women and PwD.

Contractual employees of the state get a preference of five marks a year to a maximum of 25 under the corrigendum of 27 September 2025. The 3rd round’s mains charged ₹675, or ₹180 for SC, ST, women and PwD candidates of Bihar; whether the 4th round’s mains will carry a fee beyond the flat ₹100 is not stated.

Selection process

How BSSC Graduate Level selection works

Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.

Stages change between cycles. Confirm the structure in the notification for the cycle you are sitting.
StageFormatWhat it involves
ApplicationOnline through the commission’s portal; ₹100The 4th round ran from 25 August to 24 November 2025 after three extensions, with a twelve-field edit window. Graduation and age as on 1 August 2025; reservation certificates for Bihar residents.
Preliminary examination150 questions, 600 marks, 2 hours 15 minutes; five per postGeneral studies, general science and mathematics, and mental ability in one paper, at four marks a question with one off per wrong answer, equalised across shifts. One textbook per section allowed. Not counted beyond the shortlist.
Main examinationTwo papers; Hindi qualifying; general knowledge the meritA separate mains advertisement with its own application, fee and post preferences. On the 3rd round’s pattern: Hindi 100 questions for 400 at 30 per cent, then general knowledge 150 questions for 600 in three parts of fifty, one off per wrong answer, marked only for those who qualify in Hindi.
Verification and final resultDocument scrutiny; merit and preference; no interviewCertificates uploaded at the mains application and scrutinised for the shortlisted; the final list on mains marks with post allotment by preference; post-wise cut-off ranks published.

Exam pattern

BSSC Graduate Level exam pattern and marking

Preliminary examination, from the 4th round’s advertisement.
FeatureRule
When heldIf applications exceed 40,000; in shifts if needed, with results equalised
PaperGeneral knowledge in three parts — general studies; general science and mathematics; mental ability
Questions and marks150 questions; four marks each — 600
Negative marking“For every wrong answer one mark will be deducted”
Time2 hours 15 minutes
MediumHindi and English; the English version prevails
BooksOne NCERT, Bihar board or ICSE textbook per section may be brought
ShortlistFive per post in each category; ties to the older candidate, then alphabetical order
Main examination on the 3rd round’s pattern, from its mains advertisement of June 2023; the 4th round’s mains advertisement is to follow.
PaperQuestionsMarksTimeRule
Paper 1 — Hindi1004002 hours 15 minutesQualifying at 30 per cent; not counted; one off per wrong answer
Paper 2 — general knowledge150 — general studies 50, general science and mathematics 50, mental ability 506002 hours 15 minutesThe merit; one off per wrong answer; Hindi and English

What the syllabus covers

General studies: current affairs — scientific progress, awards, Indian languages, books, script, capitals, currency, sports and events — and India and its neighbours: history, culture, geography, economy, the freedom movement, agriculture and natural resources, the Constitution and polity, panchayati raj, community development, the five-year plans and Bihar’s part in the national movement. General science and mathematics at matric level: physics, chemistry, biology and geography; number systems, whole numbers, decimals and fractions, fundamental arithmetic, percentage, ratio and proportion, averages, interest, profit and loss. Mental ability, verbal and non-verbal: analogy, similarity and difference, space visualisation, problem-solving, visual memory, discrimination, relationships, arithmetical reasoning, number series and coding.

Sources

Official notifications and sources

Checked 11 September 2026 against the commission’s notice board and the PDFs linked from it: the 4th round’s advertisement of 4 August 2025 and its notices and corrigenda of 18 and 25 August, 24 and 27 September, 14 and 31 October and 21 November 2025; the 3rd round’s advertisement, cancellation and re-examination notices, preliminary result, mains advertisement, final result and cut-off list; the computer-based test tender and its extension; and the notices of the commission’s other rounds. The notices are scanned Hindi documents read page by page. The application portal was unreachable at the date checked and its state is from an archived copy of February 2026. Coaching-site claims of a July or August 2026 preliminary have no counterpart on the notice board.

Questions

BSSC Graduate Level — FAQs

When is the BSSC CGL 4th prelims?

No date has been fixed. The round closed on 24 November 2025 and the commission’s notice board, current to 27 August 2026, carries nothing on it since the corrigendum of 21 November 2025. The commission tendered on 29 July 2026 for an agency to conduct computer-based tests, with bids to 25 September and a demonstration on 7 October. Dates in July and August 2026 reported by coaching sites did not appear on the notice board.

How many posts are there in BSSC CGL 4th?

1,883 after two corrigenda — 1,406 assistant branch officers of the general administration department, 198 cooperative auditors, 125 auditors of the audit directorate, 88 planning assistants, 60 industry extension officers, 5 junior statistical assistants and one data entry operator — of which 959 are unreserved, 251 SC, 24 ST, 221 EBC, 216 BC, 31 BC women and 181 EWS, with 618 for women horizontally.

What is the BSSC CGL exam pattern?

A preliminary of 150 questions in one paper — general studies, general science and mathematics at matric level, and mental ability — at four marks each for 600, with one mark deducted per wrong answer, in 2 hours 15 minutes, held in shifts and equalised, with five candidates per post through; then a mains of two papers on the 3rd round’s pattern — Hindi, 100 questions for 400, qualifying at 30 per cent, and general knowledge, 150 questions in three parts of fifty for 600, the merit — each with one off per wrong answer. No interview.

Is there negative marking in BSSC CGL?

Yes. The advertisement states that four marks are given for every correct answer and one mark deducted for every wrong answer, in the preliminary; the 3rd round’s mains applied the same rule to both papers.

Can I take a book into the BSSC CGL exam?

Yes. The advertisement allows a candidate to bring one textbook for each section — an NCERT, Bihar board or ICSE textbook for general studies, one for mathematics and one for science.

What is the BSSC CGL fee and age limit?

₹100 for every candidate, by the corrigendum of 25 August 2025 that gave effect to the state’s resolution cutting commission fees; the advertised ₹540 and ₹135 no longer apply. Age 21 to 37 for unreserved men, 40 for unreserved women and BC and EBC candidates, and 42 for SC and ST, on 1 August 2025, with ten more years for PwD.

What happened in the BSSC CGL 3rd?

Advertised on 6 April 2022 for 2,187 posts, later 2,248. The preliminary of 23 and 24 December 2022 had its first shift cancelled by notice of 26 December and re-held on 5 March 2023; the result of 30 May 2023 qualified 11,240; the mains was held on 23 July 2023 at eighteen Patna centres; and the final result of 23 December 2023 recommended 2,240 candidates, with the unreserved cut-off at rank 355 on the assistant branch officer posts.

What other BSSC recruitments are pending?

The office attendant round of 5,131 posts and the stenographer round of 531 posts, both closed in November 2025; the laboratory assistant, statistical officer and sports trainer rounds of 2025; and the field assistant mains for the 1,005 who qualified on 10 August 2025 — none with an examination date. The 2nd inter-level round of 26,426 posts, closed in February 2026, is likewise undated.

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