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Maharashtra · Government Exams
The Group B non-gazetted combined examination is the commission’s route to three of the state’s most sought posts — police sub-inspector, state tax inspector and assistant section officer in the secretariat — and, in some cycles, sub-registrar and stamp inspector. One objective preliminary of 100 marks screens; one objective mains of 400 marks ranks; and only the sub-inspector goes further, to a physical test that qualifies and an interview of 40 marks.
Two cycles are running. The 2026 preliminary of 14 June, advertised on 9 April for 552 posts, sent 9,253 candidates through on 1 July at an open cut-off of 53.25; its mains is not yet dated. The 2025 cycle’s mains of 17 May 2026 for 758 posts has produced its state tax inspector and assistant section officer lists and, on 7 September 2026, the list of 1,624 sub-inspector candidates called to the physical test.
MPSC Group B · checked 19 September 2026
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.
Checked 19 September 2026
Advt 011/2026 — 552 posts: PSI 310, STI 236, ASO 6; prelims 14 June; 9,253 qualified on 1 July
No window open; 2026 mains not yet notified; 2025 PSI physical tests pending
Maharashtra Public Service Commission
One paper, 100 questions, 100 marks, one hour; a quarter off per wrong answer; screening only
Notification
Checked 11 September 2026. No window is open. The 2026 preliminary — Advt 011/2026 of 9 April, applications 10 to 30 April with the fee to 4 May, examined 14 June — published its result on 1 July 2026 with 9,253 candidates qualified; the mains notification for the 2026 cycle had not been issued, and a December date circulating for it is unconfirmed. The 2025 cycle — prelims Advt 117/2025 of 29 July 2025, examined 4 January 2026 after a postponement for elections, result 23 March 2026; mains Advt 010/2026 of 7 April for 758 posts, examined 17 May 2026 — has published its state tax inspector list, revised on the commission’s home page in September, and on 7 September 2026 the list of 1,624 sub-inspector candidates qualified for the physical test.
| Cycle | Posts | Prelims | Mains | Position at 11 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 — Advt 011/2026, 9 April 2026 | 552: PSI 310, STI 236, ASO 6 | 14 June 2026; result 1 July, 9,253 qualified | Not yet notified | Awaiting the mains notification |
| 2025 — Advt 117/2025 prelims, Advt 010/2026 mains | 758: PSI 392, STI 279, ASO 3, Sub-Registrar and Stamp Inspector 84 | 4 January 2026; result 23 March | 17 May 2026 | STI and ASO lists out; 1,624 PSI candidates to physical test, 7 September |
| 2024 — Advt 106/2025 | 480: PSI 216, STI 209, ASO 55 | 2 February 2025 | 2025 | Final result 9 January 2026; three STI posts withheld under High Court orders |
| Examination | Unreserved general | Unreserved women | SC | ST | OBC | EWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims 2026, of 100 | 53.25 | 50.25 | 53.25 | 43.75 | 53.25 | 47.50 |
| PSI mains 2025, of 400 — to physical test | 278.00 | 257.50 | 241.00 | 198.50 | 263.50 | 240.00 |
Overview
The 2026 advertisement of 9 April sets the shape. Of its 552 posts, 310 are police sub-inspectors — 201 general, 93 women, 16 sportspersons, with the reserved categories taking 252 and PwD candidates ineligible — 236 state tax inspectors and 6 assistant section officers, at ₹38,600 to ₹1,22,800 for the inspectors and ₹44,900 to ₹1,42,400 for the section officer. Applications ran from 10 to 30 April, the preliminary was held on 14 June at 37 district centres, and the result of 1 July listed 9,253 candidates for the mains in one combined list.
The mains is common to all three posts. Paper 1 is Marathi at twelfth-standard level and English at degree level, fifty questions each for 200 marks in one hour; Paper 2 is general studies and the intelligence test, 100 questions for 200 marks in one hour, at degree standard in both languages. For the tax inspector and the section officer that is the whole examination — the notification says written only — and the merit is the 400. For the sub-inspector the mains is followed by measurement and a physical test of 100 marks, qualifying at 60 per cent and not counted, and an interview of 40; the final merit is mains plus interview.
The commission runs three combined preliminaries: the gazetted one that feeds the State Services Main, this Group B non-gazetted one, and the Group C one for clerk-typists, tax assistants and the like. A January 2023 scheme had merged Group B and Group C into one preliminary; they were separated again from 2024, and each now has its own advertisement, date and result.
Eligibility
| Requirement | ASO and STI | PSI |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | A degree of a statutory university; final-year candidates may sit the preliminary and must pass by the mains application deadline | As ASO and STI |
| Age | 18 to 38 unreserved; 43 for backward classes, orphans, EWS, sportspersons and ex-servicemen; 45 PwD | 19 to 31 unreserved; 34 for backward classes, orphans and EWS; 36 for sportspersons and ex-servicemen; PwD not eligible |
| Physical standards | — | Men and male transgender candidates 165 cm barefoot and 79 cm chest unexpanded with 5 cm expansion; women and female transgender candidates 157 cm, no chest requirement |
| Marathi | Knowledge of Marathi required | As ASO and STI |
| Pay | ASO S-16, ₹44,900 to ₹1,42,400; STI S-14, ₹38,600 to ₹1,22,800 | S-14, ₹38,600 to ₹1,22,800 |
| Stage | Unreserved | Backward classes, EWS, orphans, PwD | Ex-servicemen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | ₹394 | ₹294 | ₹394 or ₹294 by category |
| Mains | ₹544 | ₹344 | As preliminary |
The advertisement states that the age limit is not relaxed in any other case, applies the SEBC reservation of the 2024 Act subject to the Bombay High Court’s final decision, and brings the examination under the Maharashtra Competitive Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act of 2024. Certificates for the reserved categories are uploaded with the application under the commission’s standing procedures.
Selection process
Each stage in order, and what it actually tests.
| Stage | Format | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Combined preliminary examination | Objective, 100 marks, one hour | One paper of 100 questions at degree standard in Marathi and English, on OMR. A quarter of the question’s marks off per wrong answer, more than one answer treated as wrong, no penalty for a blank. Screening only; the 2026 open cut-off was 53.25. |
| Combined main examination | Objective, two papers of 200, one day | Paper 1: Marathi 50 questions and English 50 questions, 200 marks, one hour. Paper 2: general studies and intelligence test, 100 questions, 200 marks, one hour. The same negative marking. Common to all posts; the merit for STI and ASO. |
| PSI — physical test | 100 marks, qualifying at 60 per cent | Measurement — 165 cm and a 79 cm chest with 5 cm expansion for men, 157 cm for women — then the events. The 2023 scheme’s events: shot put, pull-ups, long jump and 800 metres for men; shot put, long jump and 400 metres for women. About four per post called; marks not counted. |
| PSI — interview, then merit | 40 marks; merit is mains plus interview | STI and ASO are selected on the mains alone. Provisional and final lists follow preferences and reservation; the 2024 cycle’s final STI list of January 2026 withheld three posts under High Court orders. |
Exam pattern
| Stage | Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | General ability test | 100 | 100 | 1 hour | Degree; Marathi and English |
| Mains | Paper 1 — Marathi 50 and English 50 | 100 | 200 | 1 hour | Marathi at twelfth standard; English at degree |
| Mains | Paper 2 — general studies and intelligence test | 100 | 200 | 1 hour | Degree; Marathi and English |
| PSI | Physical test | — | 100 | — | Qualifying at 60 per cent; not counted |
| PSI | Interview | — | 40 | — | Added to the 400 |
For each wrong answer, 25 per cent or one-fourth of the question’s marks is deducted; a question given more than one answer is treated as wrong and penalised the same; the total is left in fractions; and a question left unanswered attracts no penalty. The same clause governs the preliminary and both mains papers.
Sources
Checked 11 September 2026 against Advt 011/2026 of 9 April 2026 and its corrigendum of 30 April, the preliminary result of 1 July 2026, Advt 010/2026 of 7 April 2026 for the 2025 mains, the sub-inspector mains result of 7 September 2026, and the commission’s combined-examination scheme documents of December 2022 and January 2023. The advertisement says the governing scheme was republished on 9 October 2024; that document was not read, and the physical-test events are as the 2023 scheme lists them. The 2024 cycle’s figures are from press accounts of the commission’s lists.
Exam resources
Six resource pages, each kept in step with the latest official notification.
Questions
The combined preliminary under Advt 011/2026 — 552 posts: 310 sub-inspectors, 236 state tax inspectors and 6 assistant section officers — was held on 14 June 2026 and its result of 1 July qualified 9,253 candidates at an open cut-off of 53.25. The mains notification has not been issued as at 11 September 2026. No application window is open.
A combined preliminary of one paper — 100 questions, 100 marks, one hour — that screens and does not count; then a combined mains of two one-hour papers: Marathi 50 questions and English 50 for 200, and general studies and intelligence 100 questions for 200. A quarter of the marks is deducted per wrong answer throughout. Sub-inspectors then face a physical test of 100 marks qualifying at 60 per cent and an interview of 40; tax inspectors and section officers are selected on the mains alone.
No. The mains notification describes the state tax inspector and assistant section officer as written examination only, selected on the 400-mark mains. The police sub-inspector has an interview of 40 marks after the physical test, added to the mains for the final merit.
Men and male transgender candidates: 165 cm barefoot and a 79 cm chest unexpanded with at least 5 cm expansion. Women and female transgender candidates: 157 cm, with no chest requirement. The physical test that follows is 100 marks, qualifying at 60 per cent, with about four candidates per post called; its marks are not counted.
On 1 August 2026: for STI and ASO, 18 to 38 unreserved, 43 for backward classes, orphans, EWS, sportspersons and ex-servicemen, and 45 for PwD; for PSI, 19 to 31 unreserved, 34 for backward classes, orphans and EWS, 36 for sportspersons and ex-servicemen, with PwD candidates not eligible. The advertisement says the limit is relaxed in no other case.
₹394 for unreserved candidates and ₹294 for backward classes, EWS, orphans and PwD at the preliminary; ₹544 and ₹344 at the mains. Online only, not refundable.
For the 2026 preliminary, of 100: 53.25 unreserved general, 50.25 unreserved women, 53.25 SC, 43.75 ST, 53.25 OBC, 47.50 EWS. For the 2025 sub-inspector mains, of 400, to be called to the physical test: 278 unreserved general, 257.50 unreserved women, 241 SC, 198.50 ST, 263.50 OBC, 240 EWS — 1,624 candidates in all.
Yes. The scheme deducts 25 per cent, or one-fourth, of a question’s marks for each wrong answer in the preliminary and both mains papers; a question with more than one answer is treated as wrong; fractions are retained; and a question left unanswered carries no penalty.
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