For most graduates aiming at senior posts in the Chhattisgarh government, such as Deputy Collector or Deputy Superintendent of Police, the route is the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission's State Service Examination (often called CGPSC SSE or CG PCS). This guide explains how that exam works using the commission's latest full advertisement, the State Service Examination 2025, and shows how to check your eligibility and plan for the next cycle.
All details below are from CGPSC Advertisement No. 06/2025 dated 26 November 2025, published in Hindi on psc.cg.gov.in. The commission also issued corrigenda to this advertisement in December 2025, so read those alongside it. As of 9 October 2026, the advertisements page listed no State Service Examination 2026 advertisement yet; the next cycle's rules may differ.
The 2025 cycle at a glance
| Item | State Service Examination 2025 |
|---|---|
| Online application | 1 December 2025 (12:00) to 30 December 2025 (23:59) |
| Preliminary exam | 22 February 2026, two sessions (10:00–12:00 and 15:00–17:00) |
| Main exam (tentative) | 16, 17, 18 and 19 May 2026 |
| Posts | 17 services and posts, 238 vacancies in total, including 14 Deputy Collector and 28 Deputy Superintendent of Police posts |
| Probation | Three years for selected candidates |
The advertisement notes that the number of posts could change until the last date of application if departments revised their requisitions.
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Education
A degree from a university established by central or state law, or an institution deemed to be a university under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification. Final-year candidates may sit the preliminary exam but must have passed their qualifying degree by the last date of the Mains application.
Age (reference date 1 January 2025 for the 2025 cycle)
| Post | Age rule in the advertisement |
|---|---|
| Deputy Superintendent of Police | 21 to 28 years, with relaxations such as up to five years for SC, ST and OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates |
| All other posts | Minimum 21 years, maximum 30 years. For local residents of Chhattisgarh the maximum is 35, and a state circular of 18 January 2024 gives local residents a further five-year relaxation. Category relaxations apply on top, but the combined upper limit cannot exceed 45 years |
The advertisement lists further relaxations, for example for women who are local residents of Chhattisgarh, state government employees, ex-servicemen and persons with disabilities; read the clause that applies to your post and category. Reservation and most age relaxations are available only to local/native residents of Chhattisgarh.
Physical standards for DSP
Candidates opting for Deputy Superintendent of Police must meet physical standards: height of at least 168 cm for men and 155 cm for women, and for men a chest of 84 cm unexpanded and 89 cm expanded, with at least 5 cm expansion. Candidates must also meet vision and medical fitness requirements.
Exam pattern
Preliminary examination (objective)
| Paper | Questions | Marks | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I – General Studies | 100 | 200 | 2 hours | Counts for selection to Mains |
| Paper II – Aptitude Test | 100 | 200 | 2 hours | Qualifying only |
Each question has four options, and one-third of the marks for a question is deducted for a wrong answer. Unreserved candidates need at least 33% and reserved-category candidates at least 23% in each paper. Selection for the Mains is based on Paper I merit.
Main examination (conventional) and interview
| Paper | Marks |
|---|---|
| Paper 1 – Language | 200 |
| Paper 2 – Essay (four essays: two from each section) | 200 |
| Paper 3 – General Studies I | 200 |
| Paper 4 – General Studies II | 200 |
| Paper 5 – General Studies III | 200 |
| Paper 6 – General Studies IV | 200 |
| Paper 7 – General Studies V | 200 |
| Written total | 1,400 |
| Interview / personality test | 100 |
| Grand total | 1,500 |
Each Mains paper is three hours long, with short, medium and long answers. There are no optional subjects in this scheme. Candidates must appear in all seven papers. Roughly three times the number of posts are called for interview, and the final merit list is based on combined Mains and interview marks. The same minimum of 33% (unreserved) or 23% (reserved) applies to each Mains paper.
Worked examples
These are illustrative calculations using the 2025 rules, not cut-off predictions.
Prelims scoring. Each question carries 2 marks (200 ÷ 100), so a wrong answer costs one-third of 2, about 0.667.
- Paper I: 70 correct and 24 wrong gives (70 × 2) − (24 × 0.667) ≈ 140 − 16 = 124 out of 200.
- Paper II (qualifying): an unreserved candidate needs 33% of 200 = 66 marks. With 40 correct and 15 wrong: 80 − 10 = 70, which qualifies. A reserved-category candidate needs 23% of 200 = 46 marks; 26 correct and 6 wrong gives 52 − 4 = 48, which qualifies.
Age check. A general-category candidate born on 15 June 1986 was 38 years and about 6 months old on 1 January 2025.
- If the candidate is a local resident of Chhattisgarh, the upper limit for non-DSP posts is 35 + 5 = 40, so the candidate is within the limit.
- If the candidate is not a local resident, the upper limit is 30, so the candidate is over age.
- For DSP, the limit of 28 (plus any category relaxation) means this candidate would not qualify on age as a general candidate.
Always redo these checks with the advertisement for your own cycle, because the reference date and circulars can change.
How to prepare from the official scheme
- Read the syllabus appendices. Appendix 2 covers the preliminary syllabus and Appendix 3 the Mains syllabus. Paper I of the prelims has two parts of 50 questions each, and Part 2 is devoted to general knowledge of Chhattisgarh (its history and role in the freedom movement, geography, literature and culture, tribes and festivals, and more). Chhattisgarh topics also recur in the Mains syllabus.
- Do not neglect the Aptitude paper. It is only qualifying, but the 33% or 23% bar still applies, and negative marking can pull a borderline score down.
- Plan for seven descriptive papers. Practise structured answers of different lengths, and essays, well before the prelims result.
- Track the commission's website. Advertisements, corrigenda, model answers and results are posted on the Advertisement, Notifications, Model Answer and Result pages of psc.cg.gov.in.
Checklist before you apply in the next cycle
- Download the full advertisement and every corrigendum.
- Check your age against the reference date, including whether you qualify as a local resident of Chhattisgarh.
- Confirm your degree, or that you will have passed it before the Mains application deadline.
- If you want DSP, check the separate age limit and physical standards.
- Keep domicile, category and other certificates ready in the prescribed format.
CGPSC's State Service Examination is long and competitive, but its rules are clearly set out in the advertisement. Use the 2025 cycle to understand the structure, and rely on the next advertisement for dates, posts and eligibility.