Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission · Civil services

State Service Examination

Madhya Pradesh's state civil services exam: Deputy Collector, DSP, Commercial Tax, Naib Tehsildar and other Class I and II posts. The Prelims is shared with the State Forest Service.

Stages
Prelims (screening) → Mains → Interview
Final merit
1685 marks

Latest: SSE 2026: Prelims held 26 Apr 2026, Mains 7–12 Sep 2026 (papers published). SSE 2025 Mains is waiting on a High Court order.

Official notification and PDFs

Checked 14 Nov 2026

Each link opens the file on MPPSC's own website.

Exam pattern

Negative marking: Prelims: each question carries 3 marks and 1 mark is deducted for each wrong answer. The score is 3R − W, where R is the number of right answers and W the number of wrong ones.

Prelims

PaperQuestionsMarksTimeCounts for merit?
Paper I: General StudiesScreening1003002 hoursNo
Paper II: General Aptitude TestScreening1003002 hoursNo

Mains

PaperQuestionsMarksTimeCounts for merit?
GS Paper I: (A) History, (B) Geography150 + 150—3003 hoursYes
GS Paper II: (A) Political Science, (B) Sociology150 + 150—3003 hoursYes
GS Paper III: (A) Economics, (B) Science, Technology & Public Health150 + 150—3003 hoursYes
GS Paper IV: (A) Philosophy, Psychology, Public Administration & case study, (B) Entrepreneurship, Management, Personality Development & case study150 + 150—3003 hoursYes
Paper V: General Hindi and grammarIn Hindi—2002 hoursYes
Paper VI: Hindi essay and draft writingIn Hindi—1002½ hoursYes
Merit marks from this stage1500

Interview: 185 marks. Final merit: Mains + Interview = 1685 marks.

Syllabus at a glance

Prelims Paper I: General Studies

  • History of India, from Indian knowledge traditions to post-independence reorganisation
  • History, culture and literature of Madhya Pradesh, including tribes and dialects
  • Geography of India and Madhya Pradesh
  • Constitution, governance and political system
  • Economy of India and MP
  • Science, environment and health
  • Current affairs and IT

Prelims Paper II: General Aptitude Test

  • Comprehension
  • Communication skills
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • Decision making and problem solving
  • General mental ability
  • Basic numeracy and data interpretation (class 10 level)
  • Hindi comprehension (class 10 level, no English translation)

Mains

  • Four GS papers, each in two parts (A and B) of 150 marks
  • GS papers can be answered in Hindi or English
  • Paper V (General Hindi) and Paper VI (Hindi essay and drafting) are in Hindi

This is a summary. The official syllabus in the advertisement PDF above is the authority.

Confirm in the official notice
  • Minimum Prelims marks to qualify for Mains: 40% in each paper for unreserved candidates and 30% for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwD candidates (exam plan, 21 Jan 2026).
  • Up to 20 times the vacancies, category-wise, are called for Mains.

Previous year papers

Pick "MPPSC SSE (State Service)" in the list on the MPPSC page to see every year's question booklet.

10 questions · 10 min · −⅓ per wrong

Indian Polity: Constitution basics (Test 1)

Ten core questions on the Preamble, Fundamental Rights, DPSP and Parliament, asked across every state PSC.

10 questions · 10 min · −⅓ per wrong

Modern India and the freedom struggle (Test 1)

Ten questions from 1857 to 1947, a high-weight area in every state PSC Prelims.

Dates from the MPPSC calendar

Full calendar →
Adv. no.PostPostsStagesExam datesStatus
2025State Service Mains Exam 2025—MainsAfter the High Court order (was 9 Jun 2025)Waiting on court
2026State Service and State Forest Service Prelims 2026—Prelims26 Apr 2026Held on schedule
2026State Service Mains Exam 2026—Mains + Interview7–12 Sep 2026Question papers published