WBCS Syllabus 2023 is discussed below. West Bengal Public Service Commission will be conducting the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) Exam 2023 in June 2023 as mentioned in WBCS Notification 2023 which has been released on 25th February 2023. Candidates who have applied for the West Bengal Civil Service Exam can check out the WBCS Syllabus on this page. Find all the details here and download the WBCS Syllabus. Get to know of the upcoming events, as well as the official notifications related to WBCS Syllabus. Check all the details related to the WBCS Syllabus on this page to help you prepare well for the WBCS Exam.
WBCS Syllabus 2023
West Bengal Public Service Commission is the body that is responsible for conducting the WBCS Exam. WBCS Exam is conducted in three stages namely Preliminary, Mains and Interview. In this article, you will get to know the WBCS Syllabus and the WBCS Exam Pattern of the Prelims and Mains Exam.
1. The WBCS Prelims consists of one paper only i.e., General Studies. There is no Aptitude Test, unlike various other state Public Service Commission Exams.
2. The WBCS Mains Exam has six compulsory papers and one optional subject consisting of two papers.
3. Optional Subjects are meant to be taken by candidates opting for Group A and Group B services.
4. Out of 6 compulsory papers, 4 papers are of MCQ Type:
- General Studies I
- General Studies II
- The Constitution of India and Indian Economy including role and functions of Reserve Bank of India
- Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning
5. The Mains Exam (Conventional/ Essay) is allowed to be taken only in Bengali/ English language.
6. There is a deduction of 10% of the total marks secured by the candidate if he/she discloses his/her identity by writing his/her roll number/name.
WBCS Prelims Result 2022-23 Out- Click to Check
WBCS Exam Pattern 2023
Candidates appearing for the WBCS exam must be aware of the syllabus for all the stages. The complete syllabus of WBCS has been provided in the tables below to help the candidates with a comprehensive list of the same. WBCS syllabus will aid candidates in knowing all topics required for the exam which in turn will guide them to prepare better for WBCS.
Candidates may check the table below to know about WBCS Exam Pattern:
| WBCS Exam Pattern 2023 | ||||
| Tier | Name of the exam | Type of the exam | Number of question papers | Marks |
| I | Preliminary Exam | Objective | General Studies | 200 |
| II | Mains | Objective+Conventional | Eight;
| 200 (each) for Paper I to VI 400 for Paper VII and VIII |
| III | Personality Test | Interview | – | 200 |
WBCS Syllabus 2023- Prelims Exam Pattern
Candidates can check the WBCS Prelims Exam Pattern from the table provided below. The WBCS Prelims Exam Pattern consists of English Composition, General Science, Current events of National & International Importance, History of India, etc. The exam duration for the WBCS prelims exam is 2 hours.
| Subject Name | Marks | Questions | Duration |
| English Composition | 25 | 25 | 2 Hours |
| General Science | 25 | 25 | |
| Current events of National & International Importance | 25 | 25 | |
| History of India | 25 | 25 | |
| Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal | 25 | 25 | |
| Indian Polity and Economy | 25 | 25 | |
| Indian National Movement | 25 | 25 | |
| General Mental Ability | 25 | 25 | |
| Total | 200 | 200 | 2 Hours |
WBCS Syllabus 2023 for Prelims Exam
The WBPCS Prelims Exam takes place at various centers in the districts of West Bengal. Darjeeling as a center is allowed to be chosen only by the Scheduled Tribes of the Darjeeling district and by candidates from three hill-divisions: Darjeeling Sadar, Mirik and Kurseong.
The WBCS Prelims Syllabus comprises of eight subjects/ topics. There are 200 (MCQ). Each topic is assigned 25 marks. The duration of the exam is 2.5 hours. The Prelims is only a screening test, and its marks are not considered for final selection. The commission has clearly stated in its notification that the Prelims Exam tests the level of knowledge as that of a graduate of any faculty from any recognized university.
The eight topics given in WBCS Prelims Syllabus are:
1. English Composition
- Synonyms and Antonyms
- Idioms and Phrases
- Vocabulary Test
- Phrasal Verbs
- Homophones
- Fill in the qualifying words
2. General Science
- General appreciation
- Understanding of science
- Matters of everyday observation
- Experience as expected from an educated person not having made special studies of scientific disciplines
3. Current Events of National and International Importance
Significant events affecting India and its relations with the world
4. History of India
- Ancient
- Medieval
- Modern
5. Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal
- Physical Geography
- Social Geography
- Economic Geography
6. Indian Polity and Economy
- Indian Constitution
- Panchayati Raj
- Constitutional Bodies, etc.
7. Indian National Movement
- Nature and character of Nineteenth-Century Resurgence
- Growth of Nationalism
- Attainment of Independence
8. General Mental Ability
- Logical Reasoning
- Common Aptitude
Download WBCS Syllabus PDF for Prelims Exam
WBCS Syllabus 2023- Mains Exam Pattern
| Papers | Marks | |||
| Group ‘A’ | Group ‘B’ | Group ‘C’ | Group ‘D’ | |
| Language Paper (Bengali/Hindi/Urdu/Nepali/Santali) | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| English Paper | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| General Studies – Paper I | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| General Studies-Paper II | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Constitution of India and Indian Economy | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Arithmetic and Test of Reasoning | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| Optional Subject – (One subject: Two papers of 200 marks each) | 400 | 400 | THAT | THAT |
| Personality Test | 200 | 200 | 150 | 100 |
| Total Marks | 1800 | 1800 | 1350 | 1300 |
WBCS Syllabus 2023 for Mains Exam
Candidates will be selected for WBCS Mains exam on the basis of their performance in Prelims. The Mains exam will contain six compulsory papers and one optional subject comprising two papers. Each of these papers will consist of 200 marks. Candidates will be allotted 3 hours time to complete each paper.
| Papers | Subjects | Topics |
| Paper 1 | Bengali/ Hindi/ Urdu/ Nepali/ Santali |
|
| Paper 2 | English |
|
| Paper 3 | General Studies – I |
|
| Paper 4 | General Studies-II |
|
| Paper 5 | The Constitution of India and Indian Economy |
|
| Paper 6 | Arithmetic | Similar to Mathematics paper at the Madhyamik Examination of the Board of Secondary Education, West Bengal. |
| Test of Reasoning | Analytical Reasoning: Data Sufficiency Logical Reasoning:
Series:
| |
| Paper 7 | Optional Papers | In accordance with the subject selected |
| Paper 8 | In accordance with the subject opted by candidates |
Download WBCS Syllabus PDF for Mains Exam
WBCS Syllabus- Optional Subject for Mains Exam
The Mains exam will consist of eight papers of which candidates will have to choose from a list of 37 subjects for the last two papers. Candidates will be able to select one optional subject as both the optional papers will constitute questions from the subject opted by candidates. The list of all the optional subjects has been provided below.
WBCS Syllabus- List of Optional Subject For Manis
The Mains exam will consist of eight papers of which candidates will have to choose from a list of 37 subjects for the last two papers. Candidates will be able to select one optional subject as both the optional papers will constitute questions from the subject opted by candidates. The list of all the optional subjects has been provided below.
| Subject | Code |
| Bengali | 1 |
| Hindi | 2 |
| Sanskrit | 3 |
| English | 4 |
| Pali | 5 |
| Arabic | 6 |
| Persian | 7 |
| French | 8 |
| Urdu | 9 |
| Santali | 10 |
| Comparative Literature | 11 |
| Agriculture | 12 |
| Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | 13 |
| Anthropology | 14 |
| Botany | 15 |
| Chemistry | 16 |
| Civil Engineering | 17 |
| Commerce and Accountancy | 18 |
| Computer Science | 19 |
| Economics | 20 |
| Electrical Engineering | 21 |
| Geography | 22 |
| Geology | 23 |
| History | 24 |
| Law | 25 |
| Mathematics | 26 |
| Management | 27 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 28 |
| Medical Science | 29 |
| Philosophy | 30 |
| Physiology | 31 |
| Physics | 32 |
| Political Science | 33 |
| Psychology | 34 |
| Sociology | 35 |
| Statistics | 36 |
| Zoology | 37 |
Click Here for WBCS Optional Subject Syllabus PDF
WBCS Interview
Candidates who qualify the WBCS Mains Exam are called for the ‘Interview’ Round. Candidates are interviewed by a Board appointed by the WBCS. The mains fields checked by the interviewer given below.
1. The candidate will be interviewed by a board who will have a record of the candidate’s career and interests filled by the candidate in the Application Form.
2. The objective of the interview is to test the personal suitability of the candidate for the career in the state services by a board of competent and unbiased observers.
3. Apart from their academic study, candidates must be aware of the latest current affairs happening both within and outside their state.
4. The purpose of the interview is to explore the mental and analytical ability of the candidate.