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Introduction

OPSC OAS Exam 2021: Exam Dates, Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Online Application

What is OPSC Exam?

Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) was constituted on 1 April 1949 after its bifurcation from the former Bihar and Odisha Joint Public Service Commission. At the time of creation, the OPSC had three Members, including a Chairman. The membership increased to five in 1979 and further increased to six in 1996.

The constituent Assembly saw the need for giving a secure and autonomous status to the Public Service Commission both at Federal and Provincial levels for ensuring unbiased recruitment to Civil Services as also for the protection of service interests. After Independence, with the promulgation of the new Constitution for independent India on 26th January 1950, the 'Federal Public Service Commission was accorded a constitutional status and was renamed as 'Union Public Service Commission'. The Chairman and Members of the Federal Public Service Commission became Chairman and Members of the Union Public Service Commission by virtue of Clause (1) of Article 378 of the Constitution.

Some Functions of Public Service Commissions

  1. It shall be the duty of the State Public Service Commission to conduct examinations for appointments to services of the State.

  2. The State Public Service Commission shall be consulted-

    1. On all matters relating to methods of recruitment to civil services and for civil posts;

    2. On the principles to be followed in making appointments to civil services and posts and in making promotions and transfers from one service to another and on the suitability of candidates for such appointment’s promotions or transfers.

Odisha Public Services Commissions (OPSC) conducts Odisha Administrative Services (OAS) Exam. The exam consists of three stages:

  1. Prelims

  2. Mains

  3. Interview

OPSC OAS Eligibility Criteria 2021

Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) notifies the OPSC OAS eligibility criteria on the OPSC Official website

All interested aspirants should check the details about Odisha OPSC eligibility criteria before applying for the exam. If it is found at the beginning, during or after the selection process that any candidate fails to meet any of the OPSC Civil qualifications, then that candidate's candidature shall be cancelled immediately without further question or appeal. Thus, candidates must ensure that they fulfil the eligibility for the OPSC OAS exam.

The OPSC OAS eligibility criteria 2021 include fulfilment of nationality, age limit, educational qualification as well as the number of attempts as per your category. Check out the detailed information here in the subsequent paragraphs.

Nationality

As per Odisha OPSC nationality requirements, all candidates appearing for Odisha OPSC Exam 2021 must be citizens of India.

Educational Qualification

The OPSC OAS minimum educational qualification requirements are given here for your reference.

  • You should hold a Bachelor's degree from any recognized university.

  • You should know how to speak, read and write Odia language.

  • You must have passed the 10th or 12th class with Odia language as one of the subjects.

  • Those who passed the 10th or 12th class with Odia as the medium of instruction can also apply for the exam

Besides all these Odisha OPSC eligibility criteria 2021, you should possess good moral character and must be of sound mind.

Age Limit

The minimum and the maximum OPSC OAS Age Limit to be eligible for Odisha OPSC Civil Services Exam 2021 are given below:

  • The candidate should be a minimum of 21 years of age.

  • The maximum age limit to appear in Odisha OPSC Exam 2021 is 32 years.

Age Relaxation

Below is given information about Odisha OPSC Age Relaxation for OPSC Civil Service Exam 2021:

Candidate Category Age Relaxation
S.C. / S.T. / S.E.B.C / Ex-Serviceman/ Women 5 years on maximum age limit
PwDs (People with Disability) 10 years on maximum age limit

Thus, to sum up the age limit of the candidate for OPSC OAS 2021 exam, the following conclusions can be drawn:

  • The maximum age limit for the general category candidates is 32 years.

  • The maximum age limit for reserved categories candidates such as SC/ ST/ BC/Ex-Servicemen/ Women is 37 years.

  • The maximum age limit for PwDs is 42 years.

Note that for checking the age, the date of birth written on the class 10th or high school certificate will be considered.

Number of Attempts for OPSC OAS Exam

OPSC has specified the number of attempts as per the category of the candidate to apply for the OPSC OAS exam. Here is the n. of attempts that is permitted by the OPSC to apply for the exam.

  • SC/ST/ PwD Candidates: There is no upper cap on the number of times an SC/ST/ PwD candidate can take the exam. However, you must make sure that you do exceed the age limit that is permitted to apply for the OPSC OAS exam as per your category.

  • General Candidates: General category students can only appear for the OPSC OAS exam for a maximum of 4 times.

  • Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC): SEBC candidates of Odisha can only appear for the exam a maximum of 7 times.

OPSC OAS Prelims Syllabus

OPSC OAS Prelims exam consists of two papers:

  1. General Studies Paper I

    100 questions, 200 marks (2marks for a correct answer, 1/4th marks for a wrong answer, 0 if not attempted)

  2. General Studies Paper-II (This is a qualifying paper and 33% is the pass mark)

    80 questions, 200 marks (2marks for a correct answer, 1/4th marks for a wrong answer, 0 if not attempted). The marks obtained in this paper is not used to draw up the merit list.

The syllabus for both these papers are outlined below:

General Studies Paper I

  1. Current affairs of Odisha, National, International importance

  2. General Science

  3. History of India & Indian freedom movement

  4. Odisha, Indian & World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic

  5. Economic & Social Development - Sustainable development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social sector initiatives

  6. Environment - Ecology, biodiversity, climate change

  7. Indian polity & Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public policy, Rights

General Studies Paper II

  1. Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability

  2. English Comprehension

  3. Basic Numerical calculations

  4. General Mental Ability

  5. Communicative skills

OPSC OAS Mains Syllabus

The OPSC Mains exam is descriptive in nature and students are required to write down the answers. It consists of following papers:

OPSC MAINS:    
QUALIFYING PAPERS: *Qualifying only, marks not added in the merit list  
  Topics Marks
PAPER I: Odia Language 300
PAPER II: English Language 300
MERIT PAPERS:
PAPER III: English Essay 200
PAPER IV: General Studies - Paper I 300
  History of modern Indian & Indian Culture  
  Geography  
  Indian polity  
  Current and Social Issues  
  Legal & Environmental issues:  
PAPER V: General Studies - Paper II 300
  India & the world  
  Economy  
  International Institutions & issues  
  Science & technology  
  Statistical Analysis  
PAPER VI: Optional Subject 1 - Paper I 300
PAPER VII: Optional Subject 1 - Paper II 300
PAPER VIII: Optional Subject 2 - Paper I 300
PAPER IX: Optional Subject 2 - Paper II 300
  Total marks for Mains written 2000
  Interview 250
  Total Marks for ranking 2250

OPSC OAS Language Syllabus (Qualifying Paper)

  • English comprehension

  • Precis Writing

  • Translating of Odia to English

  • Short essays

  • English Grammar

  • English language usage

  • English Vocabulary

English Essay Syllabus

The candidate will have to express their views on a particular topic given by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).

  • General Studies I Syllabus

  • Indian Culture and History of Modern India

  • Latest National Events and other topics of social relevance

  • Issues related to legal matters

  • Environmental Issues

  • Indian Geography

  • Indian Polity

General Studies II Syllabus

  • India and the world

  • Indian Economy

  • International affairs and International Institutions

  • Developments related to the field of science and technology

  • Developments taking place in the field of communications

  • Development taking place in the field of space

  • Statistical Analysis, Graphs, and Diagrams

List of Optional Subjects for OPSC Civil Services Mains Exam

For the OPSC OAS Mains Exam, candidates need to choose any 2 subjects from the list of subjects given below. Each optional will have two papers.

  • Zoology

  • Statistics

  • Sociology

  • Public Administration

  • Agriculture

  • Physics

  • Geography

  • Law

  • Psychology

  • Chemistry

  • Philosophy

  • Botany

  • Management

  • History

  • Economics

  • Home Science

  • Geology

  • Mathematics

  • Forestry

  • Fisheries Science

  • Education

  • Indian Language & Literature (Any one of these- Oriya, Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu & Persian)

  • Agriculture Engineering

  • Anthropology

  • Mechanical Engineering

  • Electrical Engineering

  • Anthropology

  • Commerce & Accountancy

  • Civil Engineering

  • Agriculture Engineering

  • Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science

  • Political Science & International Relations

OPSC OAS Interview

The OPSC OAS interview is the final stage of the exam. It has 250 marks.

The main aim of the interview is to assess the candidate’s attitude and personality. The interviewing board tries to find the suitability of the candidate for administrative services, i.e. how well they will be able to handle challenges and adversities faced by the civil servants on duty.

The candidate’s knowledge and the ability to articulate and communicate their thoughts and opinions are also judged by the interviewing board. However, no specific details of the interview are specified by OPSC in the OAS exam notification.

Marks obtained by the candidates in the interview are then added to the marks obtained in the mains exam for the final merit list.

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