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
It shall be the duty of the State Public Service Commission to conduct examinations for appointments to services of the State.
The State Public Service Commission shall be consulted-
On all matters relating to methods of recruitment to civil services and for civil posts;
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:
Prelims
Mains
Interview
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.
As per Odisha OPSC nationality requirements, all candidates appearing for Odisha OPSC Exam 2021 must be citizens of India.
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.
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.
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.
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 exam consists of two papers:
General Studies Paper I
100 questions, 200 marks (2marks for a correct answer, 1/4th marks for a wrong answer, 0 if not attempted)
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
Current affairs of Odisha, National, International importance
General Science
History of India & Indian freedom movement
Odisha, Indian & World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic
Economic & Social Development - Sustainable development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social sector initiatives
Environment - Ecology, biodiversity, climate change
Indian polity & Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public policy, Rights
General Studies Paper II
Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
English Comprehension
Basic Numerical calculations
General Mental Ability
Communicative skills
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 |
English comprehension
Precis Writing
Translating of Odia to English
Short essays
English Grammar
English language usage
English Vocabulary
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
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
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
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.