PUNJAB CIVIL SERVICES EXAM (PCS)

by Ravi Dutt Sharma Digital Marketing

The Punjab Civil Services exam i.e. PCS exam, is a combined competitive exam held by Punjab Public Service Commission for the purpose of recruiting workforce for Government posts like PCS Executive, Deputy Superintendent, Excise and Taxation officer, etc.

PCS ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for the PCS exam, a candidate must be a Citizen of India or a Citizen of Nepal or Subject of Bhutan.

The candidate should be of minimum age of 21 years but should not be older than 37 years. The candidate should possess a bachelor degree in any discipline from a recognized university or institution, provided that the candidate may be permitted to take PCS preliminary examination while studying for the qualifying degree. There are certain associated guidelines associated with the eligibility criteria including Physical Standards for the candidates applying for the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police:

PHYSICAL STANDARDS FOR THE POST OF DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE:

Minimum height:
Men- 5 feet 7 inches
Women– 5 feet 3 inches
Chest measurement (for men only):
Unexpanded: 33 inches
Expanded: 34.5 inches

PCS EXAM PATTERN

Candidates are selected based on their performance in two stages-

PCS Preliminary Competitive exam and
Main Competitive exam (written and viva voce).

The Preliminary Competitive Examination consists of two papers i.e. Paper-I General Studies and Paper –II Civil Services Aptitude Test. All candidates are required to appear in both papers including i.e. Paper I and Paper II of the PCS Preliminary Competitive Examination.

The PCS main exam consists of written examination and a viva voce (interview) test. There are total of 8 questions in the papers of optional subjects. All questions carry equal marks. Each paper is divided into two parts, Part A and Part B, each part has four questions. The main competitive exam includes compulsory and optional subjects and every candidate is required to take all the compulsory subjects and two of the optional subjects, except for Ex-servicemen candidates, who are exempted from taking optional subjects.

The candidates securing the highest aggregate marks in the written part of the Main Competitive Exam are called for the interview test. If two or more candidates are tied at same rank then the order of merit is evaluated in accordance with highest marks secured in interview.

PCS EXAM SYLLABUS

Both the PCS exams have different set of syllabi. Preliminary exam includes General studies and Civil Services Aptitude Test, while Main exam includes topics like English, History, Geography, Indian Constitution, Punjabi, Economy, Statistics, Science and Technology, Environment and others.

PCS EXAM SCHEDULE

The PCS exam is conducted at various intervals throughout the year at centers within the territory of Chandigarh, dates of which are intimidated by the UPSC online.

PCS FUTURE PROSPECTS

The Central and State civil servants are in charge of the governance of the various departments (non-military) to ensure that the administrative infrastructure works according to the constitutional provision. Civil Servants have both power and authority. Clearing the PCS exam both preliminary and main, opens gates to higher esteemed posts like that of IAS and IPS officers. Hence PCS exam is one of the most prestigious and lucrative career options for those wanting to serve the nation and command respect as well as authority in the society.

WHO IS A PCS OFFICER IN INDIA

We all have heard of IAS, IPS, and IRS officers, but many of us might not be aware of a PCS officer. The Civil Services run the administration of our country. To choose the right kind of candidate, they conduct various exams. Those who clear these exams are later appointed to different posts depending upon their scores to be a part of the administrative body.

WHO EXACTLY IS A PCS OFFICER?

PCS Officer i.e. Provincial Civil Services officer is a prominent position attained by a candidate only on being recruited by the State Public Service Commissions. The State Public Service Commission can recruit only those students who have cleared the PCS exam for their particular state. The PCS officer looks after the state as a caretaker.

General awareness and knowledge

Forests, agriculture, land, education, and revenue, etc. are the subjects that are dealt by the state civil services.
It is essential that a PCS candidate has adequate information relating to the history of the state as well as have knowledge regarding the geographical details of the state.
The awareness of what kind of basic problems are being faced in the state and how can they be solved or handled is also another question that the candidate must have answers to.
Knowledge of the regional language, common customs, and traditions of the people of the state is also another quality that a candidate must possess.

ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF PREPARATION IS A MUST

The exams conducted need good amount of preparation to pass them out with flying colours. People planning to appear for this exam or any other civil services exam must have adequate information relating to our country as well as must have a brief idea about the current affairs.

A person working in the administration must have quick decision-making skills as the administration is also the backbone of an entire nation and thus only people who clear all the three levels of exams to get recruited for this post. The three levels include Prelims, Mains, and the interview round. A candidate, later on, being selected can only work for one state.

The duty that comes along with lot of respect and responsibilities

The PCS officer manages duties about welfare of the state and the benefits of its people.
An IAS officer works on an intermediate level whereas PCS officers manage only the affairs of their state.
The PCS officers do not have to worry much about transfers as they are recruited only for the management of a particular state, so the question of being moved to another state never arises.
There are several other duties of the PCS officers like, looking after the security of any politician or other respectable government personnel who may have arrived in the city, taking quick and accurate decisions in case of natural disasters affecting the state, maintaining harmony amongst the people of all religions and avoiding any kind of riots as well as maintain the economy of the state.
Everything that falls under the area of a particular state must be looked after by the PCS officers through the help of other subordinate officers.

Source:- PCS Coaching