Understanding the New OPSC OAS Exam Syllabus
Are you an aspiring civil services candidate planning to appear for the OPSC exam this year? We will help you understand the OAS syllabus in detail.
The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has recently released a notification about the exam. This OAS syllabus PDF provides information related to the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) exam.
Given that the exam aims to fill government civil services positions, you must start your preparation after knowing the OPSC OAS syllabus.
OPSC Exam Syllabus
Latest Syllabus
Know About the OPSC OCS Exam Syllabus 2024
Some of you may be aware of the OAS syllabus 2023. But the OAS syllabus 2024 is a little different.
The Odisha Civil Services exam pattern includes three stages:
- Preliminary Examination
- Mains Exam
- Personality Test
The first step that you have to clear is the preliminary examination. Your second step is the OCS mains exam. You will be called in for the Personality Test if you pass your mains. It is the third and the last step in the OAS exam syllabus.
The OPSC OAS syllabus PDF download is available on the official website of the Odisha Public Service Commission. It includes different topics, such as reasoning and general studies. You must know the previous year’s questions to pass the OPSC exam. You must also make a study plan according to the OPSC OCS syllabus for better results.
Stage 1: OAS Prelims Syllabus
The OPSC syllabus for prelims has two different parts: Paper I and Paper II. Each paper carries 200 marks. You will get 2 hours each to complete both papers.
Take a look at the syllabus for OAS prelims for Paper I in detail below:
- Current Events of National and International Importance
- History of India and the Indian National Movement
- Physical, Economic, and Social Geography (India and the World)
- Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Public Policy, Rights Issues, Political System, and Panchayati Raj
- Economic and Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Demographics, Inclusion, and Social Sector Initiatives
- General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Climate Change, and Biodiversity that do not need any subject specialisation
- General Science
You can also follow some NCERT notes mentioned in the OPSC OAS syllabus. Read these NCERT books and other important notes for better understanding:
- Ancient Indian History Notes
- Medieval Indian History Notes
- Modern Indian History Notes
- Art and Culture
- Geography Notes
You can also read The Hindu newspaper every day to learn more about current affairs.
The OAS syllabus for the prelims Paper II is given below:
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal Skills, like Communication Skills;
- Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- General Mental Ability
- Basic Numeracy
- Data Interpretation
- English Language Comprehension Skills
You should also keep the following things in mind before appearing for the OPSC preliminary exam:
- The Preliminary exam serves as only a screening test for the candidates.
- Your preliminary marks will not be used to calculate the final order of merit when you pass the main examination.
- Every correct answer in the prelims will get you two marks. Yet, you will face a deduction of one-fourth of the marks for any incorrect question.
- You need a minimum of 33% to pass the qualifying paper II of the preliminary test.
The Commission shall draw a list of candidates to be qualified for the Civil Services or Mains examination. It will depend on the same criterion of minimum qualifying marks of 33%. This applies to both papers I and II of the preliminary exam.
You can talk to our experts at Apti Plus to know more about the OPSC OAS syllabus 2023 PDF download.
Check the following table for the details of all marks for Paper I and II.
| Preliminary Exam | Total Marks | Time Allotted |
| General Studies Paper 1 | 200 | 2 Hrs |
| General Studies Paper 2 | 200 | 2 Hrs |
Stage 2: OAS Mains Syllabus
You need to appear for the main exam of OPSC OAS after you clear the prelims. You must also know the OAS main syllabus to pass the examination. You have three hours to complete each paper.
The following section discusses the main exam’s detailed OAS syllabus 2024.
Paper I – Odia Language:
This paper aims to test your ability to understand the native state language of Odisha. It helps you express your ideas correctly in the Odia language.
Paper II – English:
This paper aims to test the candidate’s ability to understand the English language and express it easily.
Paper III – English Essay:
You need to write an essay on a specific topic for this paper. You will also get the choice of subjects. The credit for this depends on an effective and exact expression.
Paper IV – General Studies I:
• Indian Heritage and Culture
• Odisha Heritage and Culture
• History and Geography of World and Society
Paper V – General Studies II:
• Governance
• Constitution
• Polity
• Social Justice
• Inter-State Relations
Paper VI – General Studies III:
• Technology
• Economic Development
• Bio-diversity
• Environment
• Security
• Disaster Management
Paper VII – General Studies IV:
• Ethics
• Integrity
• Aptitude
You must choose two optional subjects for the Main Examination. You cannot make any request to change the optional subjects.
- Agriculture
- Agriculture Engineering
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce & Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Education
- Fisheries Sciences
- Forestry
- Geography
- Geology
- Home Science
- History
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science
- Indian Language & Literature in any 1 of the mentioned languages
- Odia
- Hindi
- Sanskrit
- English
- Persian
- Urdu
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science & International Relationships (PS & IR)
- Public Administration
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
The following table explains the exam pattern for the syllabus for OAS mains in detail:
| Mains Papers | Marks | Time Allotted |
| Part I | ||
| Paper 1 – Odia Language | 250 | 3 hours each |
| Paper 2 – English | 250 | |
| Part II | ||
| Paper 1 – English Essay | 250 | |
| Paper 2– General Studies 1 | 250 | |
| Paper 3 – General Studies 2 | 250 | |
| Paper 4 – General Studies 3 | 250 | 3 hours each |
| Paper 5- General Studies 4 | 250 | |
| Paper 6- Optional Subject 1 | 250 | |
| Paper 7- Optional Subject 2 | 250 | |
OPSC OAS Personality Test
You can attend the final interview after clearing the OPSC OAS prelims and mains exam. The personality interview shall carry 250 marks.
You can connect with Apti Plus to learn more about the OPSC OAS syllabus. We will guide you regarding the subjects and topics essential for clearing this difficult exam. You can quickly clear this OCS exam if you start preparing topic-wise and set proper targets.
The faculty members at Apti Plus will help you get detailed study material and preparation tips for the examination.
The interview round tests the following:
- Your mental calibre, alertness, and intellectual quality.
- Your interest in current affairs and social traits.
- Your variety of interests and the depth of knowledge of it.
- Your moral integrity and intellectual integrity as a candidate
- Your critical powers are related to the social process of absorption towards another culture.
The following table explains the other associated details of the OPSC civil services exam.
| OPSC Civil Services Exam Syllabus 2024 & Exam Pattern | |
| Organisation Name | Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) |
| Post Names | Odisha Administrative Service, Odisha Revenue Service, Odisha Transport Service, Odisha Co-operative Service, Odisha Labour Service, Odisha Taxation & Accounts Service |
| Exam Name | Odisha Civil Services Examination |
| Category | OPSC OCS Syllabus |
| Selection Process | Preliminary Examination, Mains Examination, Interview |
| Job Location | Odisha |
| Official Site | opsc.gov.in |
Latest UPSC Notifications
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the subjects in the OAS exam?
You will have to appear for two papers for your prelims. The following are the two papers according to the OAS syllabus.
• Paper I – General Studies (200 Marks)
• Paper II – General Studies (200 Marks)
This paper includes 100 questions in Paper-I that carry 2 marks each and Paper-II 80 questions that carry 2.5 marks each. But you will lose one-third marks for every wrong answer.
The OPSC mains exam includes the following subjects according to the OAS syllabus 2024.
• Paper – I Odia Language (250 Marks)
• Paper – II English (250 Marks)
• Paper – III English Essay (250 Marks)
• Paper – IV General Studies-I (250 Marks)
• Paper – V General Studies-II (250 Marks)
• Paper – VI General Studies-III (250 Marks)
• Paper – VII General Studies-IV (250 Marks)
• Paper – VIII Optional Paper-I (250 Marks)
• Paper – IX Optional Paper-II (250 Marks)
What are the full marks of OAS prelims?
The preliminary examination is the first stage of the OPSC OCS exam. This test consists of two papers. They include General Studies (GS) and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). This qualifying stage is in an MCQ format. The OAS exam syllabus states that the prelims paper has a 2-hour duration.
Each paper has a maximum mark of 200. The marks you get in this exam are important for eligibility. They are qualifying in nature but do not impact the final ranking.
One point to note here is that this particular Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is purely qualifying. You only need to get 33% in this prelims section.
What is the eligibility for OAS?
Aspiring candidates must know the OPSC OAS minimum educational qualification requirements to attend the exam. To become eligible, you must hold a Bachelor’s degree from any university or educational institution. The candidates must also know how to speak, write, and read the Odia language. They must have passed their 10th or 12th with the Odia language as one of the subjects.
You can get more details about your eligibility from the OAS syllabus PDF that you can download from the official OPSC website. Interested candidates can also approach Apti Plus to get more details about the OPSC OAS syllabus for their preparation.
Is the OAS exam difficult?
The OAS exam is not as difficult as it seems. However, you need proper coaching to understand the OPSC OCS syllabus in detail. You can approach Apti Plus, which is a premier institution in Odisha. The faculty members here know the details of the OAS exam syllabus.
You can seek admission at Apti Plus to prepare for your exam this year. The faculties will teach you subjects according to the OAS syllabus 2024 so that you can pass the exam on the first attempt.