PCS Prelims on Dec 7: 85,192 candidates to appear
Babushahi Bureau
Patiala (Punjab), December 6, 2025: The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has finalized all arrangements for the Punjab State Civil Services (PCS) Joint Competitive Preliminary Examination scheduled for December 7. PPSC Chairman Major General Vinayak Saini (Retd.) informed that a total of 85,192 candidates have applied for the exam.
The Chairman said the Commission is committed to conducting the examination in a fair, transparent, and secure manner.
A total of 165 examination centres have been set up across six districts of Punjab, including Chandigarh, Patiala, SAS Nagar (Mohali), Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Sangrur. These centres have been divided into 222 blocks for smooth management.
To ensure effective monitoring, the Punjab Government has appointed Secretary-level officers as in-charge supervisors for each district, while additional observers have also been deployed.
PPSC Secretary Charanjit Singh said the exam will be held in two sessions —
- General Studies (Paper I): 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
- Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) (Paper II): 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
He clarified that the CSAT paper will be qualifying in nature, and candidates must score at least 40% marks to qualify.
Charanjit Singh further stated that all centres have been equipped with CCTV cameras, videography, biometric verification, and signal jammers, ensuring a robust security setup. He added that candidates' admit cards and instructions were uploaded on the PPSC website around ten days prior to the examination.