Every State Public Service Commission carries
out a competitive examination usually every year for recruitment to the
State Civil Services. The categories of services to which candidates
are selected through the SCS examination are as under:
(a) State Civil Services, Class-I (SCS)
(b) State Police Service, Class-I (SPS).
(c) Block Development Officer.
(d) Tehsildar/Talukadar/Asstt. Collector.
(e) Excise and Taxation Officer.
(f) Distt. Employment Officer.
(g) Distt. Treasury Officer.
(h) Distt Welfare Officer.
(i) Asstt Registrar Cooperative Societies.
(j) Distt. Food and Supplies Controller/Officer.
(k) Any other Class-I/Class-II service notified as per rules by the concerned State.
All
the above services offer excellent avenues in the middle level
administration. After putting in a certain number of years in the State
service, the officers of SCS and SPS may expect to be nominated to the
IAS and IPS respectively, with some antedate seniority. In the SCS, the
officers get posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrates/Deputy Collectors,
Land Acquisition Collectors, Additional District Magistrates, Municipal
Administrators, Under/Deputy Joint Secretaries, Deputy/Joint
/Additional Directors or Assistant Commissioners in the State
administration. Similarly, SPS officers are appointed as
Deputy/Additional Superintendents of Police. One major advantage these
services has is that one may expect to remain within that particular
States and gain valuable experience before getting nominated to the
IAS/IPS. This enables these officers to excel in their higher postings.
A candidate joining SCS/SPS at a favourable age may expect to reach the
level of the Secretary or DIG Police. However, the promotional avenues
vary from State to State. Moreover, these services have built-inhigher
scales like senior and selection scale before getting into the IAS/IPS.
Most of the other posts enumerated above are class-II services
and have their promotional avenues through the SCS class-I and the
officers may subsequently get nominated to the IAS before retirement.
Most
of the openings in the State Civil Services are executive in nature and
the officers in these services are directly responsible for
implementing all schemes, plans and programmes of the Government. The
mental satisfaction of being at the centre-stage of implementing the
Government policies is the hallmark of this career.
The Examination
The
examination for State civil services is conducted by the State Public
Service Commission concerned. The number of vacancies is dependent on
the requisition by the Government which varies every year. The number
of vacancies is also dependent on several other factors like
promotions, retirements and expansion of cadre in a particular year in
the concerned State.
(a) Eligibility: All graduates are
eligible to take this examination. Minimum age required is 21 years but
the upper age limit may range between 28 to 35 years, varying from
State to State. The State Governments usually allow relaxation in upper
age limit to the scheduled castes/scheduled Tribes, Ex-Servicemen,
physically handicapped and the employees of the State Government. Some
vacancies are reserved for various other categories which differ from
State to State.
The examination is conducted as an all-India
competition but during the interview it is desirable for the candidates
to know the language, culture, customs etc of the concerned State. The
number of vacancies being limited, the examination offers a tough
competition to the aspirants and only the candidates with thorough
preparations may expect to be successful.
(b) Scheme of
Examination: The pattern of this examination is similar to the civil
services examination conducted by the UPSC. Most of the bigger States
follow the practice of holding a preliminary examination to short-list
the candidates. Preliminary examination is almost on the lines of
preliminary examination for the civil services examination conducted by
the UPSC, with the exception that a few questions may be asked about
the custom, traditions, planning and problems of the State concerned.
The smaller States with relatively lesser number of vacancies and
lesser candidates may skip the preliminary examination. The Centres for
examination are determined by the concerned public service commission
considering the geographical area of the State and the number of
candidates taking the examination.
Preliminary examination is
followed by the main examination (Smaller States usually go in for main
examination straightaway). Most of the States have adopted the syllabi
and pattern of the Civil Services examination. The only difference
usually is that the language papers i.e. English and regional language
papers are full-fledged papers and marks obtained in these subjects are
also included for preparing the final merit list. Moreover, in the
General Studies paper some questions on socio-economic conditions,
planning, customs, culture etc of the particular State may also appear.
The details regarding optional subject for preliminary and main
examination are given in the instructions for the examination given
alongwith the application form.
(c) Personal Interview: Main examination is followed by
personal interview. In proportion to the number of vacancies, the
candidates are called to appear before an interview board. The
competition being very keen, the interview conducted by the State
public service commissions assumes significance. The purpose of the
interview is to judge the suitability of the candidates for the State
civil services. On the basis of the marks obtained in the main
examination as well as the interview, a final merit list is prepared
and the candidates are declared successful on the basis of their rank
and choice of service after providing for reservations.
How to Prepare
Since
the pattern, subjects and syllabi of the State civil service
examination and the civil service examination conducted by the UPSC are
almost same, it is recommended that the candidates must appear for both
these examinations simultaneously. Only minor changes in the
preparations would be required. The State public service commissions
usually try to ensure that the dates of examination do not clash with
those of the civil services examination.
There are several
academies/institutions which offer guidance and coaching facilities to
the interested candidates. While it is advisable to get some guidance,
the candidates must be very selective while choosing an academy for
this purpose. Formalised coaching suffers from one big drawbacksame
standards are fixed by the academy for all candidates and no attention
is paid to the existing level of preparedness of a particular
candidate. Hence, self-study has the advantage of proper planning for
the distribution of time among various subjects as per one's level of
preparation in each subject. For preparing, the books on optional as
well as compulsory subjects must be chosen with great caution. It is
recommended that the successful candidates of the previous years should
be contacted and details about the books for optionals are obtained
from them. The candidates must also see for themselves that the
prescribed syllabus is also covered by the books they wish to consult.
Even while choosing optionals one should be careful and the subjects
already read should be preferred. If a new subject is required to be
chosen as optional, subjects like Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology,
History, and Public Administration are the ones which can easily be
prepared without any previous background. Of course the final selection
would depend on one's aptitude for a particular subject.
Special
attention needs to be paid to the compulsories, particularly General
Studies and English. For General Studies special preparations are
required particularly for making preparations for the "State-specific"
questions as no readymade material is normally available. Special
efforts are required to procure and compile this part of General
Studies. For rest of the contents, a standard General Knowledge
Refresher, supplemented by the year book published by the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting, regular study of "The Competition Master"
(including previous issues for at least one-year), a good national as
well as regional newspaper, Economic Survey, Plan Document, Economic
Review/Survey of the State concerned etc are some of the essential
aids. In addition, a good introductory book on Modern History and a
good introductory book on Indian Constitution may also prove to be
useful.
Once all the above material and standard books are
arranged, the candidates must start preparing thoroughly. In-depth
studies would not only help in the written examination, but will also
add to the self-confidence of the candidate during the personal
interview. Since there is no substitute to hard work and studies, a
well-prepared candidate may find his/her name in the final merit list.
Additional Information
Further
information about the subjects, syllabus, centres of examination etc
are given in the advertisement and in the "instructions" for the
candidates. In some States the examination is not conducted every year.
In such States the candidates may have to remain prepared for longer
durations and to grab the opportunity when it comes their way.