HPSC HCS EXAM SYLLABUS
The HCS exam has 3 stages for final selection, namely, Preliminary exam, Mains Exam, and Personal Interview. Candidates qualifying in the Preliminary exam will appear for the Mains exam. Thereafter, candidates are called for an interview round and the final selection is done.
- Stage I – Preliminary test is only qualifying in nature and consists of two papers.
- Stage II – Mains exam has five papers to be attempted.
- Papers are objective as well as subjective in nature.
- For every incorrect answer, the aspirants will have marks deducted.
Prelims Pattern
HPSC HCS Prelims Exam Pattern 2022
- There will be two papers, each with 100 marks.
- Questions will be objective MCQ-based.
- Each paper will have to be completed within 2 hours.
- For every wrong answer, ¼th of marks, i.e. 0.25 will be deducted.
- Question papers will be asked in two languages, that is in Hindi and English.
| Paper | Subjects | Total no. Of Questions | Total Marks | Exam Duration |
| I | General Studies | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
| II | CSAT | 100 | 100 | 2 hours |
As mentioned earlier, some changes have been approved in the exam pattern of HPSC HCS.
- Paper 2 – CSAT, the aptitude paper which was introduced in 2016, is now qualifying in nature.
- At least 33% of marks must be obtained in CSAT.
- Provisional selection for Mains will be based on Paper I only, provided 33% is scored in Paper 2.
- Previously, the selection was based on the score procured in both papers.
Mains Pattern
HPSC HCS Mains Exam Pattern 2022
- A total of 5 papers have to be attempted by the candidates in the HCS Mains examination.
- The First 3 papers are compulsory in nature and Papers 4 & 5 are optional; candidates can choose the subjects for these two papers.
- Papers will have questions of conventional nature.
- Each paper will be for 3 hours.
- The Interview round worth 75 marks is also a part of this test.
- Final selection is made on the basis of marks scored out of 675.
| Papers | Subjects | Total Marks | Duration |
| I | English | 100 | 3 hours for each paper |
| II | Hindi (in Devanagari script) | 100 | |
| III | General Studies | 100 | |
| IV | Optional Paper | 150 | |
| V | Optional Paper | 150 | |
| Total marks in Mains exam | 600 | ||
| Personality Test | 75 | ||
| Total marks in Mains + Personality Test | 675 | ||
HPSC HCS Syllabus for Prelims
There are only two papers in the HPSC HCS Prelims exam and the syllabus for both subjects are given below.
Paper 1– General Studies
- General Science: Including knowledge of concepts of Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
- Current Affairs: Recent happenings in India and the World.
- History of India & Indian National Movement
- Indian and World Geography
- Indian Polity and Economy: Constitution of India and Economic development in the country, basic concepts of Economics.
- General Mental Ability: testing reasoning and analytical abilities.
- Haryana- Social, economic and cultural institutions, Economy and people; and language of Haryana.
Paper 2– Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT)
- Reading comprehension
- Decision-making and problem solving
- Interpersonal skills, including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (Class 10 level)
- Data interpretation (Class 10 level)
HPSC HCS Syllabus for Mains
The HPSC HCS syllabus for Mains 2022 exam is given below on the basis of subjects.
Paper 1: English
- Precise writing
- Comprehension skills
- Essay
- Word usage and vocabulary
- General Grammar knowledge
- Composition or Essay
Paper 2: Hindi
- Translation of English passage to Hindi
- Letter or precise writing
- Explanation of Hindi passage (with reference to poetry or prose)
- Composition (idioms, proverbs, etc.)
- Essay (choice of topics will be given)
Paper 3: General Studies
This paper is divided into two parts, and the two parts contain different topics as they are listed below.
Part 1
- History of Modern India & Indian culture
- Geography of India
- Indian Polity
- Current national issues and topics of social relevance
Part 2
- India and the World
- Indian Economy
- Developments in the fields of science and technology, communication and space
- Statistical analysis, graphs and diagrams
Paper 4 and 5 (Optional Subjects)
A list of 23 subjects is given by HPSC to the applicants to choose their optional papers:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- English Literature
- Geography
- Hindi Literature
- Indian History
- Law
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics
- Political Science and International Relations
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Punjabi Literature
- Sociology
- Sanskrit Literature
- Zoology
However, the following combination of subjects are not allowed to be chosen together
- Political science and International relations with Public Administration.
- Agriculture with Animal husbandry and veterinary service.
- Hindi literature, English literature, Sanskrit literature and Punjabi literature.
- Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering.
The choice of optional subjects and the planning of preparation tips must be done after checking the detailed exam pattern, syllabus, and the previous year question papers. The aspirants must be well aware of their strengths and weakness and plan their preparation based on them.
