WBCS Officer- the Dream Career

Many dream, but only a few can become a WBCS Officer. The esteem associated with this career is evident from the number of students appearing in the examination and the coverage that the winners get, especially by the local media. Being a WBCS Officer offers an array of opportunities to be a part of the administrative system of the country. However while attributing prestige to the job, it must be kept in mind that ascending the ladder that leads to the post of WBCS Officer is not a chance meeting with the ladder but the ladder is in reality the right path by which one can finally meet one’s success.

Every year the WBCS form fill up is done between November and December while the Preliminary Examination is held in the month of January. The syllabus, marks distribution and total time allotted in the Preliminary Examination are given as under:

Subject

Syllabus

Marks

Total Time Allotted

English Composition

Synonyms, antonyms, idioms and phrases, vocabulary test, phrasal verbs, homophones, homonyms, tense, noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, conjunction, preposition and so on.

2 hours 30 minutes

General Science

General appreciation and understanding of the subject including matters of everyday observation.

Current Events of National and International Importance

Current Events of National and International Importance with special reference to West Bengal

History of India

General understanding of the subject in its social, economic and political aspects

Geography of India with special reference to West Bengal

Social and economic geography of the country including the main features of Indian agriculture and natural resources with special reference to West Bengal.

Indian Polity and Economy

Indian Polity and Economy will test the knowledge of the country’s Political System, Panchayati Raj, Community Development and Planning in India

Indian National Movement

Indian National Movement will relate to the nature and character of nineteenth century resurgence, growth of nationalism and its importance

General Mental Ability

Logical perception

Total

200

The result of WBCS Preliminary Examination is usually declared in the month of June and the WBCS Main Examination is conducted in the month of July. Since the Main Examination gets over within a month of declaration of the Preliminary Examination, one should prepare oneself for the Preliminary and the Mains simultaneously. The West Bengal Civil Services Main Exam consists of 6 Compulsory papers and 1 optional Subject of 2 papers (Only for Group A & B applied candidates). The syllabus, marks distribution and total time allotted in the WBCS Main Examination are given as under:

Sl.No.	Type of Exam	Paper No.	Name of the Subject	Total Marks	Duration of the test
1.	Written Test	I	Bengali/ Hindi/ Urdu/ Nepali/ Santali	200	3 hours
		II	English	200	3 hours
		III	General Studies – I	200	3 hours
		IV	General Studies – II	200	3 hours
		V	Indian Constitution & Indian Economy	200	3 hours
		VI	Arithmetic & Test of Reasoning	200	3 hours
		VII	Optional Subject (Paper – I)	200	3 hours
		VIII	Optional Subject (Paper – II)	200	3 hours
Total				1600 Marks
2	Personality Test			200 Marks
Total				1800 Marks

The result of WBCS Mains is declared between September- October. Shortly thereafter, the interview round is conducted and the final list of selected candidates is put up very soon after that.

The Interview Round is the door which opens a coliseum of opportunities to apply your constructive thoughts, presence of mind and knowledge of current affairs in the national and international front. Apart from these, the interviewers look for honesty, integrity, patience and commitment in the aspirant. Good ideas are always respected by them. It is thus important that at least from the time when one starts preparing for the WBCS Preliminary Examination and Main Examination, one should remember that the same knowledge may judiciously be applied in the Interview Round as well.

For instance, if the interviewer asks you what would you do to abolish child labour. You may say that as per the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 2016 child labour is a punishable offence and in order avoid such offence you would first of all take steps to abolish poverty and illiteracy which are the root causes of child labour.

In the Interview Round there is nothing completely right or completely wrong. It is a test of the candidate’s perception and wit. After one successfully comes across the Interview Round, there are umpteen opportunities for personal development and knowledge expansion in the career of a WBCS Officer. It is a position of great responsibility and the fulfillment of such responsibility will bring further success and prosperity to one and all.