Bihar APO Selection Process 2026: Prelims, Mains and Interview

The Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has announced the recruitment process for 300 Assistant Prosecution Officer (APO) posts under the Prosecution Directorate of the Home Department, Bihar. Candidates appearing for this recruitment should understand how the selection stages work before starting their preparation. 

The Bihar APO Selection Process 2026 includes Prelims, Mains, and Interview, with each stage playing a different role in the overall selection.

Bihar APO Selection Process 2026

The selection process for Bihar APO 2026 will be conducted in the following stages:

1. Preliminary Examination

2. Main Examination

3. Interview

Candidates who qualify for the Preliminary Examination will be shortlisted for the Main Examination. Those who meet the required criteria in the Main Examination will then be called for the Interview.

Stage 1: Bihar APO Preliminary Examination

The Preliminary Examination consists of two objective-type papers:

Both papers will contain multiple-choice questions with one correct answer. The question papers will be available in Hindi and English.

The General Studies paper covers areas such as General Knowledge, Current Affairs, General Science, Indian History and Culture, Indian Polity, and Geography.

The Law paper includes questions based on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, and basic knowledge of the Indian Constitution.

Bihar APO Prelims Qualifying Marks

Candidates must secure the minimum qualifying percentage prescribed for their category:

• General: 40%

• BC: 36.5%

• EBC: 34%

• SC/ST, Women and PwD: 32%

The Preliminary Examination is conducted only to shortlist candidates for the Main Examination. Prelims marks will not be counted in the final merit list.

BPSC will shortlist candidates approximately 10 times the total number of advertised vacancies for the Main Examination. Candidates securing the same cut-off marks in the respective category will also be considered.

Stage 2: Bihar APO Main Examination

Candidates who qualify in the Preliminary Examination will be invited to submit a separate online application for the Main Examination.

The Main Examination consists of eight descriptive papers:

Each Main Examination paper will have a duration of three hours.

Qualifying Papers in Bihar APO Mains

Hindi and English are qualifying papers. Candidates must obtain at least 30 marks in each paper.

The marks obtained in Hindi and English will not be added to the merit list. Candidates who fail to secure the minimum qualifying marks in either language paper will not be considered qualified for the written examination.

For the remaining papers, candidates must obtain the minimum qualifying marks prescribed according to their category:

• General: 40%

• BC: 36.5%

• EBC: 34%

• SC/ST, Women and PwD: 32%

Stage 3: Bihar APO Interview

Candidates who qualify in the Main Examination will be shortlisted for the Bihar APO Interview.

The Interview carries 100 marks.

Candidates must meet the prescribed minimum qualifying marks in the relevant written papers, excluding Hindi and English, to become eligible for the Interview.

BPSC will call candidates for the Interview based on their Main Examination performance. As per the notification, candidates up to 2.5 times the number of advertised vacancies will be called for the Interview.

Appearing in the Interview is mandatory for candidates who qualify for it. A candidate who does not appear for the Interview will not be included in the final merit list.

Bihar APO Final Selection

The final selection is based on the candidate's performance in the Main Examination and Interview.

The Preliminary Examination marks are not included in the final merit calculation.

The selection process can be understood as:

Prelims → Mains → Interview → Final Merit List

The final merit list will be prepared by combining the marks obtained in the Main Examination and Interview.

If two or more candidates secure equal total marks, the candidate with higher marks in the Main Examination will be placed higher in the merit order. If the Main Examination marks are also equal, the prescribed alphabetical order based on the candidate's name in Devanagari script will be used.

The Bihar APO Selection Process 2026 is conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Since Prelims is only a screening stage, candidates should focus strongly on the Mains Examination, as its marks are considered for the final merit list along with the Interview. Candidates should understand the exam pattern, qualifying requirements, and shortlisting criteria at each stage to prepare effectively and improve their chances of final selection.

Related Resources: 

• Bihar APO Vacancy 

• Bihar APO Application Form 2026

• Bihar APO Eligibility

• Bihar APO Exam Date 2026

• Judiciary Online Batches

• Judiciary Test Series