OPSC OCS 2026 Notification Out: Revised Vacancy Increased to 465 Posts, Check Eligibility, Salary & Selection Process

The OPSC OCS 2026 Notification has been updated after the Odisha Public Service Commission released the first addendum to Advertisement No. 05 of 2025-26. As per the revised notification, 151 additional vacancies have been added, taking the total number of posts to 465 across various Group A and Group B services.

Candidates planning to appear for the Odisha Civil Services Examination should check the revised vacancy details along with the eligibility criteria, age limit, salary, exam pattern, selection process, application process, important documents, and other key updates before applying.

OPSC OCS 2026 Highlights

The OPSC OCS 2026 examination is being conducted to recruit eligible candidates for various Group A and Group B services in Odisha. The table below provides an overview of the revised vacancies, conducting body, notification details, and other important information mentioned in the official notification. 

OPSC OCS 2026 Revised Vacancy Details 

The Government has revised the vacancy position for the Odisha Civil Services Examination. A total of 151 additional posts have been added through the addendum notification.

After the revision, the total vacancy count has increased from 314 to 465.

OPSC OCS 2026 Vacancy Reservation 

The addendum states that the revised vacancy position is 465 posts. The detailed service-wise vacancy distribution along with reservation for different categories and sub-categories has been provided in Appendix-A of the notification.

The vacancy statement includes reservation details for:

• Unreserved Category

• SEBC Category

• Scheduled Caste (SC)

• Scheduled Tribe (ST)

• Women Candidates

• Persons with Disabilities

• Ex-Servicemen

The notification further mentions that reservation for Persons with Disabilities has been provided according to the provisions of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department Resolution and subsequent amendments.

OPSC OCS 2026 Services Included 

The revised notification covers the following services:

Group A

• Odisha Administrative Service (Junior Branch)

• Odisha Police Service (Junior Branch)

Group B

• Odisha Revenue Service

• Odisha Taxation & Accounts Service

• Odisha Co-operative Service

• Odisha Skill Development & Employment Service

• Odisha Labour Service

• Odisha Excise Service

• Odisha Tourism Service

• Odisha Welfare Service

• Odisha Transport Service

OPSC OCS 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Check: OPSC OCS Detailed Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

A candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree. The degree must be from a university set up by an Act of the Central or State Legislature. It can also be from an institution deemed a university under the UGC Act, 1956. A foreign university degree is accepted if approved by the Central Government.

Age Limit

A candidate must be at least 21 years old. A candidate must not be above 42 years of age as on 1 January 2025. This means the candidate must be born between 2 January 1983 and 1 January 2004.

Age Relaxation

Odia Language Requirement

A candidate must be able to read, write, and speak Odia. A candidate must meet one of these conditions. The candidate must have passed the Middle School Examination with Odia as a language subject. Or the candidate must have passed the High School Certificate exam with Odia as the medium in a non-language subject. Or the candidate must have passed Odia as a language subject in Class VII. Or the candidate must have passed an Odia test at the Middle English School Standard.

OPSC OCS 2026 Important Dates

Candidates should keep track of all important events related to the OPSC OCS 2026 recruitment process. The Odisha Public Service Commission has released the first addendum to the notification revising the total number of vacancies. Other examination dates will be announced separately on the official website.

OPSC OCS 2026 Application Fee

Candidates are required to pay the examination fee online while submitting the OPSC OCS 2026 application form. As per the Odisha Payment of Recruitment Examination Fees and Refund Rules, 2025, candidates belonging to categories other than SC, ST, and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) are required to pay the prescribed fee. The category-wise application fee is given below.

The examination fee must be paid only through the online application portal. Candidates can make the payment using a credit card, Debit Card, UPI, Net Banking, Wallet, or other online payment methods available during the application process.

The examination fee paid by General and SEBC candidates is refundable only if the candidate actually appears in both papers of the Preliminary Examination. The refund is processed after the completion of the Preliminary Examination and is credited back to the original mode of payment used while submitting the application form.

Applications submitted without payment of the prescribed examination fee, wherever applicable, will be treated as incomplete and rejected. However, candidates belonging to the SC, ST, and PwD categories are exempted from paying the examination fee.

How to Apply for OPSC OCS 2026

1. Visit the official OPSC website at opsc.gov.in.

2. Go through the detailed advertisement before filling out the form.

3. Register using the online application system.

4. Fill in personal and educational details carefully.

5. Upload a photograph, signature, and left-hand thumb impression.

6. Pay the examination fee online.

7. Submit the application by the deadline.

Candidates should apply well before the closing date. This helps avoid a last-minute rush. Applications received through any mode other than online will not be accepted.

OPSC OCS 2026 Selection Process

The OPSC OCS selection process consists of the following stages:

1. Preliminary Examination

• Objective-type examination.

• Used for shortlisting candidates for the Main Examination.

• Marks are not included in the final merit list.

2. Main Examination

• Conventional (descriptive) written examination.

• Includes qualifying and merit-based papers.

• Determines eligibility for the Personality Test.

3. Personality Test (Interview)

• Conducted for candidates who qualify for the Main Examination.

• Assesses personality, communication skills, decision-making ability, and suitability for civil services.

• Carries 250 marks.

OPSC OCS 2026 Exam Pattern 

The OPSC OCS 2026 Exam Pattern consists of three stages: the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test. Candidates should understand the marking scheme, paper pattern, and qualifying criteria to prepare effectively for each stage. 

OPSC OCS 2026 Preliminary Exam Pattern

The Preliminary Examination has two compulsory papers. Both papers are objective type with multiple-choice questions. Each paper carries 200 marks. Each paper has a duration of two hours.

There is negative marking for wrong answers. One-third of the marks assigned to a question gets deducted for a wrong answer. Paper-II is qualifying in nature. A candidate needs 33% marks in Paper-II to qualify. Marks scored in the Preliminary Exam are not counted in the final merit list.

OPSC OCS 2026 Main Exam Pattern

The Main Examination has nine papers of the conventional essay type. Two papers are qualifying papers. These are the Odia Language and the English Language. Seven papers count toward merit ranking.

After the Main Exam, candidates get called for an interview. The number called is about twice the number of vacancies. The interview carries 250 marks. There is no minimum qualifying mark for the interview.

OPSC OCS 2026 Syllabus 

The OPSC OCS 2026 syllabus is divided into three stages: the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test. Candidates should understand the syllabus and exam pattern before starting their preparation. The stage-wise syllabus overview is provided below.

OPSC OCS 2026 Preliminary Syllabus

The Preliminary Examination consists of two objective-type papers of 200 marks each. Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying in nature, and candidates must secure at least 33% marks to qualify.

Candidates must appear in both Preliminary papers. Failure to appear in either paper will lead to disqualification.

OPSC OCS 2026 Main Syllabus

The Main Examination is descriptive in nature and consists of qualifying papers, merit papers, and optional subject papers.

Qualifying Papers

• Odia Language

• English Language

Marks obtained in these papers are not counted for preparing the final merit list.

Merit Papers

• Essay

• General Studies I

• General Studies II

• General Studies III

• General Studies IV

• Optional Subject Paper I

• Optional Subject Paper II

OPSC OCS 2026 Optional Subjects

Candidates can choose one optional subject for the Main Examination. Some of the available optional subjects are:

• Agriculture

• Anthropology

• Botany

• Chemistry

• Civil Engineering

• Commerce & Accountancy

• Economics

• Education

• Geography

• Geology

• History

• Law

• Management

• Mathematics

• Medical Science

• Philosophy

• Physics

• Political Science & International Relations

• Psychology

• Public Administration

• Sociology

• Statistics

• Zoology

• Literature (English, Hindi, Odia, Persian, Sanskrit, and Urdu)

OPSC OCS 2026 Personality Test

Candidates who qualify for the Main Examination are called for the Personality Test (Interview). The interview assesses communication skills, mental alertness, leadership qualities, decision-making ability, intellectual qualities, and overall suitability for a career in the Odisha Civil Services.

OPSC OCS 2026 Salary

Candidates appointed through the Odisha Civil Services Examination will receive salaries as per the Odisha Revised Scales of Pay (ORSP) Rules, 2017. The pay varies depending on the service and the group of the post. Group A services offer a pay scale of ₹56,100, while most Group B services carry a pay scale of ₹44,900 at the entry level. 

OPSC OCS 2026 Exam Centres 

The Preliminary and Main examinations are conducted at the following examination centres:

• Balasore

• Berhampur

• Bhubaneswar

• Cuttack

• Jeypore

• Sambalpur

Note: Candidates can select their preferred examination zones while filling out the application form. Requests for changing the allotted examination centre after submission of the application are generally not considered.

OPSC OCS 2026 Number of Attempts

A general category candidate gets 6 attempts. A candidate from Socially and Educationally Backward Classes gets 9 attempts. SC and ST candidates have no limit on the number of attempts.

Documents Required for OPSC OCS 2026

Candidates shortlisted for Document Verification must produce the following documents:  

• High School Certificate (proof of date of birth)

• Higher Secondary (+2/Intermediate) Certificate

• Bachelor's Degree Certificate

• Mark sheets of all qualifying examinations

• Valid category certificate (SC/ST/SEBC), if applicable

• EWS certificate, if applicable

• Odia language qualification certificate, wherever applicable

• PwD certificate issued by the competent authority, if applicable

• Ex-Serviceman certificate and required affidavit, if applicable

• Sports certificate issued by the competent authority, if applicable

• Any other document specified by OPSC during the recruitment process

OPSC OCS 2026 Grounds for Application Rejection 

An application may be rejected if:

• The application form is incomplete.

• Incorrect or false information is provided.

• Required documents are not uploaded.

• The candidate does not meet the prescribed eligibility criteria.

• The application fee is not paid (where applicable).

• The age limit requirements are not fulfilled.

• Educational qualification requirements are not met.

• Odia language qualification is not satisfied.

• The declaration is not signed or submitted properly.

• Multiple applications contain conflicting information.

• Any document submitted is found to be invalid or fabricated.

Related Resources

• OPSC OCS Salary 

• OPSC OCS Cut Off