Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
The Haryana Government has notified the Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch) Amendment Rules, 2025, bringing significant changes to the pattern and evaluation process of the HCS (Executive Branch) examination. The notification in this regard has been issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi. In the Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch) Rules, 2008, in rule 11, in sub-rule (1), items II and III have been substituted through this amendment.
As per the amended rules, the Main Written Examination will now comprise six papers carrying a total of 600 marks. These include English (including English Essay), Hindi (including Hindi Essay in Devanagari script), and four papers of General Studies (I to IV), each carrying 100 marks. All question papers will be of conventional (essay) type and of three hours’ duration each. Candidates will have the option to answer the papers, except language or literature papers, in either English or Hindi.
The Personality Test/Viva-voce will carry 75 marks, taking the total marks for final merit determination to 675 marks. The number of candidates admitted to the Main Written Examination will be twelve times the number of advertised vacancies, while candidates called for the Personality Test will be three times the number of vacancies, including bracketed candidates, if any. Ex-Servicemen and dependents of Ex-Servicemen will also be required to appear in all papers.
To qualify for the Personality Test, a candidate must secure a minimum of 45 percent marks in aggregate of all written papers and at least 33 percent marks each in English and Hindi. However, in cases where a sufficient number of persons with benchmark disabilities are not available, the Haryana Public Service Commission may lower the aggregate qualifying marks up to 35 percent. Final selection will be made on the basis of the combined marks obtained in the Main Written Examination and the Personality Test, along with the service preferences exercised by candidates.
The syllabus for the Main Written Examination, which will be of graduate level, will be notified by the Government. Any future changes or revisions in the syllabus for the Preliminary or Main Examination will be made in consultation with the Commission and notified through the Official Gazette. The cost of the application form and examination fee will be decided by the Commission in consultation with the Government. Failure to deposit the prescribed fee by the last date will render a candidate ineligible to appear in the examination.
The amendment also provides that if two or more candidates secure equal total marks in the Main Written Examination and Personality Test, the candidate with higher marks in the Main Written Examination will be placed higher in merit. If marks are still equal, the older candidate will be ranked higher.