What APSC CCE is
The Combined Competitive Examination, conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission, recruits into Assam’s own administrative and allied services across Group A and Group B posts within the state government. It uses one combined process and merit list to allocate multiple services, with your rank and preference order deciding your allotment.
Every state runs its own version of this exam under its own Public Service Commission. APSC CCE is Assam’s, and a candidate applying for a different state’s civil services should look up that state’s own commission rather than treating this pattern as identical everywhere, though the general shape (Preliminary, Main, Interview) is common across most state PCS exams.
Who can apply
A bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university is the academic requirement. The general age band is 21 to 38 years, reckoned as on 1 January of the examination year, with standard relaxations for reserved categories as per Assam government rules.
How the exam runs
The Preliminary Examination is a screening stage of two objective papers worth 200 marks each, two hours each, with negative marking of 0.25 marks per wrong answer as specified in the notification. It is not counted towards the final merit and only decides who advances to the Main Examination.
The Main Examination is a descriptive written exam covering General Studies papers, a language paper (Assamese, Bengali or English, as permitted), and one optional subject paper the candidate chooses. This differs from UPSC CSE’s Main Examination in language emphasis and specific paper structure, so preparation for one is not a direct substitute for the other even though both share a similar overall shape.
Candidates who clear the Main Examination sit a Personality Test (Interview) conducted by APSC. The final rank combines Main Examination marks and Interview marks.
Preparing the application
APSC specifies exact photograph and signature requirements in each notification rather than a fixed year to year standard, so check the current notification’s dimensions and file size before uploading. The tools on this site can resize your photograph to whatever specific target the notification states.
On exam day
Arrive at least an hour before the reporting time on your admit card, with the printed admit card, a government photo identification matching the name and photo on the admit card, one recent passport size photograph, and a black ballpoint pen for the OMR sheet. No electronic devices are permitted, and only material issued by the centre may be used during the exam.
The official APSC website, linked above, carries the current notification, exact age requirements, syllabus and schedule for the cycle you are applying to.