What MPSC Rajyaseva is
The State Service Examination, conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission and commonly called Rajyaseva, recruits into Maharashtra’s own administrative and allied services, including Deputy Collector, Deputy Superintendent of Police and Assistant Commissioner of State Excise, and other 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. MPSC Rajyaseva is Maharashtra’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. MPSC significantly revised the Mains pattern starting the 2026 cycle, expanding both the number of papers and total marks and changing the negative marking rate, so a candidate preparing from older material should confirm the current pattern against the live notification rather than a previous cycle’s structure.
Who can apply
A bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university is the academic requirement. The general age band is 19 to 38 years, with a wider upper limit for SC and ST candidates, around 43 years, and standard relaxations for other reserved categories as per Maharashtra government rules. Knowledge of Marathi is mandatory, and Maharashtra domicile is required for most posts, as the notification specifies.
How the exam runs
The Preliminary Examination is an objective test of two papers worth 400 marks: General Studies, which produces the ranking for advancing to the Main Examination, and a CSAT paper that is qualifying only, with negative marking for wrong answers.
The Main Examination is a descriptive and objective written exam covering multiple General Studies papers and Marathi and English language papers. 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 an Interview conducted by MPSC. The final rank combines Main Examination marks and Interview marks.
Preparing the application
MPSC 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 MPSC website, linked above, carries the current notification, exact age requirements, syllabus and schedule for the cycle you are applying to.