Top 10 Government Exams in India

Government jobs have always been in demand due to the numerous benefits they offer. There are many government jobs available in India in various sectors, and to get them, one must crack the respective exam of that sector. In this article, we will know about the top 10 government exams in India, their syllabus, and the different posts they offer.

1. UPSC Civil Services Examination

The civil services exam is conducted to recruit officers for various posts such as IAS, IPS, IFS, etc. Talking about the syllabus of this exam, UPSC has a vast syllabus, and the paper pattern tests aptitude, problem-solving skills, reasoning, reading, and writing skills. This exam is conducted in three stages, namely Preliminary exam, mains exam, and interview process. The preliminary exam consists of MCQs and also has a negative marking of 0.33 mark. This exam is for 2 hours for 400 marks. It is conducted in June every year, and the result is announced in August. All the students who qualify in this exam are eligible for stage II, which is the Mains exam.

Mains examination is a descriptive type of exam that has a total of 9 papers for 1750 marks. It is held in October every year, and the results are announced in January. Those who pass this exam are eligible for the interview process. Only 1-2% of the total candidates reach the interview process. After the selection of a candidate, he is given training and is posted accordingly.

2. IBPS PO Exam

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Probationary Officers exam is conducted every year for the post of Probationary officer in various private and public sector banks. This exam is held in September / October every year. This exam is for 3 hours for a total of 100 marks. This exam has a negative marking of 0.25 marks as a penalty. The Prelims exam has three sections, namely: Quantitative aptitude, reasoning ability, and English language. All the candidates who qualify for the preliminary exam are eligible for the Mains exam.

The Mains exam consists of two papers, i.e., an objective test and a descriptive test, both conducted in online mode by the IBPS. There are two cut-offs that the candidate will have to meet in order to get selected. To get selected for the post of PO, the candidate has to qualify at every stage.

3. SBI PO Exam

This exam consists of three stages Prelims, Mains & Interview. To get selected as a Probationary Officer in SBI, the candidate has to qualify for all the stages. A preliminary exam is conducted in the first stage, which consists of 100 marks and has a negative marking of 0.25 per question for every wrong answer attempted. After the preliminary exam, a category-wise merit list is released on the basis of the aggregate marks scored in the exam. On the basis of the list, the shortlisted candidates are eligible for the Mains exam.

The Mains exam comprises objective and descriptive tests. The maximum mark a candidate can score in this exam is 200. For every wrong question attempted by a candidate, 0.25 marks will be deducted as a penalty, but no deduction will be done if the question is left unattempted. The third stage is the interview process. All the candidates who qualify for the Mains exam will be called for an interview process in which the candidate will be asked about their past experience and the questions related to general knowledge. After the interview, a merit list will be released in which the score of the preliminary exam, mains exam, and the interview process is taken into account. The candidates who clear the cut-off will be appointed as Probationary Officers in SBI.

4. SSC Combined Graduate Level Examination

Often referred to as the SSC exam, this exam comprises of 4 levels Tier - I (Preliminary), Tier II (Mains Exam), Tier III (Descriptive Paper), Tier IV (Data entry skill test / Computer Proficiency Test). This exam is conducted for various recruitments and depending on the position the candidate has applied for, he needs to clear the exams based on that.

The preliminary exam consists of multiple-choice questions for a total of 200 marks. It is a computer-based test, and it is not just a qualifying exam, but the result of this exam is considered to be counted along with the next two exams.

Clearing the Tier -I exam will open up opportunities for the candidates to appear for the Tie-II and Tier -III exams. The Tier-II exam consists of 4 papers of 200 marks each. Tier -III exam is an offline exam in which the candidate has to do writing in the form of essay writing, application writing letter writing. This exam is conducted in different languages, and the candidate can choose any of them as per his choice. The Tier -IV exam, which is a data entry test, is conducted mainly for the position of Tax assistant.

5. RBI Grade B Examination

This exam is conducted by the Reserve Bank of India for the recruitment of Grade B officers. For all the candidates who want to work in the finance sector, this exam is one of the best for them. This exam is conducted in two stages, followed by a personal interview. It is one of the toughest exams in the banking sector.

The Phase-I exam includes sections of General awareness, quantitative aptitude, English language, and reasoning for a total of 200 marks. The Phase -II exam, which is the Mains exam, comprises three papers. Paper -I and Paper -III both have a combination of descriptive and objective tests. Paper-II is a completely descriptive test for 100 marks.

Candidates will be shortlisted based on the marks scored by them in the phase-II exam. All the shortlisted candidates will be eligible for an interview. The interview comprises 75 marks and can be opted in Hindi or English.

6. RRB JE SSE Examination

This exam is conducted by the Railway Recruiting Board to recruit candidates with science and engineering backgrounds for the various posts available in the Indian railways. This exam is conducted in two stages. To qualify for the recruitment process, the candidate has to clear both stages.

The Stage -I includes sections of general awareness, general intelligence & reasoning, and general science for 100 marks.

Stage -II includes sections of physics, chemistry, general awareness, basics of computer and applications, technical knowledge, and Environment & pollution control for 150 marks.

7. IBPS SO Exam

This exam is conducted by the Institute of Banking and Personnel Selection (IBPS) to recruit candidates for the post of Specialist officers (SO). IBPS conducts this exam every year for the post of personnel officer or HR, IT Officer, Agricultural field officer, Law officer, Marketing Officer, Rajbhasha Adhikari, and so on. This exam is conducted in three stages.

Preliminary Exam- This exam is conducted in online mode. The candidates who clear the preliminary exam are eligible for the Mains exam in the next stage.

Mains Examination- This is the second stage of the exam. All the candidates who qualify for this exam are called for a personal interview.

Interview Round- This is the final round, so the candidates who clear the interview process are allotted based on the preference opted by the candidate at the time of registration.

8. IBPS Clerk

Institute of Banking Personnel Selection Board conducts the common written examination for recruiting bank clerks for public sector banks and various financial institutes across the country. To qualify for this exam, the candidate has to clear the preliminary exam followed by the Mains exam. No interview process is required for the selection; 100% weightage is given to the Mains exam. It is an MCQ-based exam, and the questions in the objective tests will be bilingual except for the test of general English.

Preliminary exam- This exam comprises three subjects; English language, quantitative aptitude, and reasoning ability, for a total of 100 marks. The duration of this exam is 1 hour.

Mains Examination- In addition to the three subjects of the preliminary exam, it includes a section on general awareness. This exam is for 200 marks, and the duration of the exam is 2 hours and 40 minutes.

In both, the exams' 0.25 marks are deducted as a penalty for each wrong answer attempted by the candidate.

9. SSC CHSL

The Staff Selection Commission is one of the most desirable organizations for the Government exams in India. This exam is conducted by SSC for the recruitment of Lower Division Clerk, Junior Secretariat, Postal Assistant, Sorting assistant, and Data entry operator. To get recommended by the board, the candidate has to clear the Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III exam.

The Tier-I exam includes four subjects General awareness, General intelligence, quantitative aptitude, and English language. This exam is for 200 marks.

The Tier-II exam consists of essay writing, letter, and application writing. Thirty-three marks are required for qualifying for this exam.

The Tier-III exam is a typing test in two languages, Hindi and English. In order to clear this exam, the candidate has to type 30-35 words per minute. The duration of this test is 15 minutes. For the visually handicapped candidates, the duration is 30 minutes.

10. RRB ALP

Railway Recruiting Board conducts RRB ALP and Technician exam to recruit assistant loco pilots and technicians for different zones across the country. This exam is conducted in three stages.

Stage 1- A computer-based test is conducted, which contains 75 objective-type questions. The duration of this exam is 60 minutes, and the exam has a negative marking of 1/3 mark for every wrong answer attempted.

Stage 2- All the candidates who secure the cut-off marks in the first stage are eligible for the second stage. This stage has two parts, Part A and part B. Part A comprises 100 questions, and the total time given is 90 minutes. Part B includes 75 questions, and the duration of the exam is 60 minutes. It also has a negative marking of 1/3 for every wrong answer.

Stage 3- This stage is only for those candidates who applied for the post of assistant loco pilot. There are 5 test batteries in which the candidate has to secure certain marks in each one to qualify at this stage.