The Maharashtra Public Service Commission has postponed the Maharashtra Group C Services Combined Preliminary Examination and increased the recruitment drive to 16,717 posts, giving eligible candidates additional time to apply and submit cadre preferences. The examination, earlier scheduled for January 3, will now be held on January 24.
The commission has opened a fresh application and preference window from November 13 to November 27 following the addition of 11,010 posts to the 5,707 posts announced earlier. Candidates who had already applied and meet the educational requirements for more than one cadre can submit preferences for the newly added cadres without filing a fresh application.
The recruitment process was originally announced on June 25 for 2,619 posts. A further 3,088 posts were added through an erratum published on July 22, taking the total to 5,707. The latest expansion follows the receipt of requisitions for another 11,010 posts from the state government.
According to the information released by the commission, the additional requisitions were received in line with recommendations contained in the interim report of a high-level committee established by the Maharashtra government to improve transparency and security in recruitment examinations. The expanded recruitment will therefore cover the existing posts as well as cadres newly included in the process.
The preliminary examination will be conducted as a single common examination for all existing and newly added cadres. The examination will be held offline through an OMR-based system rather than online. The syllabus published on the commission’s website on November 15, 2022, will continue to apply to the common preliminary examination.
The shift in examination format is significant for applicants because it changes the operational process for registration, attendance, answer marking and evaluation. The commission has not indicated in the supplied notice whether the change will alter the examination pattern or question structure beyond the move to an OMR-based test. Candidates will need to follow the commission’s instructions for the revised schedule and application process.
For administrative cadres requiring general educational qualifications, the existing scheme and syllabus for the main examination will remain in force. Separate main examinations will be conducted for cadres requiring specific educational qualifications, including the newly added cadres. The commission said the syllabuses for these examinations were being prepared on priority and would be published on its website shortly.
The revised process places the commission’s website at the centre of the next stage of recruitment. Applicants must use the November 13-27 window to submit new applications where applicable or record preferences for additional cadres if they are already eligible. The preliminary examination for the enlarged recruitment process is scheduled for January 24.
