Haryana revises Civil Service 2026 exam pattern; prelims marks doubled; mains revamped

The Haryana government has revised the state civil service exam pattern by increasing the total marks for the preliminary exam from 200 to 400. The question paper pattern for the Haryana Civil Service Mains (HCS Mains) exam will now have six descriptive questions, it said.

“The Haryana Government has amended the syllabus of the HCS examination. The preliminary examination will be of 400 marks, comprising two objective question papers,” the official statement said.

The main examination will be of a total of 600 marks, including 4 papers of general studies. It will consist of a total of six descriptive question papers, each paper being of three hours and 100 marks, it said.

Haryana HCS exam pattern revised 2026

The Haryana government will follow a three-stage selection process – preliminary, mains, and interview or viva-voce.

According to the revised exam pattern, the HCS preliminary exam will have two papers – general studies and civil service aptitude test – carrying 100 marks each. Candidates will be given two hours to attempt the objective-type questions carrying five options. Each correct answer will fetch two marks and 0.25 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer.

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Earlier, the HCS Mains paper had only four questions, which has been increased to six compulsory questions now. In the HCS Mains exam, the six mandatory papers are – English, Hindi, General Studies I, II, III, and IV.

Candidates will be given three hours to attempt a 100-mark question paper which will be available in English and Hindi mediums.

The interview will be conducted for 75 marks. Only shortlisted candidates will be allowed to appear for the mains exam and interview.