Exam Pattern
MPPSC State Service Exam Pattern
MPPSC State Service Prelims 2026: General Aptitude Test
Three marks a question is unusual at this level, and it changes what the deduction means. Most state services aptitude papers pay 2; this one pays 3 and takes 1 off, so the ratio is wider and a narrowed guess is worth more here than the same guess is elsewhere. The paper is also a single undivided section of 100 questions, which leaves nothing to sequence and no weak area to save until last. Two hours across those 100 questions gives 72 seconds each, so the format tests accuracy rather than pace.
Prelims General Aptitude Test
Official 2026 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 300 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 1 per wrong answer |
| Sections | General Aptitude Test |
Timing: Single unrestricted 120-minute timer for the whole paper: no sectional lock.
MPPSC revised its preliminary scheme for 2026, and the figures here are taken from the commission's own exam plan and syllabus dated 5 January 2026 rather than from an earlier cycle. The General Aptitude Test is the second preliminary paper: 100 objective questions for 300 marks in two hours, four options each, 3 marks for a correct answer and 1 mark deducted for a wrong one. It is qualifying only, and the 2026 plan sets the minimum at 40 per cent for unreserved candidates and unreserved women and 30 per cent for SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwD candidates; a widely repeated 33 per cent figure belongs to the older scheme and is not used here. The syllabus is comprehension, communication skills, logical reasoning, decision making, general mental ability, basic numeracy and data interpretation, with Hindi comprehension where prescribed. The Hindi-language questions in this mock are set in Hindi and are not translated. General Studies Paper I is not built here: it is current events and state and national fact recall, which this site does not self-author.
Official source · checked 11 September 2026The MPPSC State Service Prelims General Aptitude Test exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 300 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 72 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. It is a single General Aptitude Test paper.
MPPSC State Service Prelims General Aptitude Test marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 3 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 1 mark; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 25% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. That is exactly what a blind guess between four options returns, so guessing at random neither gains nor loses marks over a long paper. The moment you can rule out even one option, it starts paying.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 160 out of 300.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 72 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free MPPSC State Service mock test to see where your time actually goes.
MPPSC State Service exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in MPPSC State Service?
MPPSC State Service deducts 1 mark for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in MPPSC State Service?
MPPSC State Service has 100 questions. That leaves about 72 seconds per question in MPPSC State Service.
What are the total marks in MPPSC State Service?
MPPSC State Service is out of 300 marks, which works out at 3 marks a question.
How long is the MPPSC State Service exam?
MPPSC State Service runs for 120 minutes.