Every year, the West Bengal Public Service Commission releases a certain number of vacancies for recruitment to the West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) and other services and posts. Lakhs of candidates apply for this exam and aspire to join one of the group services recruited through this examination. Before applying for this examination, the candidates have to carefully read the rules prescribed by the Government and check the eligibility conditions for their admission. 

The candidates who are eligible for this examination can apply when the application window is open. Also, the candidates have to note that the eligibility conditions mentioned by the WBPSC in the official notification cannot be relaxed further. Since this examination is conducted for four different groups, the eligibility criteria are not the same for all the groups. It varies from one to the other, and the candidates have to check and apply for the aspiring group accordingly. 

In this article, the eligibility criteria for the WBCS Exam will be discussed in detail. The candidates can check their eligibility and then start preparing for the examination. 

Eligibility Criteria for WBCS Exam 2022

The official notification of WBCS mentions criteria for the candidates who wish to appear in the examination. The candidature is valid only if the person fulfils all the eligibility criteria. This article provides a brief overview of the eligibility criteria regarding nationality, age limit, age relaxations, educational qualification, experience and physical standards prescribed by the commission. The candidates can go through the below-mentioned information to get an overall idea about the WBPSC WBCS eligibility criteria. 

WBCS eligibility: nationality

The candidate must be a citizen of India (either natural or by registration) or such other nationals as declared eligible by the Government of India. The candidate must have good health and character, and suitability in all respects for appointment to Government Service. 

WBCS eligibility: age limit

• For services and posts included in Group ‘A’ & ’C’, the minimum age is 21 years, and the maximum age limit is 36 years on the 1st January of the year of examination. 
• For the West Bengal Police Service only (i.e. Group ‘B’ Service), the minimum age limit is 20 years, and the person’s age should not exceed 36 years. In other words, for this particular post, candidates whose age is between 20 and 21 years can also apply. 
• For services and posts included in group ‘D’, the age should not be below 21 years, and the maximum age limit is 39 years on the 1st day of January of the year of the examination. 
• The age recorded in Madhyamik or an equivalent certificate will only be considered as proof for age verification and will be accepted. 

Age relaxation:

The age relaxation provided to various categories are tabled below:

Category	Relaxation (Upper Age Limit)
SC/ST from West Bengal (Non-creamy layer)	5 years
OBC from West Bengal (Non-creamy layer)	3 years
Persons with Disabilities (PWD)	Up to the age of 45 years

The SC/ST/OBC candidates of other states shall be considered for Unreserved posts only. The candidates who are claiming age relaxation have to produce the proof as required by the commission. Also, the candidature can get cancelled if any false claim has been made by the candidates. 

WBCS eligibility: educational qualification

The required educational qualification to appear in WBCS Exam is listed below:

• The candidates must possess a degree from a recognised University. 
• The candidates should have the ability to read, write and speak in Bengali (not required for those candidates whose mother tongue is Nepali). 
• It should be noted that the candidates must fulfil the requisite qualifications by the closing date of submission of the application.
• It should be noted that the candidate need not possess any previous experience to get qualified for this examination. 

WBCS eligibility: physical standards

The commission prescribes certain physical standards for West Bengal Police Service (Group ‘B’ Service); that is, the minimum height requirement for male candidates is 1.65 metres and 1.50 metres for female candidates. These criteria are subject to relaxation in the case of candidates belonging to races such as Gorkhas, Garwalis, Assamese Tribes etc. The candidates who wish to get selected for this Group should mention their height in the application form. 

There are also special conditions for Assistant Canal Revenue Officer, West Bengal Junior Social Welfare Service, West Bengal Subordinate Land Revenue Service, Grade – I.  Therefore, the candidates who wish to get selected for a particular post have to thoroughly check their eligibility criteria before applying for this exam. 

West Bengal Civil Service (Exe.) is considered a highly competitive exam and has four separate and distinct examinations for four groups of services and posts. The candidates who are aspiring to attempt WBCS Exam can check the linked article to know important information like exam pattern and syllabus, which will aid in the preparation for the exam.