The HCS syllabus is the course of the Haryana Civil Services (Executive Branch) and allied services exam held by HPSC, and it moves through three rounds: objective prelims (General Studies plus CSAT), a written mains made up of six compulsory papers for 600 marks, and a 75 mark personality round. The old optional subject, once a big slice of the mains, has been dropped.
In January the state government also announced a revised pattern, reported to raise the prelims to 400 marks. This page lays out the stages, the paper wise topics and the Haryana specific parts, and flags clearly where you must read the next HPSC advertisement before you plan.
Exam at a glance
Conducted by
Haryana Public Service Commission, PanchkulaPosts
HCS (Executive Branch), DSP, excise and taxation, and other allied servicesStages
Prelims, mains, interviewPrelims
General Studies and CSAT, 2 hours each; CSAT is qualifying at 33 percentNegative marking
0.25 of a mark per wrong answer in prelimsMains
6 descriptive papers of 100 marks, 3 hours eachInterview
75 marksOfficial website
HCS exam pattern: the three stages
Prelims thins the crowd; only mains and interview marks build your rank.
| Stage | Papers | Marks | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | General Studies (2 hours) and CSAT (2 hours), objective, five options | 100 each in recent cycles | Screening only |
| Mains | English, Hindi, General Studies I to IV, 3 hours each | 600 | Counts for merit |
| Interview | Personality test | 75 | Counts for merit |
Shortlisting from prelims is done on General Studies marks alone, provided you clear the 33 percent bar in CSAT. Published summaries of the scheme put the mains call at roughly 12 times the vacancies. For the interview, you need a combined 45 percent across the written papers and at least 33 percent each in English and Hindi.
The HCS new syllabus pattern announced recently
News reports in January said the Haryana government had revised the HCS pattern for coming cycles. The prelims total is reported to rise to 400 marks, with questions of five options carrying 2 marks each and a deduction of 0.25 for a wrong answer, while the mains stays at six compulsory papers of 100 marks each and the interview at 75.
Reports do not agree on every detail, such as how the 400 marks are split between the two prelims papers and whether CSAT stays purely qualifying. Treat the revision as announced but not yet tested in an exam, and take the final structure from the HPSC advertisement for the cycle you sit.
HCS prelims syllabus
Searching for the HCS pre syllabus? It is short on paper but wide in practice.
First paper, General Studies
- Haryana: economy, society, culture, institutions and language
- Science in everyday life
- Current affairs, India and abroad
- India's past and the freedom movement
- Physical, economic and social geography, Indian and global
- Polity, economy and culture of India
- Mental ability questions
Second paper, CSAT
- Reading comprehension, plus people and communication skills
- Analytical and logical reasoning, plus choosing between options in decision and problem situations
- Mental ability
- Basic numeracy (class 10 level) and data interpretation through charts, graphs and tables
The Haryana block in the GS paper is where many outsiders and first timers slip. Questions come on districts, rivers and canals, Haryana's past from Rakhigarhi to Panipat, folk culture and the state's economy and schemes.
HCS syllabus for the mains, paper by paper
English (100): precis, comprehension, an essay, usage and vocabulary, and grammar and composition.
Hindi (100), in Devanagari: translation from English to Hindi, a letter or precis, explanation of prose and poetry passages, idioms and corrections, and an essay from the topics given.
General Studies I: Indian art, literature and architecture; the modern period and the national movement; how India was consolidated once free; world events since the 1700s; Indian society, its diversity and issues such as poverty, urbanisation and the position of women; physical geography and resource distribution.
General Studies II: the Constitution, federal structure and separation of powers; Parliament, the executive and the judiciary; constitutional and statutory bodies; welfare schemes and social sector issues; governance, e governance and transparency; foreign policy and India's relations abroad.
General Studies III: the Indian economy, planning, budgeting and inclusive growth; agriculture, irrigation, MSP and food security; roads, power and other infrastructure; scientific and technical progress; ecology and disaster response; security within the country.
General Studies IV: the ethics paper, covering values, attitude, emotional intelligence, probity in governance, the RTI framework and case studies.
The first three GS papers each end with Haryana related issues, so every subject you study should have a short state angle in your notes.
What deserves extra time
- English and Hindi: they carry 200 of the 600 mains marks, and a score below 33 in either keeps you out of the interview. Many science and engineering graduates underrate the Hindi paper.
- Haryana content: it runs through prelims GS and three mains papers. One good set of state notes pays off at every stage.
- Ethics: case studies reward a simple structure (facts, stakeholders, options, your decision) more than long theory.
- CSAT: qualifying, but with negative marking it can still trip you. Practise until you are clearing 45 to 50 marks comfortably.
A preparation sequence for HCS
- Lay the base with class 6 to 12 NCERT texts in the core GS subjects.
- Build Haryana notes in parallel from state government publications and Haryana's annual economic survey.
- Three months before prelims, switch to past papers and timed GS tests; practise CSAT once a week.
- Right after prelims, begin answer writing: one GS answer and one Hindi or English exercise a day.
Since the GS papers follow the UPSC model closely, the UPSC syllabus page is a useful companion. For another north Indian state exam, compare the UPPSC syllabus, and see the full list of state services on the civil services hub.
Who can apply
A bachelor's in any stream, held by the last day to apply, is the base requirement. Age must fall between 21 and 42 in general, with a narrower 21 to 27 band reported for DSP, and relaxations for reserved categories of Haryana, ex servicemen and some others. Other rules, such as knowledge of Hindi, appear in the HPSC advertisement; read that section before you pay the fee. For other Haryana jobs, see the state exams hub.
Frequently asked questions
Does HCS still have an optional paper?
It does not. Every mains paper is now compulsory: English, Hindi and four General Studies papers, each of 100 marks.
Do HCS prelims scores carry into the final total?
They are not. Prelims decides who writes the mains; your final position comes from 600 mains marks and 75 interview marks.
Is CSAT qualifying in HCS?
In recent cycles you needed 33 percent in CSAT, and shortlisting used General Studies marks alone. Check whether the revised pattern keeps this rule in the next advertisement.
What is the HCS mains exam pattern?
Six descriptive papers of three hours each: English, Hindi and General Studies I to IV, at 100 marks apiece, for a total of 600.
What ages are allowed for HCS?
Between 21 and 42 for most candidates, with relaxations for certain categories. For DSP the range reported is 21 to 27.
Has the HCS pattern changed?
A revision announced in January is reported to raise the prelims to 400 marks while keeping the six paper mains and 75 mark interview. Confirm the exact scheme in HPSC's advertisement.