The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has released the syllabus and exam pattern for the Assistant Section Officer (ASO) Group-B posts. This recruitment is for the Odisha Secretariat Service, Home Department — 340 posts in total, Advertisement No. 15 of 2026-27, notification issued on 5 November 2026. The written examination will tentatively be held on 17 January 2027 (Sunday). See the complete exam pattern and syllabus below.
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Important Dates
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Exam Pattern
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Exam Pattern — Paper-wise Marks
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Marks | Time |
| I | General Awareness | 100 | 100 | 1.5 hours |
| II | (A) Reasoning & Mental Ability + (B) Mathematics (10th standard) | 50 + 50 | 100 | 1.5 hours |
| III | (A) English + (B) Odia | 100 + 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
| IV | Skill Test in Computer Application (Practical, qualifying — minimum 40%) | — | 50 | 1 hour |
| Total (written) | 400 | 400 | 5 hours |
Each question carries 1 mark. All papers will be in English except the Odia paper. Only candidates shortlisted in the written examination will be called for the Skill Test.
Syllabus — Topic-wise
Paper I — General Awareness: current national/international events, British rule & freedom struggle, Indian Constitution, world & Indian/Odisha physical geography, governance/transparency/e-governance, Indian economy, defence & armed forces, science in everyday life, environment/ecology/biodiversity/climate change, national & international institutions. Paper II — Reasoning: analogies, series, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, puzzles, seating arrangement, data interpretation, logical reasoning. Mathematics: number system, simplification, HCF/LCM, ratio & proportion, percentage, average, profit & loss, simple & compound interest, time & work, time & distance, mensuration, basic algebra & geometry. Paper III — English: grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, sentence rearrangement, error spotting, fill in blanks. Odia: grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, literature.
Important Links
| OPSC Official Website | opsc.gov.in |
A private information portal (not a government website).
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
How many posts are there in the OPSC ASO recruitment?
There are 340 posts in total — Assistant Section Officer (Group-B), Odisha Secretariat Service, Home Department. Advertisement No. 15 of 2026-27.
When will the OPSC ASO written examination be held?
The written examination will tentatively be held on 17 January 2027 (Sunday).
What is the OPSC ASO exam pattern?
There will be 3 papers — 400 objective questions in total, 400 marks, 5 hours. Each question carries 1 mark and a wrong answer will deduct 0.25 marks.
What is the Skill Test in OPSC ASO?
Paper IV is a Skill Test in Computer Application (Practical) — 50 marks, 1 hour, qualifying (minimum 40%). Only candidates shortlisted in the written examination will be called for it.
In which language will the OPSC ASO examination be held?
All papers will be in English except the Odia paper. For confirmation of the exam date, check official notification.
