If you're preparing for the 72nd Combined Competitive Examination, your timetable just changed again. On 12 October 2026 the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) postponed the Prelims it had set for 25 October 2026. This guide covers the BPSC CCE notification and important dates in one place: vacancies, fees, how the application worked, what's new compared with the last cycle, and how to plan your revision while you wait for the new date.

Take a breath. A postponement is annoying, but it doesn't cancel your preparation. It gives you more time to use well, and we'll show you how.

Key Takeaways

• BPSC released the 72nd CCE notification on 5 May 2026. Online applications ran from 7 May to 31 May 2026.
• Prelims was first set for 26 July 2026, then moved to 25 October 2026. A notice dated 12 October 2026 postponed it again, citing "unavoidable reasons".
• BPSC says it will announce the new date later. Follow only bpsc.bihar.gov.in and BPSC's official X handle.
• The notification first listed 1,230 posts. Official corrigenda then removed 44 Sugarcane Officer posts and 2 DSP posts. Reports give different final totals, so check the official notification.
• The new Option E OMR rule means a blank row costs you marks. Practise it in every mock.

BPSC CCE Notification and Important Dates at a Glance

Here are the main dates for this cycle. All of them have already passed or been changed, except the new Prelims date, which BPSC will announce in a separate notice.

A quick note on one mismatch: almost every report gives the cancelled date as 25 October 2026, but a few lines on one coaching portal say 26 October. Most reports and the notice coverage say 25 October, so we use that date here.

What the 12 October Postponement Notice Says

BPSC put up an important notice about the postponement of the 72nd CCE (Preliminary) Examination on its official website. It also posted the news on its official X handle. The notice says the exam is postponed due to unavoidable reasons and that BPSC will share the new date later.

The notice does not give a new date or a detailed reason. So be careful with any "confirmed new date" you see in Telegram groups or on YouTube thumbnails. BPSC has a history of publicly warning candidates about rumoured exam dates. In 2025 it said updates would come only through its website, X handle or press releases.

Why This Counts as the Second Postponement

This is the second time the 72nd CCE Prelims has moved:

1. 26 July 2026: the original date. BPSC postponed it for unavoidable reasons.
2. 25 October 2026: the revised date. A notice dated 12 October 2026 postponed this one too.
3. Next date: BPSC will publish it in a fresh notice.

BPSC exams have moved before. The 70th CCE Prelims, for example, was shifted from November to December 2024, and BPSC said at the time it needed enough exam centres for a very large number of candidates. We don't know if anything like that applies this time, because the 2026 notice gives no reason.

What It Means for Admit Cards and Exam Centres

This is probably your biggest worry right now, so here's the practical picture.

• Treat 25 October as cancelled. Don't plan travel, hostel bookings or leave around it.
• Expect a fresh admit card. BPSC issues CCE admit cards a few days before the exam. Once the new date is out, download the admit card linked to that date and check your centre on it.
• Your centre may change. A new date can mean new centre arrangements. Read the district and centre on your new admit card carefully, even if you saw centre details earlier.
• BPSC usually gives enough notice. For the 71st CCE, BPSC said candidates would get enough time to download admit cards and learn their exam district and centre, as in earlier exams. That's a reassuring precedent, but it isn't a promise for this cycle.
• Keep your login details safe. Note your registration number and password now so you're not hunting for them on download day.

If you already booked tickets or a room for 25 October, cancel or reschedule early. Don't wait for the new date before sorting out your money.

Vacancies: 1,230 Posts at First, Then Two Cuts

The vacancy count has changed during this cycle, and different websites quote different totals. Here's what we could confirm.

• The 5 May notification listed 1,230 vacancies across Bihar government departments.
• BPSC's official website shows a corrigendum deleting 44 Sugarcane Officer vacancies.
• A second official corrigendum reduces Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) vacancies by 2.

Reported final totals differ: most outlets say 1,186, one Testbook news page says 1,187, and CareerIndia says 1,189. Because the sources disagree, check the official notification and corrigenda on bpsc.bihar.gov.in for the current figure.

Posts Included

The CCE recruits for administrative, police, revenue, welfare and finance posts, including:

• Sub-Divisional Officer / Senior Deputy Collector (Bihar Administrative Service)
• Deputy Superintendent of Police
• Assistant Commissioner, State Tax
• Revenue Officer and equivalent posts
• Block Panchayat Raj Officer and Rural Development Officer
• Municipal Executive Officer, Cooperative Extension Officer and Labour Enforcement Officer

For post-wise and category-wise numbers, check the official notification. Third-party breakdowns don't always match each other.

Application Fee and How to Apply

The application window closed on 31 May 2026, so there's nothing to fill in now. Still, it helps to know how it worked, both to check your own application and for future cycles.

Application Fee

Most reports, including several coaching portals, say the 72nd CCE fee is Rs 100 per examination for all candidates. They add a Rs 200 biometric fee if you didn't enter your Aadhaar number. A few portals instead list category-wise fees of Rs 600 (General) and Rs 150 (reserved categories and women from Bihar). The sources disagree, so check the official notification for the exact fee that applied to you.

How the Application Worked

1. Register or log in on BPSC's online portal (your One Time Registration details fill in part of the form).
2. Fill in your personal, academic and category details.
3. Upload your photograph, signature and certificates in the required format.
4. Pay the fee online and submit. You can't edit the form after submitting.
5. Download and keep the confirmation page.

You can only check eligibility, age limits and relaxations reliably in the official notification, because third-party summaries don't agree on the age bands.

What Changed from the Last Cycle

The 72nd CCE brings some real changes compared with the 71st. Knowing them stops last year's habits from costing you marks.

The Option E Rule, Explained Simply

This is the change most likely to affect your score. BPSC added a fifth bubble, Option E ("Not Attempted"), to its OMR sheets.

• Correct answer: +1
• Wrong answer (A/B/C/D): −1/3
• Option E shaded: 0, no penalty
• Row left blank: −1/3, the same as a wrong answer

The 1/3 penalty for wrong answers isn't new. What's new is the penalty for leaving a row blank. If you skip a question, shade E. Every time.

Prelims Pattern You're Revising For

The pattern stays the same. Prelims is one General Studies paper:

• 150 multiple-choice questions, 150 marks
• 2 hours, offline OMR mode
• Available in Hindi and English
• Qualifying only: your Prelims marks don't count in the final merit list, which is based on Mains and Interview

How to Replan Your Revision Until the New Date

You don't know the new date yet, and that's fine. Plan in short blocks you can adjust instead of fixing everything to one deadline.

1. Switch to Two-Week Revision Blocks

Break your plan into two-week blocks. In each block, cover one or two GS areas in depth, take two full mocks and spend a day fixing your errors. Rebuild the plan every week until BPSC announces a date.

2. Keep Your Peak, Don't Burn Out

You were probably at peak intensity for 25 October. Ease off slightly for a week, then build back up. Revising at a steady pace for months beats cramming at full tilt with no end date.

3. Fill Gaps You Skipped

Use the extra weeks for topics you'd marked "low priority", especially Bihar-specific history, geography and economy. Good books for competitive exams help you close these gaps without hunting through scattered notes.

4. Practise Option E Under Exam Conditions

Take full-length timed mocks on OMR-style sheets and shade E on purpose for every skipped question. A good online test series lets you track your net score after negative marking, which is the number that matters.

5. Keep Current Affairs Rolling

The longer the gap, the more recent events can show up in the paper. Spend 30–40 minutes a day on daily current affairs, with special attention to Bihar and national schemes.

6. Set Up an Official-Only Alert Routine

Check bpsc.bihar.gov.in and BPSC's X handle once a day at a fixed time. Then close the tab and study. Checking every hour drains far more energy than it saves.

Conclusion

The BPSC CCE notification and important dates for the 72nd cycle come down to this: the notification came out on 5 May 2026, applications closed on 31 May 2026, and BPSC postponed Prelims twice, from 26 July and then from 25 October 2026. The new date will come only through an official notice. Vacancy totals have been revised and fees are reported differently by different sites, so check the official notification for both.

Until then, plan revision in short blocks, practise the Option E rule in every mock and keep up with current affairs. When the date drops, you'll be ready instead of rushing. You've got this.

FAQs

Why was the BPSC 72nd CCE Prelims postponed?

BPSC's notice dated 12 October 2026 says the Prelims set for 25 October 2026 was postponed for unavoidable reasons. It gives no further explanation and says the new date will be shared later.

Is my admit card for 25 October still valid?

Don't rely on anything issued for 25 October. BPSC issues CCE admit cards a few days before the exam, so download the admit card linked to the new date and check your exam centre on it again.

How many vacancies are there in the BPSC 72nd CCE?

The notification first listed 1,230 posts. Official corrigenda then deleted 44 Sugarcane Officer posts and cut DSP posts by 2. Reports quote final totals of 1,186, 1,187 or 1,189, so check the official notification on bpsc.bihar.gov.in for the current figure.

Can I still apply for the BPSC 72nd CCE?

No. The online application window ran from 7 May to 31 May 2026 and has closed. The postponement only changes the Prelims date. It doesn't reopen applications.

What is the Option E rule in BPSC Prelims?

Every question now has a fifth OMR option, E, meaning 'Not Attempted'. Shading E costs nothing, a wrong answer costs one-third of a mark, and a row left completely blank is also penalised one-third of a mark.

Where will BPSC announce the new Prelims date?

Watch the official website, bpsc.bihar.gov.in, and BPSC's official X handle. BPSC has warned in the past that updates come only through official channels, so ignore dates circulating on social media.